Learn to Meditate

When we come across people interested in meditation it’s not always so simple to explain, they often have an image of  a yogi or spiritual leader meditating with mystical powers. The pop culture image of a bearded wizard type individual who meditates in the forest certainly perpetuates this. Reality, however, is far from it, as there are various types of meditation practiced by millions of ‘normal’ people each and every day. You won’t have to move to a Tibet or take up the forest life to learn meditation. It’s really quite simple, and you can learn to meditate in the comfort of your own home.

When you first get started in learning meditation you may not know where to begin, as there are many types of meditation to choose from. The best advice is to start with a simple meditation when you’re just getting started. Once you get the swing of things you can experiment with the other varieties of meditation and find your preference.

Anybody who is new to meditation can start with the simplest of all, the breath counting meditation. This meditation is the easiest to perform, and the easiest to learn, as it’s also a form of natural meditation. To get started you will want to find a quite place where you’ll be comfortable and have no interruptions. You may sit in the lotus position (cross legged) or simply lay on your back if it’s more comfortable for you. It’s important not to get too relaxed while lying down, which can be an issue.  Once you are in a comfortable position you can start you breath counting meditation.  Gently relax your body and mind, as you close your eyes. We start by simply counting each inhale and exhale. Once we reach a predetermined number we start over. You can count up to 3, 5, 10 or whatever suites you. Keeping the number short, however, helps with your concentration. And concentration is what it’s all about. The goal here is to just focus on our breath, as we count each inhaled and exhaled breath. You’ll quickly learn that this is easier said than done, as your mind has other ideas. Don’t be dissuaded by the constant chatter of the mind, as it’s perfectly normal. You’ll develop better control with time.

You can start performing this simple meditation for a few minutes every once or twice a day. Once you begin to do this practice you can gradually increase the duration of the meditation. Remember to just to watch your thoughts pass by. Try not to get distracted by the mind. Or better yet, when you get distracted by your mind, simply return to your breathing. You can use a meditation timer that will not only signal the end of your session, but chime at certain intervals, so that you can return if distracted.  This mind distractions may seem very difficult at first, but consistent practice will help you get control back from your mind.

Learning to meditate is not at all a complicated procedure, it’s actually quite simple. The problem most people face is that it’s a lot like exercise, in that it takes steady discipline.  Understanding the benefits of exercise is not hard to conceptualize, just the action required to get the the results. Most people get motivated with a few visits to the gym, but the excitement quickly fades, and before they know it they’ve lost all motivation. This applies to learning meditation too. You will not see the results you’re looking for if you don’t put in the consistent practice. Meditation is a learned discipline that can provide a number of life changing benefits, but you’ll have to practice.

Before you learn to meditate your objective should be clear. Setting up goals is an important step. These goals need to be realistic for what you plan to achieve. Make meditation a part of your daily routine. If you can meditate twice a day, morning and night, that’s great, but try to allot a portion of your day to meditation. It’s recommended that you at least devote 20 minutes to your daily meditation. This should be a minimum, since the best results are achieved with longer consistent sessions.

Once you learn to meditate and are clear about what you wish to achieve via meditation you can then choose the meditation that best suits you. There are many types of meditation in some cultures that are actually a form of prayer like in Hinduism and Buddhism. You don’t, however, need to change your religion to learn meditation, rather pick up a meditation that will most benefit you. This may be a Buddhist mediation or some other form, proceed with an open mind.

Picking up the right meditation for you can be a bit of a task with so many to choose from, but it really doesn’t have to be. Many of the most experienced meditation gurus make the simple breath counting meditation the mainstay of there daily practice. This is because it works. Once you learn to meditate you’ll find there is no magic meditation that’s better than the others, just the one that’s best for you.

So start with a simple meditation. Set a realistic goal that you can stick to for a certain peiod of time. For example, 30 minutes in the mornings for 2 months.  Make it part of your daily routine. Don’t have unrealistic expectations. In fact, don’t have any expectations, other than your daily devotion. Once you’ve practiced for a few months and reached this goal, you can then reflect on your developement. What you’ll find will be nothing short of amazing.

A Guide On How To Meditate

Meditation has long been considered an effective way to cope with stress and achieve a deeper state of mental relaxation, helping the mind in the process become more active in performing various mental processes.

For one to be able to achieve these goals, it is important to learn how to meditate. Meditation is more than just the image of someone sitting with his legs on a “twisted” position and his eyes closed as we will find out later on.

But the first thing we must learn in meditation is to set the time for it everyday. It doesn’t matter the time of the day or the length of time you allocate; what is more important is that you do it on a regular basis so that you can better feel the effects of meditation on your mind and body. Remember that meditation is not an exercise that promises immediate results, if that is what you’re looking for.

Once you’ve set up the time, you must now set up the location. Make sure it’s a quiet and relaxing location without any nuisances or other distractions that could get in the way of your meditation.

Now that the time and place has been set, we now go to the actual exercise itself in learning how to meditate. We begin by sitting on the same level as the ground, but you can sit on a meditation pillow or a chair if it makes you feel more comfortable. In fact, you can even do it while lying down, and you don’t necessarily have to be in some limb-twisting posture. Just remember to keep your back straight to help you with the breathing later.

Now that you have a comfortable posture for meditation, you now let your breathing become deep and slow from the abdomen instead of from the chest. At the same time, you should keep your eyes half-opened, not letting them focus on anything. But if you’re having a hard time doing so, you can either close your eyes or let them focus on a single, steady object in their view.

The next step is to relax every muscle in your body little by little. This takes time, so it’s important not to rush it. Around this time, your mind begins to think of many things. For meditation, it’s important for your mind to focus; you must gently let your mind focus on a single point and allow it to eventually stay in that point. This sort of mental anchor can either rest on the flow of your breath (without making any judgment on it) or it can be a mental image of place that calms you. The idea here is to just breath.

With your mind trained now to focus on a single point, the next step is to focus now on nothingness to fully clear your mind. This is the pinnacle of meditation, but also the most challenging. This requires great discipline on your part as you can either let the image be cast away or let it come and go until it disappears from your mind.

One must remember in learning how to meditate that meditation is not about seeking enlightenment or perfection. The ultimate goal here is for you to just be, which meditation allows for us in the midst of the frenzy and chaos surrounding our world today.