A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

Meditation is a term that most people are familiar with, but if you’ve never been taught how to do it before, it’s difficult to work out how to do it.

Before I started getting into yoga more deeply, I thought meditation was something ethereal that wasn’t possible except if you were some sort of yogi guru. I had no idea what to do, and wished there was a simple, easy-to-understand guide to get started.

This is why I created this blog post to outline the basics of everything you need to know to start meditating today.

Overview of Meditation

What is meditation?

“To engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.”

Source: Merriam Webster

For me meditation is giving your mind one thing to do so you can find a state of wakeful rest. Yes, yogis will say the ultimate goal is enlightenment but to be honest this is a bit of a distraction… there’s plenty of other benefits along the way!

Why should I meditate?

Meditation has many benefits including reducing stress and anxiety, increasing concentration, reducing memory loss, lower blood pressure and better sleep.

The benefits of meditation

What happens when I meditate?

You may be familiar with people becoming more “zen” when they practice meditation. Well, there is some science behind this!  

When you meditate your body reacts in various ways:

·      Your Alpha brain waves (your state of wakeful rest) increase helping you to feel calmer.

·      There is a decrease in oxygen consumption. This can be by up to 20% in first 3 minutes!

·      You go into hypometabolic state (decrease in metabolic state) which takes less energy from the body’s resources.

·      There is a decrease in blood lactate, produced by muscles of skeletal system. Blood lactic levels are associated with anxiety and can cause panic attacks.

·      Your sympathetic nervous system will have lowered activity, decreasing your heart rate and breaths per minute.

All these physiological reactions can help you to achieve a calmer state of mind.

How do I meditate?

So, we’ve talked about what meditation is and what happens when you meditate. Now it’s time for you to understand the four basic elements of how to meditate so you can get stated.

1. Find a quiet environment

Where you meditate is important. In order to be able to meditate properly you need to switch off external stimuli and get rid of distractions. Make sure you’ve taken care of your basic needs like hunger or going to the loo before you begin!

Try not to stimulate your mind before you begin. For example avoid thinking about your to-do list straight before meditation if you can help it!

2. Find a good position

You will typically do meditation in a seated position as you can be comfortable but also wakeful enough to stop you from falling asleep. The reason we don't want to fall asleep is because sleep does not give you the same benefits as meditation (e.g. no lovely alpha brain waves!)

 How you set yourself up for meditation is important. Try to find a position with a straight spine rather than slouching. Make sure you are comfortable – perhaps sitting on a cushion or even upright on a chair.

3. Focus on an object

Choose one object for your mind to dwell on. You are looking to give your mind something to do so it doesn’t jump about. The aim is to find a single point of focus. In yoga we call this ‘ekagrata’. 

Find a single point of focus

Some possible ideas for objects you could focus on include a ball of light, a tree, the breath, a statue and a phrase or affirmation.

It’s very common for the mind to wander. Think of it as part of the practice. When you notice your mind has wandered you just need to bring it back to the object you are focusing on.

4. Bring a passive attitude

 Try to empty your mind of thoughts and distractions. Allow any of them to pass by. You might want to imagine them floating by like clouds.

Try imagining your thoughts floating by like clouds.

One big thing is to try not to be concerned with how well you are doing. We all wonder if we are doing it right, but if you are simply focused on the object then you ARE doing it right!

For me this step feels the hardest and it can feel quite different each day depending on what else is going on in your mind. It definitely gets a bit easier the more you practice!

Conclusion  

Meditation doesn’t naturally feel very easy. You may find that your mind wanders, and even as you become more experienced you may well continuously drift in and out of a meditative state.

The best way to get started is not to overthink it. Get yourself set up in a quiet place in a comfortable seated position, decide upon your object, set a timer for a couple of minutes and try and keep the focus.

If you want structure and support to develop your yoga and meditation practice check out the Worker Bee Membership.