Meditation Tips: Getting Started
It can be difficult to get started in meditation. Here are some tips to help get you going:
Setup
Find a chair that you feel comfortable sitting upright in. It helps to place a pillow or cushion on the seat to help raise your hips above your knees. This takes pressure off the low back and hips.
* In all meditations it is completely acceptable and appropriate to lay flat on the ground on your back, as well.
If seated in the upright position begin your meditation by getting the physical body set. Imagine a string pulling your spine straight up from the top of your head. Allow the weight of your shoulders to fall from your ears with the help of gravity. Rest your hands comfortable on your thighs.
As you begin to breathe it is helpful to start by taking deep breaths in through the nose deep into the belly. Exhale out the mouth. Do this at your own pace until you begin to feel your body relax. As you descend into a more calm state of being -- imagine with every inhale you create more space in the body. And with every exhale you let go of any tension that might linger. You may begin to notice places in your body that feel tight. Imagine breathing into these areas to release that tightness and tension.
Belly Breathing
Breathe deep into your belly. Inhaling through the nose until you are comfortably full. You may place your hand just below your belly button and imagine breathing into your hand. On the exhale, breathing out your mouth, use your abdominals to push the air up and out of your stomach.
Do this for 5 - 10 minutes or as long as you wish.
Mindfulness Practice
You may begin this meditation right away or following a belly breathing exercise. This is a simple meditation that cultivates mastery over the natural flow of the mind. Begin by breathing in and out the nose.
Just following the breath.
In...
And
Out...
Do not be alarmed, your mind will wander. As it does and you notice you have drifted away from your focus on the breath, acknowledge the thought that has come into your mind and gently bring your attention back to your breath.
This practice is not about being perfect. None of us are. Your mind is built to think, travel, analyze, ‘figure out’, and keep you safe. The mind’s natural process is to ‘think’. The practice of mindful meditation is getting repetitions in concentration. As you concentrate your attention on the breath you are cultivating your focus, awareness and mindfulness. So it is very much a part of the process to continuously bring your attention back to the breath.
Begin with 5 minutes and work to go as long as possible. I do 30 minutes of this a day.
Listening
My favorite technique of meditation is listening. I recommend beginning with the previous practices to get you started. As you advance your meditation practice you will begin to thirst for new and fun ways to expand your practice.
Listening is the practice of bringing your attention to the sounds all around you without labeling them. Imagine you are listening to your surroundings as if you were listening to music. I begin by imagining I’ve just put on a pair of headphones. Next begin by allowing sounds to come into your ears without focusing your attention on ‘where’ they are coming from or ‘what’ is producing them. Just allow the sounds to play with your eardrums. Remove ‘thinking’ from the equation of identifying the noises as being one thing or another. When you are able to achieve this you will find that you can very quickly slip into a deep state of meditation. As sounds come into your ears just allow the breath to move as it will. To settle your nervous system into the exercise you may employ the methods of deep belly breathing and letting go. Now, see if you can tune into the most quiet sound in your field of awareness. And continue to disconnect from identifying any sounds you hear.
Begin with 5 minutes a day. Build your listening practice from there. You may do this for as long as you want. As with all of these meditation practices the more you do the more profound the effect you will experience.
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