How to Meditate For Beginners

How to meditate for beginners. In this article, I am going to be answering some common questions about meditation, like where to meditate, how to meditate, and most importantly, how to switch off your brain.

So firstly, where should I meditate? Experts say that you can meditate anywhere, however, if you are a beginner, I would say meditate somewhere silent. This could be your bedroom, or a library, or even a forest, just somewhere peaceful. 

How long should I meditate for? I would recommend, going for about 10-15 minutes. Now, this might not sound like a lot, but trust me, it is a very long time. Eventually, you will get better and can increase the time. Now, remember, quality is always better than quantity. Let’s say you can focus and meditate better for 1 minute, but also be distracted most of the time while meditating for 20 minutes. In that scenario, meditating for 1 minute is a lot better as you are constantly focused on the job, and again, quality over quantity. Now, I recommend you set an alarm, or you might keep checking and thinking, is the time over yet?

What posture should I assume while meditating? People say that you should not lie down while you’re meditating, however, I do not fully agree with this. Personally, I meditate twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the night. The only reason I meditate at night is to help me sleep. So at night, I lie down. But in the morning, I don’t lie down because I don’t want to get sleepy again. However, if you are only planning on meditating once a day, I would recommend doing it in the morning, and while sitting. 

How should I sit while meditating? Experts sit in these positions on the ground, that are not quite in a crisis cross, but most find this uncomfortable. If you do as well, I would say just sit on a chair, and then go on the ground and sit cross-legged, spine straight. The way the monks meditate is the proper way, but if you are uncomfortable and are not able to focus and properly meditate, there is no use. 

Should I listen to music? This one is really up to you. You could listen to nothing, some relaxing piano, or even nature sounds, whatever you feel most relaxed with. Personally, I use an app called relaxing melodies. 

Now for the important question, what do I do, or what should I think about while I meditate? Now, there are many ways you can meditate, but personally, I like to focus on my breathing. This is called mindful meditation, and is one of the most powerful meditation techniques used.

I just pay attention and think about inhaling and exhaling. I think about and visualise the sensation of the air hitting my nose, how it fills up lungs and even the slight pause between the inhale and exhale. I find this the most relaxing. This focused attention is what will get my brain to stop thinking. Now it is completely natural to get distracted very often, but as soon as your brain realises that it’s thinking, try to go back to that meditative state. 

A quote I still remember to this day to keep myself motivated to meditate daily is, “It’s like we are the phone, and meditation is the charger. Without the charger, the phone is practically useless.” It is pretty self-explanatory. You are the phone, and mediation, which is the charger, can fill you up when you choose to.