The Beginners Guide to Meditation
Ever heard someone say, ‘I’ve tried meditation, doesn’t work for me’? I have heard this countless times, in fact the first time I heard it I was the person saying it. The first time I tried meditation, it was extremely underwhelming, but I also didn’t know much about it back then. There are so many ways to meditate and so many ways to personalise meditation, and I can’t say there is a right way or a wrong way to do it, it really depends on you.
When I think of a beginner’s guide to meditation, I think more so what I wish I knew years ago. I wish I had the understanding that not every type of meditation works for every person, still today there are some types of meditation that I find ineffective for me, and that is ok. You need to consider where you are in your life right now, what path are you following, what phase of life are you in? At one point I could only access a state of calm when mediating to certain pop songs? As I grew, I tried different types of guided meditation, meditating with chakras, Mudra and Mantra, and yoga. At different points in my life each was effective in its own way, some not so much today as they used to be. For example, yoga being a form of meditative state, has always been my struggle point, I have tried different types of yoga always struggled, in recent times I have found that particularly Vinyasa Yoga has been extremely effective for me, but I look at my life and I work more within energy fields now, and the movements allow the energy to flow and not be so stuck in my body, right now in the present that is working for me, and I love it.
Meditation can be used for exploring the deepest parts of your physical, emotional, and spiritual being, or it can be as simply as calming the body and the mind. If you are new to meditation, it’s best to start small, with calming and grounding work. These are more simple, easy to achieve and a great introduction to what meditation can be for you. Keep in mind that if you are someone that struggles with calming or sitting in stillness, practice small at first, you don’t have to 30min long or hour-long meditation, just start with five minutes. Five minutes of stillness, breathing and bringing awareness to your body, and eventually this will get easier, and you can expand to 10 min or more. Allowing yourself time, space and comfort is crucial for this, you don’t want to feel rushed when you meditate, give yourself the time and space to let go, and not have to be anywhere.
Breathing is one of the most important aspects to meditation, this aids and allows the mind to calm, the body to sink. When starting your meditation of course find what works, is it music, instrumental, frequencies or stillness and quiet that you need to set the tone. Get yourself comfortable and start to breathe. Taking in deep breaths through the nose, bring into your sternum, and hold for as long as you need to at first, then exhale through the mouth, as you do this notice the tension leaving your body, notice what you are feeling. You this until you feel lighter, I tend to do this about 4-5 times but that is what works for me personally. Once you steady your breathing notice it, be with it, listen to it, be present with your breathing and your body, this is a simple breathing meditation.
From here you can choose to continue this for 5mins if you are just starting to calm your mind, you can choose to let the breathing take you, and follow your mind, or you can use this technique to calm your mind before a guided meditation. You can do this before or after a meeting, at work when you are stressed its simple and can go for as long as you need it, but also fundamental and can be used in all mediation practices.
Technology can interrupt your energy, be careful what you have around you while you are meditating. I generally like to have whatever device I am playing sounds off, at a bit of distance from where I am meditating, close enough to hear, but not close enough to disrupt.
Make sure your phone is on silent, in today’s age we are extremely reactive to our phones, notification or phone calls will be sure to interrupt you. Remember this time is for you, this is time to be in touch with your body, not your phone, tablet, laptop or tv, all you need is you.
Find the right sound for you, not all meditation music, or sound frequencies resonate with me all the time, take note of what resonates and allow that to be the focus of your meditation. For example, if I am resonating with healing frequency, what needs healing, I will incorporate lots of healing energy into my meditation, white light frequency, etc. If you are auditory presenting and choosing guided meditation, be sure to find a voice that is calming and not distracting you and keep away from noise distractions.
Find a safe and comfortable space, make is sacred to you! Having the right space is vital, you want a clean and neat environment, dirty/used clothes and objects can carry negative energy, particularly clothing and shoes, you have worn them out in the day, along with your energetic changes and other people, they have all types of energy attached to them. Cluttered space can create clutter in the mind, we want to relax and de clutter our mind, and a tidy space is a great start. I have found over time that when I meditate with clutter around me, I am unable to feel the full effect of my journey, these might seem insignificant, but they make a big difference. Make this space yours, yes there are herbs that you can burn or drink before meditation, but if you are just starting use something that makes you comfortable and relaxed, burn your favourite scented candle if you like, as long as you can feel comfortable and relaxed both physically and energetically then that is a great start to your meditation journey.
Meditation can be whatever it is you need it to be, explore it, find your go to practice, try my tips to start, but it is unique just like you are.