A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation
This beginner’s guide to meditation will help you understand better what meditation is about and provide some useful tips for your practice.
Meditation and yoga are not the same thing and you definitely don’t need to meditate in order to practice yoga or vice versa. However, the two practices can support each other.
Why do it? Engaging in yoga and meditation can provide multiple benefits and assist in improving physical and mental health. It can significantly reduce anxiety and boost your nervous system, as well as raise your overall body awareness.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a practice that helps clear your mind through a series of simple exercises. It’s a technique that can aid with feeling more grounded and aware of our senses, and at the same time disengaged and observant of our thoughts and feelings. Meditation can be explained as a state of pure consciousness that rewires our brain and nervous system.
Meditation and Breath.
Breath control is one of the main components of yoga and meditation. You can either focus on your breath and continue doing this through your meditation, or you can employ a practice of Pranayama. There are different Pranayamas (or breath techniques) that can help you relax and bring awareness. One of the most simple ones is to inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, and then exhale for a count of four.
Meditation and Sound.
During meditation you can concentrate on a mantra – a specific word or a phrase that brings you peace and which you can repeat during your practice. Think of it as a tool for a better focus or as a source of positive energy. You can say your mantra aloud or think of it silently. Another useful tool for meditation is chanting. The most commonly used one is the sound “Om” which can bring peace and calmness to the body and the mind.
*If you find these techniques to be difficult – the easiest way is to follow guided meditations that take you through the whole process, so that you don’t have to figure it out by yourself. (Check out Headspace app or Spotify).
Meditation and Visualization.
Visualization is a great tool for meditating that requires concentrating on a mental image. You can focus on the chakras or specific areas in your body. Think of a certain colour attached to your energy centres, or imagine a source of light in any particular area. It can also be useful to imagine some natural objects like a flower, but essentially anything that brings you peace will work. If you choose to meditate with your eyes open try to focus on something relaxing, for example a lit candle.
How to Start Meditating?
– Find a nice and quiet place where you can focus on yourself
– Switch off your phone and make sure that no one will disturb you during your practice.
– Sit or lie down in a way that feels most comfortable for you!
– Close your eyes and breathe deeply to relax.
– You can continue to focus on your breath, choose a mantra, or visualize an image/ a source of light in your body (depending on the type of meditation you choose and prefer).
– If your mind starts wondering, don’t worry, gently return yourself to your focus.
– (optional: pick a guided meditation to get started).
Meditation doesn’t need to take a very long time and can be easily implemented in your daily life. It can be of great help in overcoming mental and emotional troubles, addiction recovery, and overall stress. The practice of meditation can help with connecting to your inner-self and learning to live mindfully. In the long-term, it can increase the brain’s ability to concentrate and improve a quality of life.
Sources:
5 tips for a regular meditation practice. (2020, April 27). Ekhart Yoga. https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/meditation/5-tips-for-a-regular-meditation-practice
A beginner’s guide to meditation. (2021, October 1). Yoga Journal. https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/how-to-meditate/let-s-meditate/
Meditation: What it is, benefits & types. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17906-meditation
Yoga and meditation: Benefits and differences. (2022, August 23). Turning Point of Tampa. https://www.tpoftampa.com/yoga-and-meditation-benefits-and-differences/