7 Simple Steps to Meditate for Beginners

When I first decided to meditate I was very confused. I kept hearing about it in my studies and how important it was and all the benefits it had, so I definitely knew I should practice it, but what was I suppose to do?

Everything I looked at just told me more benefits and said to practice it. It’s like everyone assumed the execution part was common knowledge or self explanatory.

Most people think of meditation as something very time consuming that requires tons of focus and practice. I sure did. They picture a bald monk dressed in cloaks, sitting cross legged on top of a mountain. Wind chimes in the background as he sits stone faced, deep in a meditative state, engulfed in the stillness of his peace.

Although practicing meditation is going to definitely make life easier and more effortless, you most certainly do not have to shave your head or adopt any other monk lifestyles to utilize these benefits. In fact, in some cultures, the length of your hair represents your connection to spirit.

Do know, though, that meditation is not innately a spiritual practice. It is used by many religions and spiritual practitioners to be sure, but meditation itself is simply a tool. It can be used to advance yourself towards any and all goals you choose, whether you consider yourself spiritual or not.

Meditation doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming at all. It doesn’t require free time or differing from your daily routine. Although making 10-15 minutes (or more) daily for it would get you the most of the benefits, there are many tricks you can use to clock in your meditation minutes throughout the average day.

My personal meditation practice takes place during yoga, in the shower, while waiting in lines, during meals and more. If I get tired during the day I may lie down with my son while he’s napping for a bit and meditate and I always, always, always meditate in bed until I fall asleep at night.

Meditation is a personal practice and the best practice for you is the one that you can consistently work into your life and schedule. Longer, more dedicated times are great, but in the beginning we just want it to stick. Whatever keeps you practicing is your correct way for now.

Why Meditate

Meditation has tons of benefits for your health, your mind and…well, everything. A study showed that people who meditate regularly lower their risk for mental deterioration as they age, such as alzheimers or dementia. I could go on about this topic for days and still find things to tell you but let me sum it up a bit and I’ll write a book or something later.

Meditate for Healing

Meditation helps calm the body which brings down stress levels and allows the body to heal. This is why if your sick or injured they tell you to “get lots of rest”.

Everything takes energy. Your thoughts require energy and so does healing. You only get so much energy at a time to work with. When you allow that energy to flow from your mind and to whatever needs healing, you’ll heal faster and more efficiently.

Meditating is essentially just resting your mind and body. When you allow your body and mind to relax, you allow it to focus on making the necessary repairs to whatever needs repairing. This allows things to heal properly and in less time. Therefore, if you meditate on getting better (this means just sit quietly and think about it or clear your mind with the intention of healing) you will actually get better sooner.

Meditate for Pain Relief

Accompanying the above reason, focusing on your breathing (also a form of meditation) has been scientifically proven to be a natural source of pain relief. Breathing deeply will also give you a bit of a natural high and improve oxygen flow which in turn also helps with healing.

Meditate for Mood Improvement

Meditation helps improve your mood in all sorts of directions. It lowers stress levels which balances hormones and allows you to maintain balance emotionally. This is a win, win for everyone haha. Not only will you feel better with more stability in your mindset but everyone around you will too!

You’ll find yourself happier, less anxious, and virtually worry free. Learning meditation along with yoga has all but cured the severe anxiety that I’ve battled with my entire life.

It also allows for a sort of reboot which means you’ll also be more well rested. Which leads to more energy without the nap in as little as 10-15 minutes.

The reasons go on and on but I’ll move on and save the rest for my book. So now that we know why we should do this very incredibly important thing, how do we do this in a simple, non evasive way?

How do I meditate?

There is no one correct way to meditate. There are copious (My high school history teacher would be proud of this word) methods of incorporating this regularly into your life. Just like everything else in life, you have to experiment with different things and find out what works best for you and your schedule. Whatever jives with your soul.

     1. Do Nothing

(Pretend this is a numbered list. I dunno why it’s giving me such a hard time. I’ll meditate on it.)

• Sit back and get comfortable.
• Close your eyes and try not move.
• Completely relax your body and sink into the couch or chair or wherever you have gotten comfortable.
• Feel the weight of your body against the surface.
• Ideally, quiet your mind but don’t force it.
• Let the thoughts come and go naturally and once you notice your mind has wondered, gently quiet it again.

Sounds easier said than done, right? A trick to help quiet your mind is to focus on your breath. You can notice how it feels to inhale and exhale, feeling your lungs fill up and deflate. Or you can simply count the breaths. Pick a number like ten or twenty, count up to it and then start over at one and count to it again.

     2. Breathing Exercises

Continued from above, you can do breathing exercises anywhere, any time you think about it.

You can do the focused, detailed exercises (which take a lot of practice and concentration). There are tons of very specific meditation breathing methods. Or you can just make a point to breathe deeply. You can do this during any activity with ease. Breathing is probably the most convenient method of meditation.

     3. Passive Meditation

Examples of passive meditation are taking a walk or coloring. Anything you can do that you don’t have to think about. Showering is a good example. Where your physical body is occupied but your mind doesn’t have to do anything and can relax. Coloring is a really popular meditation tool right now. They’ve even created coloring books specifically for meditating.

Any passive exercise (something that doesn’t require much thought) that is calming is going to be great for you.

     4. Guided Meditation

There are tons of guided meditations out there. Basically, you sit back and relax (see “Do Nothing” point) and listen to a guide tell you how to feel or what to think about. Most people find this pretty helpful. I definitely think it’s a great way to start out. Listening to guided meditations is an easy way of learning different methods.

     5. Mantras and Mala Beads

A mantra is a word or phrase you repeat over and over again. For example, “Happiness is all around me” “I am Beautiful and confident” or “Money, money, money”. Whatever rocks your boat or whatever aspect you would like to improve upon.

Mala beads are beads on a string usually of 108 which form a necklace designed to keep you focused. One bead is larger or different than the rest, which is your starting point. You say your mantra once for every bead until you get around to the large bead again. At which point you can either continue with your mantra or switch to a different one.

     6. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a whole subject on its own really, but just as a simple overview, it basically means paying attention. Pay attention to your body. How does it feel? Scan trough it and take note of every little detail. Is any part in pain? What emotions are you feeling?

Pay attention to your surroundings. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear?

I heard a monk one time describe mindfulness as paying attention to absolutely everything just as you do when you drive a car, only all of the time as you walk through life. It was the best description to date I have ever heard of mindfulness.

Try to make a point to be completely aware of everything around you as you journey through life day-to-day. Take note of what makes you happy, what calms you, try to stay focused on these types of aspects and allow negativity to blow away with that wind I hope you noticed.

     7. Visualization

Visualization is a great and simple technique and one of my favourites.

It’s basically daydreaming about things you would like to happen. As Vishen Lakhiani taught me, envision your perfect day, step by step every morning the way you would like for it to turn out. Then envision what you want your life to be like in three years. He has a great meditation he likes to do and teach people that you would greatly benefit from looking up.

The magic is in the details so be as specific as possible in your day dreaming.

These are just some basics to starting a regular meditation practice for those of you who are new to it and don’t know where to begin. It doesn’t have to be hard and you don’t have to find time to sit alone and get all Zen. Find what works for you in your lifestyle and don’t stress over it. The whole point is to relax!

Best Vibes Always,

S.S.Blake

Also check out

• “5-steps to setting intentions for growth and Success”
• 2 Relaxation Meditations
• Affirmations vs Intentions; How to build them for Abundance Manifesting

Author

S.S.Blake; Spiritual Life Coach, Yoga + Meditation Teacher and Founder of Earth and Water

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