I’ve had a lot of people ask me about how to mediate. Meditation is a great way to manage stress, overcome anxiety and bring a general sense of peace and calm to your life. If you struggle with anxiety, I strongly suggest you begin a meditation practice today.
Here is a quick and easy guide to starting your own journey into meditation.
Here’s how:
1.) Find a quiet, relaxing place to either sit or lie down.
2.) Try and relax your entire body.
3.) Breath in through your nose. As you do, focus on the breath as it enters your nose and fills your lungs. Try to “feel” your breathing rather than “thinking” about your breathing. It’s a subtle difference but one you’ll notice when you start practicing meditation. If you feel like you are narrating inside your head, you are thinking. Just let the thoughts go and focus on “feeling”.
4.) Breath out through your nose. Again, focus on feeling your breath as it leaves your body. As you exhale, relax even further. Feel your body “sink” into the floor with each breath.
5.) Do this for about 20 minutes twice a day. You can also do this anytime you feel stressed and anxious.
If you find you are having trouble quieting your mind, try repeating the phrase “I Am” as you breath. In your mind, say “I” as you inhale. Say “Am” as you exhale. This will help focus your mind and allow you to better relax.
This simple breathing meditation is the most powerful meditation one can do. It aligns your body and mind… and alignment is good.
A couple of tips…
For anxious minds, thoughts will race through your head and make you think you can’t do this. Imagine you are watching those thoughts pass by on a large screen. Don’t engage with those thoughts. Simply let them pass without resistance. THe more you fight to make them go away, the strong they become. Simply be an observer of your thoughts. When you can do this, you have tapped into your inner consciousness; the space just outside of your thinking.
Try to find a time when you won’t be interrupted. After the kids are a sleep or before they get up is best.
Since meditation is sort of like falling asleep while awake, try and not meditate while on your bed. You’ll probably just fall asleep if you do. I lie on the floor with a pillow behind my head. Either that, or I sit on a pillow with my legs crossed.
Set an alarm to tell you when your meditation is over. This will allow you to not think things like, “how long have I been doing this?” or “is it time to stop yet?” I downloaded an app for my iPhone called “Chakra Chime” to help time my meditations.
You may start to feel a tingle in your feet or hands. This is GOOD! Try to focus on the “feeling” rather than “thinking” about the feeling. The more you can simple “feel” the tingle, the stronger it will get. But don’t force it. Remember to keep breathing and relax.
Practice, practice, practice! Meditation is like anything else… you need to work at it. You wouldn’t go into a gym and think you can keep up with people that have been working out every day for years. Everything we do takes practice. I meditate every morning and every evening. You will get better the more you do it. You will also be able to reach that “relaxed” state during the day simply by breathing. This will go a long way in helping you relax if you start to feel stressed or anxious.
Hope this helps some of you to get started. I look forward to your feedback.
