Just as working out trains the body, meditation trains the mind. As with any type of training, meditation takes time to master. Since there are many approaches to meditating, finding a method that works for you does not have to be difficult. Allow the best meditation techniques for beginners to help get you started on your journey to making your mind work for you.
When many people think of meditation, they often believe there is one way and one way only to approach it. They frequently envision a person sitting for hours on end in an impossibly cramped position to achieve the ultimate enlightenment.
The truth of the matter is, meditation can happen for as long as you like. Even if you can only devote a few minutes a day to meditating, you will find it can bring major changes to your life. Imagine being more confident, having greater focus, being more successful….meditation can bring these positives to your life.
The Best Meditation Techniques For Beginners | 7 Great Tips
1) Lie Down and Relax to Meditate:
Didn’t know you could meditate in a reclining position? You absolutely can! Meditation is often easier for beginners when they are able to recline. This can be done while you are lying in bed before sleep.
Simply lie down and begin to allow yourself to relax completely. As you relax focus on your breathing. In the beginning, you may simply count breaths and then you can begin to focus on visualizing what you want in your life.
As you see the image clearly, focus fully on it and your breathing. You may only be able to do this for about fifteen minutes in the beginning. Eventually, you will lose all sense of time as your focus grows stronger. Do not be concerned if you end up falling asleep in the beginning. This is one of the best ways to achieve a peaceful night’s sleep!
2) Walking Meditation is Great for Beginners:
The vast majority of people are utterly shocked to find they can meditate while walking. Instead of sitting in a lotus position, you can focus on walking to meditate.
This is especially beneficial when you are feeling stressed out or restless and can’t seem to get your mind in focus. As you are walking, focus on each foot as it hits the ground.
Listen to the sounds of your breath or focus on the feel of the wind as it blows through your hair. This rhythm can keep your thoughts focused. When your mind begins to drift, simply bring it back into focus on your feet or the sounds you are hearing. This is an amazingly easy way to learn the art of meditation.
3) Meditate on an Empty Stomach:
It stands to reason you cannot fully focus on meditation when your body is working to digest the food you have recently eaten. People who are learning meditation often find they become overly sleepy if they try to meditate after a meal.
To avoid this problem, try meditating just before bed or before breakfast. When the body has been deprived of food for a couple of hours, the mind tends to think more clearly. There is no focus on the fullness of the stomach and no problems with body systems interrupting the flow of energy as a person meditates.
Many people find meditating after a brief period of fasting gives them the clarity they never thought they could achieve.
4) Yoga and Stretching Can Facilitate Your Meditation:
One of the biggest complaints beginners have is feeling restless or in pain while staying still for long periods of time. While some of this can be remedied by conducting meditation in alternative styles, much of the problem is due to poor circulation in the body.
This is easy to fix simply by participating in yoga or stretching exercises before it is time to meditate. This sends a fresh supply of blood throughout the body so all of the muscles are well-nourished.
When a person has deeply stretched all of the major muscle groups in their body, they find they can meditate with much more focus and with less discomfort. Try it and see if it doesn’t totally change your approach on your next session of mediation!
5) Learn To Smile:
Putting a gentle smile on your face is one of the easiest ways to be more successful at meditation. I know you are smiling right now at the simplicity, but it is true! The facial expressions you make during meditation can have a lot of impact on the results you achieve. Even if you cannot plant a genuine smile, fake it! Your body seriously will not know the difference.
Smiling is scientifically proven to reduce stress and calm the mind and emotions. This will get you to that perfect state of mind that allows you to begin to focus on empowering yourself and envisioning your true potential.
If you are grimacing or focusing so hard on getting everything just right, you might end up unknowingly frowning. A simple smile can do wonders for creating the perfect atmosphere in your mind.
6) Don’t Get Disturbed:
Since beginners are often more easily distracted in the meditation process, it stands to reason they will worry about distractions as they are practicing. If you are attempting to meditate while worrying any second your child will need you, you are not going to be able to focus fully. Mediation must be carried out without distraction.
If this means turning off the ringer on your phone, taking the kids to grandma’s or going out into the woods for a walk, so be it! It is imperative you remove as many distraction threats as possible so you can remain focused on your session.
When you feel at ease in knowing nothing will interrupt you, you will soon find you are able to put all of your energy and focus on achieving your goals during meditation.
7) The Ending Matters as Much as the Beginning:
Many beginners tend to end their meditation abruptly when it is over. This can be a mistake since the way your session ends is just as important, if not more so, than the way it begins.
Before opening your eyes rapidly, try sitting still for a few moments and reflect on being grateful for your session. Think back on what you focused on and the feelings and emotions you felt.
Take a moment to slowly begin to open your eyes and take in your surroundings as they come back into focus. This will help properly move you from your meditative state back into lucidity. Ending your sessions in this manner will allow you to keep that focus you found even after you get back to your normal routine.
Conclusion:
There are many more tips that can be used to help you begin to learn meditation. What is right for me may not be right for you. This is YOUR journey and it takes time to find your path. Do not scold yourself or become discouraged if your beginning sessions do not proceed as you would like.
Try incorporating some of these tips to see if they can help you in your pursuit of finding inner peace through meditation. The most important thing to remember in learning this practice is consistency.
Don’t give up! When you begin to feel your interest waning, this is when you need meditation all the more! Blessings on your journey! May these tips help you begin to master the art of meditation. Go ahead and leave your comments or questions below for me, and I will get back to you in 24 hours or less. I would love your feedback on the article and your thoughts.
Check out some other great articles on meditation. Click Here
Really nice, calming article there AJ – and yes, I was smiling at no.5!!! 🙂 I love your use of imagery, just right and not overbearing. Well done – great site too 🙂
Glad to hear it Jyl. I really appreciate the complement on the article. Thats means a lot to me. I hope my site will continue to be one of inspiration for you. Thanks for reading.
AJ.
I’ve had an ongoing problem with falling asleep during attempts at meditation. It seems I’m good at the relaxation side whatever about anything else.
I notice you say that is more likely to happen if you have eaten. I didn’t know that and maybe it’s part (or all) of the problem.
I’ll try on an empty stomach and see how it goes. You’ve got some other tips here as well that are worth trying.Cheers.
Thanks for taking the time to read Eoinmc. I hope that your mediation will go better for you as you practice more. You should check out some of my other posts on the law of attraction and then apply this and watch what happens in your life. Have a great week 🙂
A.J.,
Did not know that relaxing before your meditation is finished would make that much of a difference. I will try this technique the next time I go off to be in my own space.
John
If you apply these techniques and study the law of attraction and then take action on your dreams, your world will change so fast. So many things have happened in my life that most people say are unexplainable. Meditation and the law of attraction had a lot to do with it. Thanks for reading, and wishing you the best of success.
This article caught my eye. These tips are very useful, because I have been trying to get into meditation, but I don’t know where to start. My friends make it look so easy. I kept wondering what I was doing wrong. So, I will try your tips and see how I do.
I am glad Candice. Applying these steps will really give you control of your thoughts and change how you feel every day. 🙂