You’ve probably heard that mindfulness meditation practice is good for you, but do you know why? Or maybe you’ve tried it a few times, but felt like the benefits didn’t last. Whether you’re interested to learn what meditation for beginners is or have been practicing meditation techniques for years, learning the basics ways to meditate can help create a solid foundation for your practice and lay the groundwork needed to get started.
What is Mindfulness Meditation?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation exercise that involves focusing your attention on the present moment, without judgment or criticism. It’s a mental state of active, open attention to one’s experiences in the here and now. When you’re mindful, you experience things as they really are—without being caught up in your thoughts about them.
For those who practice meditation, guided mindfulness meditation helps them refocus and be aware of what’s happening in their minds and bodies. Mindfulness can be a powerful tool for managing stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions where you can refocus yourself each time you notice your mind wandering.
But for someone who doesn’t really have an idea of the basic mindfulness meditation practices or having a hard time complying with basic meditation instructions, it can be hard for them to begin meditating. That being said, we’ve compiled some of the most important factors to help you get started with meditation.
Benefits of Meditation
The benefits of meditation are numerous, and they go beyond the physical and mental health benefits that have long been studied. Meditation can also help you manage stress, improve your relationships, and make better decisions.
Having New Perspective on Stressful Situations
If you’re feeling stressed out, it’s easy to get caught up in your feelings and forget that there may be other options available to you. Meditation helps you step back from your emotions so that you can see them clearly, which can give rise to new perspectives on stressful situations.
Building Stress Management Skills
Stress management is an important life skill that everyone should learn early on. Meditation helps build these skills by teaching us how to take control of our thoughts and emotions so that we don’t become overwhelmed by stressful situations.
Increase Self Awareness
Basic meditations have been shown to increase self-awareness by helping people become more aware of their emotions as well as their thoughts and actions in any given situation. This increased self-awareness makes it easier for people to understand themselves better so they can make better choices about how they live their lives — including making healthier decisions when it comes to things like eating healthy foods or taking care of their bodies.
Reducing Negative Emotions
Daily meditation can also help you reduce negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depression. It has been found that people who meditate become less reactive to stressful situations and have more control over their emotions. The stress hormone cortisol is known to increase when a person feels angry or threatened by something. When you meditate regularly, it decreases the level of this hormone in your body which helps you feel calmer during stressful times.
Improved Imagination and Creativity
Another benefit of meditation is that it helps improve your ability to think creatively and imagine things clearly. It is believed that people who meditate are able to generate more ideas than those who do not practice meditation regularly. Meditation improves creativity by increasing awareness about yourself and your surroundings, thus making you more receptive to new ideas and thoughts.
Improved Patience
If you want to become a better person then one of the most important things that you need to learn is patience. Patience helps us deal with difficult situations in life better because it gives us time to think before reacting to them negatively or aggressively. Meditation teaches us how to be patient because through it we learn how to let go of negative thoughts, emotions, and reactions.
5 Easy Steps to Get Started With Meditation
Without having a structured meditation practice, you can quickly become discouraged and give up. So how do you get started? It’s easier than you think! Here are five easy steps to help you begin meditating today:
Choose Your Mantra
In the world of meditation, the mantra is a word or phrase that is repeated during meditation sessions. The purpose of the mantra is to focus your attention on something else other than your thoughts. You can use any phrase you like for your mantra. Some people prefer to use words such as “peace” or “love” while others may use the name of a religious figure such as Jesus or Buddha.
You can also make up your own mantra. If you’re not sure what to use, try repeating a simple phrase such as “I am” or “I am here.” The important thing is that the mantra is something that you can easily remember and focus on. during sitting meditation. This can be useful for beginners’ meditation as it can be a good start to focusing on something else other than your thoughts.
Find A Quiet, Peaceful Space
It’s important to find a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably without being interrupted. This can be beneficial, especially for those who practice body scan meditation or lying down meditation. Make sure to turn off your phone and any other devices that may make noise or be a distraction.
Unlike walking meditation, finding a quiet place is not necessary for every type of meditation. However, if you’re a beginner, it can be helpful to find a place where you can focus on your practice without any distractions.
Slowly Close Your Eyes and Take Deep Breaths
Deep breaths are associated with relaxation and can help slow down your heart rate. When you’re ready to start, slowly close your eyes and take a deep breath through your nose. Fill your lungs all the way up and then exhale slowly through your mouth for a few minutes until you feel relaxed.
If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath and the sensation of air moving in and out of your body. You may also want to focus on a specific part of your body such as your stomach or chest rising and falling with each breath. This way, you can have a formal meditation wherein you can establish a routine and specific instructions to follow.
Don’t Empty Your Mind
Just like other meditation techniques, if you have a meditation teacher, they are likely to tell you to not try and stop your thoughts and to let them flow. Trying to stop your thoughts can result in more thinking! Instead, focus on your mantra or breath and simply observe your thoughts as they come and go. If you find your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to your mantra or breath. This is essential as it can help you focus more on your meditation.
Stop Repeating the Mantra
After 20 to 30 minutes of repetitively chanting your mantra, you may find that your mind starts to quiet down. At this point, you can stop repeating the mantra and just focus on your breath. One tip is that you can use a timer with low volume or your phone’s stopwatch so you won’t have to worry about time. There are also meditation timer apps available today so make sure o make use of them.
If you think that 20 to 30 minutes is too long, you can start with shorter sessions and gradually increase the time as you get more comfortable with meditation. Remember that there is no right or wrong way to meditate. The important thing is that you find a method that works for you and that you’re consistent with your practice.
The Bottom Line
Unlike transcendental meditation, mindfulness is more on the active side as it requires you to focus on your mantra or breath. However, the goal of both techniques is to achieve a state of awareness and calmness.
If you’re new to meditation, mindfulness meditation can be a good place to start as it’s relatively simple and easy to do. Remember to be patient and consistent with your practice and you’ll be sure to reap the benefits of sound healing and meditation in no time.
