Meditation is an excellent way to clear your mind and calm yourself. It reduces stress and helps you to stay grounded in the moment. Everyone could use a little stress reduction right now, but if you've never meditated before, you might be wondering where to start.
Set Up
To be clear, you don't need anything except some time to yourself to get started with meditation. That said, there are things you can do to give yourself a better chance of success. You can, for starters, make sure that the space where you're planning to meditate is quiet and free of distractions.
You can also use young living essential oils or another brand of quality essential oils to help put yourself in the proper headspace.
This can be especially helpful if you are planning to practice meditation every day, as it signals your brain that it is time to meditate.
Get Comfortable
You probably have the idea in your head that you have to sit in a certain position in order to meditate. However, if you have certain health problems or are of a certain age, the lotus position can be difficult or even impossible to maintain.
The most important thing is that you are sitting, or even lying down, as comfortably as possible, with the ability to breathe easily and deeply. Don't get too comfortable, though! You don't want to accidentally fall asleep.
Breathe Deeply
When meditating, the only thing you need to do or think about is your breathing. Breathe deeply and slowly, concentrating only on maintaining this deep, even breathing, opening your chest and filling your lungs as much as possible.
There are many guided meditation tracks that can help you train yourself to breathe more deeply and evenly.
Practice Mindfulness
You often hear advice like "clear your mind" or "practice mindfulness" when you're learning how to meditate, but you might not know what exactly that means. Simply put, when you are meditating, try not to think about anything.
Your eyes are closed, and the only thing you have to do is keep breathing. Everything else, you simply observe. If you hear a car go by outside, simply listen to it, don't wonder about who it is or think about how you need to go out later.
You are aware of your surroundings, but not actively doing anything about them. You are also aware of yourself; not just your breathing, but any aches and pains you have. Don't ignore them the way you do the rest of the day. If you notice that a muscle in your back, shoulders or jaw has gone tense, let it relax.
Do Not Judge
You will mess it up, and that's okay! Meditation takes practice, just like anything else. Whenever you notice yourself thinking when you should be meditating, don't beat yourself up about it, just get back to meditating.
You will get better at this as time goes on, and even if you have been meditating for years, you will find yourself slipping up. Judging yourself is, itself, a kind of thinking, and therefore counterproductive.
Let that go along with everything else, and remember, the only thing you have to do, when you're meditating, is keep breathing. As long as you're still breathing, you're doing just fine.
Enjoy the Benefits
There are many benefits to a regular meditation practice. First of all, it helps reduce stress and tension. It can also help you control your spiraling thoughts, if you are someone who suffers from anxiety.
Continuous practice of meditation helps you hone your concentration, allowing you to focus better and for longer periods of time. It's even theorized to help keep mental acuity in your old age. If nothing else, it will give you a minute to just relax and breathe.
Regular meditation practice has many benefits. It costs you nothing to get started and there's no harm in giving it a try. If it can help manage your stress, isn't it worth giving it a try?
