How To Meditate – A Quickstart Primer
Let's meditate! You know that when you do, not only does your stress level drop but also how connected and kinder to yourself, and others you become.
In this new primer on mindful meditation from Meditate-how-to.com, you'll learn all you need to know to start quickly, so join me as I show you how to get get started with your meditation practice.
Along the way, you'll discover the remarkable benefits of doing something as simple yet powerful as sitting quietly each day or even just once per week.
In this short meditation guide, I go through a number of meditation types and approaches while explaining what meditation is.
If you want deeper dive, but still want to keep it simple, please download my free blueprint "How to Meditate with Ease"
What is Meditation?
There are many different types of meditation, each with its own benefits and methods. However, virtually all forms of meditation share one thing in-common:
Meditation is an approach to training the mind, similar to the way that physical exercise trains the body.
By becoming aware of your mind's inner working you discover how to improve your focus, quiet the mind – or at least not be hooked by your thoughts, and ultimately improve your ability to remain calm and balanced, even during difficult or stressful situations.
What are the Benefits of Meditation?
While meditation may have been brought to the west by cool kids, drop-outs, and hippies, it has clearly become embedded as a mainstream practice thanks to business people like Ray Dalio, Jack Dorsey, Russell Simmons, and celebrities like Oprah, Katy Perry, and sports personalities like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and more.
Are there any Scientifically Proven Advantages of Meditation?
Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, Focus, and Altered Traits, is a leading researcher on the benefits of meditation. His research found that there are four scientifically validated (proven) benefits:
- Improving your Focus -*Meditation helps improve your focus by teaching you how to control your attention.
- Reducing stress and anxiety – Meditation supports the fight-or-flight response by reducing stress. When we're stressed, our bodies release cortisol
- Improving your memory
- Becoming more empathic.
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While meditation isn’t a cure-all, it can certainly provide some much-needed space in your life. Sometimes, that’s all we need to make better choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities. And the most important tools you can bring with you to your meditation practice are a little patience, some kindness for yourself, and a comfortable place to sit.
So, How Do You Learn to Meditate?
First a couple of definitions
Mindfulness and meditation are not synonymous.
While Mindfulness and Meditation are often used interchangeably. Mindfulness is often confused with meditation, although they are two distinct things.
According to the renowned Meditation teacher, Jon Kabatt-Zinn, "Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,”
Similarly, I define Mindfulness as a state of being aware of what is happening right now, in this moment. Importantly I say aware. This means simply observing, not evaluating, not judging, just being aware.
You can be mindful of anything, from taking a sip of tea to having a difficult conversation with your boss.
Meditation, itself is a more elusive term. Daniel Goleman says, "mediation is not a single activity but a wide range of practices, all acting in their own particular ways in the mind and brain" I look at it as formal practice in which you focus your attention on a specific object, thought or activity, with the goal of achieving a state of greater calm and clarity.
Meditation is one way to develop mindfulness, but it is not the only way. You can also practice mindfulness through yoga, cooking, gardening, eating… just about anything you choose to give your full focused attention.
In a sense, all meditation is mindfulness, but not all mindfulness is meditation
Now that we've cleared that up, let's move on to some tips for getting started.
The basic practice is to sit comfortably in a quiet place. Hold your attention on a single object. If you notice that your mind has wandered, it will bring it back. That is it! Using the metaphor of training your body, a single rep was completed.
An object is can be anything. Common objects of meditation include the breath, a mantra or other special word or phrase, an image, visualizations, a candle flame.
It's a good idea to start simple when you first begin to meditate. I suggest you choose an that's readily accessible and doesn't require much concentration. My favorite is breath. You always have it with you and it can be used anywhere.
Quiet your mind
For the next 60 seconds, no matter what, do NOT think of a pink elephant wearing a yellow top hat. Just put it out of your mind.
Chances are you couldn't keep your mind off the elephant. In order to NOT think of the elephant your mind first pictures it, then attempts to eliminate the image, but to check to see if it's gone, your brain rebuilds it again. In the same way, you cannot quiet the mind by effort. What you CAN do, is bring your focus to something else, like your breath, and when your mind wanders, bring it back, over and over, building your mind's muscles.
When you focus on your breath, you are learning to return to, and stay in, the present moment—to anchor ourselves in the here and now intentionally without judgment.
The principles behind meditation are straightforward, but the practice requires patience and perseverance.
Download my free blueprint "How to Meditate with Ease"
Let's See How to Meditate Right Now
Anyone can practice meditation. It is easier (and more challenging) than most people believe.
Make sure you're in a place where you can relax and let go of tension, establish a timer, and give it a try by reading through these steps:
1) Take a seat
Choose a place to sit that is both calm and quiet to you. Set a time limit. It can be any length but as a beginner try starting with five minutes
2) Observe
Relax and close your eyes, or if you like, leave them open but "soften your gaze" try lasering in on a specific object. Focus your attention on your breathing. Follow the sensation of your breath. Notice the warmth as it passes in and out. Notice which nostril the air is passing through. I was surprised to discover that not both nostrils are used for every breath. Sometimes it's right, sometimes left, sometimes both.
3) Repeat
Thoughts will naturally occur. You can observe that they occurred by don't follow them (that's the challenging part). When your mind wanders or you noticed you've started to chase a thought, bring it back and repeat step two.
"I used to think I was meditating. Now I know I was just lost in thought."
I'd tried meditation many times before, and it had always failed. It wasn't until I found a great teacher, S.M. Goenka, that I really began to understand the benefits and make changes. My biggest problem was that I was a ruminator. I work go over and over my thoughts like a cold iron over a wrinkled cotton shirt.
I learned that I don't have to chase my thoughts. That thought can be like the traffic you see from a bridge. Just because you notice a car doesn't mean you have to take a ride in it. At the same time, Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the content of your thoughts. Just go back to step 2.
When you finish, give yourself a moment to take in your surroundings. Notice the colours, sounds, smells, etc., as you reconnect to the world. For reasons I'll explain in another article, this turned out to be a much more significant act than I thought.
Don't skip it.
That's all there is to it. You focus your attention, your mind wanders, you bring it back, and you try to repeat the exercise as gently as possible (as many times as necessary).
For How Long Should You Meditate?
How long should you meditate? That depends on a lot of things, including how much time you have and what your goals are. As a beginner, I would recommend starting with five minutes per day and gradually increasing the time as you get more comfortable.
Daniel Goleman in his book, Altered Traits reveals studies indicating measurable changes in brain structure, improved concentration, and significantly higher GRE test scores in a study conducted with University of California students from as little as 9 minutes per day over two weeks.
I have done several retreats where we would meditate 10 hours/day for 10 days but that is not necessary to experience the benefits.
But for the typical meditator, I would start with 5 minutes per day and work up to 20 minutes, twice a day if possible.
While the process of how to meditate is the three simple steps above, the practice is doing it every day, preferably twice a day.
The key to getting all the benefits meditation can offer is consistency over time. In the study above it was noted that permanent brain changes required consistent effort over an extended period of time.
Meditation Tips and Techniques
We’ve gone over the basic breath meditation so far, but there are other mindfulness techniques that use different focal points than the breath to anchor our attention—external objects like a sound in the room, or something broader, such as noticing spontaneous things that come into your awareness during an aimless wandering practice. But all of these practices have one thing in common: We notice that our minds ARE running the show a lot of the time. It’s true. We think thoughts, typically, and then we act. But here are some helpful strategies to change that up:
How to Make Meditation a Habit
Why would you want to? Isn't that the same as zoning out and thoughtlessly stepping through life?
Not exactly. There are genuine benefits to some habits. Habits can be useful tools that free up our willpower and energy so we can focus on more important things. In a sense, you can think of habits as the wiring in your brain that governs your behavior good or bad. Man makes his habits then his habits make the man. This is why it can be so helpful to create a meditation habit. In this case a habit of intentional action.
Making meditation a habit is actually quite simple: start small, and be consistent. Just like any other habit, the key to making meditation a part of your daily routine is to start with baby steps.
Let's face it, we've heard the benefits of meditation: improved mental and physical health, increased focus, and productivity, reduced stress and anxiety. But despite knowing all this, it can be hard to make meditation a part of our daily lives. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
1. Set realistic goals. Instead of trying to meditate for an hour every day, start with 5-10 minutes. Once you've built up a regular practice, you can lengthen the duration of your sessions.
2. Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down. You don't need to sit in the lotus position or light candles – just find a comfortable spot where you won't be disturbed.
3. Make a commitment to yourself. Set an appointment in your diary or set an alarm to remind you to meditate each day.
Other Types of Meditation
Body Scan Meditation
Body scan meditation is a type of mindfulness meditation that involves focusing your attention on each part of your body in succession. The goal is to become aware of any physical sensations you may be feeling, such as tension or pain, and to simply observe them without judgment. The practice can be done sitting or lying down, and it typically takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. Body scan meditation can be an effective way to reduce stress and promote relaxation. It can also help to increase your awareness of your body and its needs, which can improve your overall health.
Active Meditation
Active meditation is a form of mindfulness that combines physical activity, walking, running, washing dishes, etc., with mindful awareness. The goal is to focus your attention on the present moment while you are engaged in physical activity. This can be done by paying attention to your breath, your body, and your surroundings. Active meditation can be practiced anywhere, anytime. It is a great way to get out of your head and into your body. It can also help to improve focus, concentration, and mental clarity. Active meditation is a powerful tool for stress relief and can be used to improve overall well-being.
Metta Meditation
Metta meditation is a type of meditation that is designed to promote feelings of compassion, empathy, and goodwill. The word metta comes from the Pali language, and is then translated as "loving-kindness." but its essential meaning can be "friendly, benevolence, and kindness." The goal of metta meditation is to cultivate benevolent feelings towards oneself and others, including difficult people. There are many different ways to practice metta meditation, but a common approach is to repeat phrases such as "may I be happy," "may I be healthy," and "may I be safe." Typically you start with yourself and extend outwards to include all beings. By doing this, meditators can develop a more positive outlook toward themselves and others. Consequently, they may find it easier to experience compassion, joy, and equanimity.
What's next?
Once you've been meditating for a while, you might be wondering what to do next. Here are a few suggestions:
– First, consider deepening your practice by attending one of our retreats or workshops. This can help you learn new techniques and gain a better understanding of the principles of meditation.
– Second, try incorporating other mindfulness practices into your life, such as yoga or walking in nature. These activities can complement your meditation practice and help you live a more mindful life overall.
– Finally, don't forget to share your experiences with others! Meditation can be a great way to connect with friends and family members who are also interested in mindfulness.
Meditation is a powerful tool for improving your mental and emotional well-being. It can help you to reduce stress, anxiety, and negative thoughts, and to promote feelings of peace and relaxation. There are many different types of meditation, so find one that suits you and stick with it. Make a commitment to yourself and be patient – the benefits of meditation will become evident over time.
Please tell me your meditation challenges below. How you explored any of these ideas? Which worked best for you?