How to Meditate Properly: Everything a Beginner Needs to Know
Meditation is one of the most powerful tools for physical, mental and emotional healing. It has been used in many different traditions and religions to help one become grounded, centred and to be closer to the Divine. In this post I will share some of the benefits, history and teach you how to meditate.
History of Meditation
The earliest documented accounts of meditation stem from the Indian Hindu tradition in 1500 BCE, and the Taoist tradition from China in the 3rd and 6th century BC. Both countries developed their own techniques and style of practice, which influenced the rest of the world. However, some form of meditation has been referenced in just about every culture and religion worldwide. The word meditation stems from the Latin word meditatum, which means “to ponder.”
Benefits of Meditation
There have been countless studies on mediation and it’s effects on a person’s wellbeing. Studies on it’s impact on the brain, it’s use to eleviate stress and anxiety and how it benefits ones overall health. They all indicate that meditation is advantageous to a persons general wellbeing.
Physical Benefits
Meditation has been used to help people recover from addiction. It is also a great stress and anxiety reliever, which we know is essential to good health. Stress and anxiety actually shut down the digestive system and the immune system, among other things, to prepare the body for fight or flight. Remaining in that state, like so many of us do in this day age, is detrimental to our health. The World Health Organization has called stress this generation’s biggest health issue.
Meditation can also improve your quality of sleep, enhance your ability to focus and aid in better decision making. It increases grey matter and brain plasticity, which improves your memory and ability to learn.
Emotional Benefits
Practicing meditation not only improves our physical health, but also our emotional health. Regular meditation helps us become aware of and get in touch with our feelings. It helps to clear away the noise that muddies our emotions, giving us more clarity around them. Which can help eleviate depression. It helps us let go of negative thoughts that get in the way of our happiness. Opening us up to more gratitude and joy.
Regular meditation can help promote feelings of compassion and kindness. Helping us make deeper connections with the people closest to us and the world at large.
Spiritual Benefits
Meditation can help move us forward on our spiritual path. It increases our positive energy, which helps to activate the Law of Attraction and our ability to manifest good in our lives. It is an effective way to balance your chakras and ground and centre yourself.
Through regular meditation you connect to your higher self and can hear the voice of your intuition more clearly. Finally, meditation can help foster a relationship between you and the Divine. Allowing you to hear the soft whisper of the Universe, illuminating the interconnectedness of everything that is.
Types of Meditation
There are already so many different types of meditation and the list keeps growing. Here are a few to get you started:
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation stems from the Buddhist Insight meditation and Zen meditation.It has been used in the western world as a form of stress management. It is practiced in a sitting position with ones back straight and unsupported. It begins much like Zen meditation, by focusing on the breath. From there you are to observe your thoughts and feeling with no judgement. Allowing them to flow moment to moment. The intention is to only focus on the present moment.
Mantra Meditation
Mantra meditation uses a word or phrase as the focus of the meditation.Traditionally mantras were of Sanskrit origin, such as Om, Om Namah Shiviya, So Hum to name a few. Now it is common for people to use everyday words as mantras as well. Some examples would be calm, relax, or breathe. Mantras are a wonderful way to maintain focus during meditation. To practice mantra meditation you are to repeat the mantra, either in your head or in a whisper. You can either practice for a set amount of time or a specific number of repetitions, beads are commonly used to count the repetitions. The mantra helps focus the mind and keep unwanted thoughts from intruding. The goal is to eventually slip into the place between thoughts and achieve inner peace.
Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is a relatively new phenomenon. It is a wonderful way for beginner practitioners to learn how to meditate. It is also great for experienced meditators to try a different style of meditation or simply to help them meditate on days when their focus is not as clear. Guided meditation does exactly what the name suggests, it guides one through the entire meditation helping them to keep focus. In a world full of distraction, guided mediation can be a god send. There are guided meditations for just about every type of meditation. Youtube is a great place to start looking for guided meditations
Walking — Movement Meditation
Walking or Movement Meditation is pretty much what it sounds like, you walk or move while meditating. Now I don’t mean you go for a walk with your eyes closed in a trancelike state. That would be disastrous. Instead you focus on your breathing, the sound of your foot falls as you take one step after another. You focus on the sounds around you. It would be more accurately called a mindfulness walk.
Metta Meditation
Metta Meditation is also called “Loving — Kindness Meditation” because the word Metta stems from a Pali word which means kindness and good will. This practice comes from the Tibetan branch of Buddhism. To do this meditation you can sit in any meditative posture you choose. First fill yourself up with feelings of love and kindness. Then direct those feelings first to yourself, then a good friend, an acquaintance, someone you find difficult to deal with and finally to the entire universe. This meditation helps to build empathy and compassion towards self and others. It builds up ones sense of worth and self love.
Chakra Meditation
Chakra Meditation is where you focus on your chakras while in a meditative state. You work on opening and balancing each chakra.
Self Inquiry Meditation
Self Inquiry Meditation is also known as “I Am” meditation or by it’s Sanskrit name “atma vichara,” which means to investigate ones true nature. There has been reference to this type meditation in some of the older Indian texts, but it was popularized in the 20th century by Ramana Maharshi, an Indian Sage (1879–1950).
This meditation seeks to help the practitioner find their true self. Although it is a fairly simple meditation, the ideas are very abstract and can be a little difficult to explain. Basically you want to sit in meditation and ask “who am I?” Then focus on yourself, not the physical, mental or emotional self, but the essence of self. The idea is you want to move past the physical, I am a son/daughter, doctor, artist, mother/father. You are looking to access the part of self that is connected to everything. The part of yourself that is connected to the Source of everything. Your mind can not answer this question, because the answer will not come in words or thoughts, but rather a deep understanding and knowing.
Inner Child Meditation
Inner Child Meditation is a meditation used to get in touch with your inner child.There are meditations to meet your inner child, work through trauma with your inner child, heal your inner child or simply connect with your inner child.
Spirit Guide Meditation
Spirit Guide Meditations are much like the inner child meditations in that you can meet, work with, or simply connect to your spirit guide.
When, Where and How to Meditate?
When is the Best Time to Meditate?
Some people swear that you have to meditate first thing in the morning, others insist that it’s best to do it before bed. The truth is, meditation is beneficial no mater when you doit. If 12:47 feels like the right time for you to meditate, then go for it.
If you meditate at bedtime, be aware that you may fall asleep. It will be an awesome, deep, restful sleep though.
Another thing to mention, if you want to make meditation a habit, it is good to do it at roughly the same time everyday. The other bonus with meditating at the same time, is your body and brain will start to associate that time with meditating and will begin to relax quicker. Putting you into a meditative state with little effort.
How Much Time Do You Have to Spend Meditating?
One of the beauties of meditation, is that if you spend 10 minutes a few times a week, that will be enough for you to reap the benefits. You do not need to sit in mediation for hours to see results. However, it is better to practice daily and honestly, most of us can find 10 minutes of quiet time, even if it means setting the alarm 10 minutes earlier. Trust me, it’s worth it!
Where is the Best Place to Meditate?
While some people have a room or a space dedicated to meditation, it is not necessary. That is the beauty of meditation, you can do it just about anywhere.
What you do need, is a reasonably quite space where you won’t be interrupted. A space where you can sit or lay down comfortably. It is also helpful if the temperature is pleasant.
When you are meditating, especially if it is relatively new to you, you want to eliminate as many distractions as possible. Shivering because you are too cold, can prevent you from being able to have an enjoyable meditation.
Much like meditating at a regular time, our mind and bodies slip into a meditative state more easily when we meditate in the same place. When we sit down on the same cushion everyday to meditate, after a while our mind and body recognizes that this means we are about to meditate and begins to shift into that state of mind naturally. This is why meditation or prayer shawls are so amazing. We recognize that when we put the shawl on, it’s time to meditate. Then we automatically start to relax and shift into a meditative state.
How to Meditate?
Finally! The part you’ve all been waiting for. How the heck do you meditate?
Although meditation can seem quite complicated, and some forms of meditation are, basic mediation is actually pretty simple. It is just about quieting the mind.
Basic Meditation
- Sit or lay down. If you are sitting keep your back straight and supported and your feet flat on the floor. Don’t cross your arms or legs. You want to remain in an open position.
- Close your eyes.
- Breathe naturally. Don’t try to force yourself to breathe too deeply, it will deepen naturally as you relax.
- Focus your attention on your breathe and the sensations it creates in your body as you inhale and exhale.
- If a thought comes in, acknowledge it, thank it, let it go and return your focus to your breath.
- When your meditation feels complete take some time to ground yourself with whatever method appeals to you.
- See!! You can meditate!
I’m Not Doing It Right!!
One of the things that discourages so many people from meditating, is that they think they aren’t doing it right. They expect something to happen and that is not the goal of meditation.
Although some people have had breakthroughs during meditation, this is not the norm. While it is possible to find clarity, see lights or feel a deep connection, none of these things are actually the point of mediation.
The point of meditation is simply to quiet the mind and allow the body to relax.
If you meditate and you mind was going a mile a minute through the entire thing, it does not make the meditation a failure.
Even the most advanced meditators have times where they simply can not quiet their mind. When this happens mediation becomes more contemplative and an opportunity to release some of the thoughts that we have been holding on to. Which is exactly what the person needs at the time.
It is no use trying too force yourself to have a specific meditation experience, you will have the experience you need at the time.
I have fallen asleep during mediations more times than I can count. I don’t beat myself up or complain that I can’t meditate properly, I simply recognize that what I needed most in that moment was rest and my body and mind made sure I got it.
Final Notes
For new meditators or anyone who has difficulty quieting their mind, guided meditations are the way to go. It is much easier to meditate when someone is guided you along.You can find some great guided meditations on YouTube or through a meditation app.
To get you started, here is a guided meditation I made just for you. Enjoy!
