Meditation is a magical practice that can improve your relationships, enhance your mental health and balance your work-life scale. You may find thousands or millions of people talking about how meditation helps change their life for the better. However, you may also be still reluctant to start this healing method since it seems awkward and new to you. Don’t worry! This article is to help you start meditating yourself from scratch with ease. For beginners, mindfulness meditation is a powerful practice that can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being.
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Start with 2-5 Minutes of Meditation per Day
Whenever you try to take up a new habit, it’s important to start small until you find it is natural to keep the habit. Do not take meditation too seriously. Meditation itself is not something to make you tired. Sit for just 2 or 5 minutes a day is a good start. Keep practicing it for a period of time. If it goes well, you can gradually increase the time to 10 or 20 minutes or even more as long as you find it comfortable.
Do It First Thing Each Morning
Morning is proved to be the best time in a day and it is also the best time for meditation. People believe that our mind is blank and the freshest in the morning, just like a brand-new computer with no storage. A meditation beginner will find it hard to sit still, focus, and forget about all the things that are happening around. Therefore, it is a very useful tip for a beginner to practice meditation in the morning since the early morning brings them silence and peace.
Be Comfortable with How You Do It
Don’t be obsessed with meditation in the traditional cross-legged pose. Most people starting with meditation will search for how and where to sit. However, it is not that important for a starter. You can meditate anywhere, in any pose that you find comfortable. If sitting cross-legged is hard for you, feel free to just sit normally on a chair, a couch, or even on a bed.
Count Your Breaths
After you are settled in, start focusing on your breaths. Simply direct your attention to your inhalation and follow it through your nose all the way to your lungs. Count “one” as you take the first breath in, then “two” as you exhale. Repeat until you reach a count of ten, then begin over again.
Don’t Worry If Your Mind Starts Wandering
You might think that meditation is about clearing your mind. But it’s not. In fact, we can’t stop our thoughts. If you feel your mind start wandering with lots of thoughts, fix your pose, straight up your back, and return to your breaths. Start over again by counting “one” when you inhale, “two” when you exhale.
Be Friends with Yourself
The purpose of meditation is for you to understand yourself. While it’s a must to let go of everything and focus on your breaths, it’s also crucial to stay with your true feelings and emotions when they arise. Just take them as your friends, listen to them, let them share more with you, and comfort them instead of giving criticism.
You might need a lot of practice to really know how to be friends with yourself. But don’t rush! It does take time. It is also typical if you find you are doing wrong when trying something for the first time. That is ok. Everyone has their own ways of meditation. And you do it right as long as you are happy doing it.
