Secrets to Starting a Meditation Practice
Meditation is an important part of my life. I was on the phone with a work friend and she was surprised to hear how often I meditate.
Most likely, you have already heard the benefits of mediation, so I won’t go into them here. I will say, however, if there is ever a time to start meditating, now is it. It is an excellent form of stress relief and a way to “clear the clutter” in your mind, which helps in everyday life.
Here are a few basics to get you started:
Intention is important. Meditation is a ritual. Find a time that works best for you to start, in which you can start by doing it a few minutes every day. I meditate in the morning as the sun is coming up, in a room, by myself, with no intrusions. It is important to have no distractions. Lock the door if need be. One of the reasons I mostly meditate in the morning is everyone else is still asleep.
Meditation starts in the body with awareness and breath. When I first started meditating I used the help of a relaxation app. There are many out there but one that particularly helped me is by Andrew Johnson, because he leads you through relaxing parts of the body. Find one that works for you.
If you can sit in silence, do. Concentrate on your breath going in and out. Most people find this difficult because of the chatter in your head. This will change with a regular practice.
Head chatter is normal. There are two things to remember with this chatter. The first, is to reward yourself each time you notice the chatter and come back to your breath. The second is I have found this chatter to be a natural part of when I start to meditate. I call it filtering. My brain is actually filtering out all my activity and thoughts (my to-dos, what happened in my day, etc.) before it can get to the meditation place. Filtering is a “cleaning out” and is a good thing. If you’ve never meditated, you essentially have years of cleaning out to do. Let this filtering happen and look at it positively. Then reward yourself for coming back to your breath.
Sit in a comfortable position. Most pictures of meditation include a person sitting cross legged on the ground. I have a very hard time doing this, as I am not flexible. I either sit in a comfortable chair or lie down (not recommended if you think you’ll fall asleep).
A mantra is important. It is not what you say that is important, it is what the sound feels like and the vibration it causes. The traditional “ohmmm” is good for this. I started with saying the words “I am” repeatedly. Find something that is soothing to you.
Consistency is better than length. Start small. A few minutes each day will do and you can gradually build up. Meditation helps me to calm myself, make better decisions and focus on what is most important.