How to start Meditating
Meditation can be a great tool for relaxation and for stress relief, but it can be difficult for some to start and even more so to maintain.
Does the thought of “silencing the mind” confuse or frustrate you? Or perhaps you’ve wanted to see what meditation is all about but you don’t know where to start?
No matter what skill you are learning to master, anything new can seem daunting, especially with our minds trained to respond immediately to alerts, emails, and notifications; it’s now commonly more disorienting to be truly undisturbed.
We All Start As Beginners
We all need to start somewhere. I was just like you when I first started getting into it. And to be honest, my form of meditation is not “conventional”.
Meditation was something I found during a stressful period of my life when I was waiting for the phone to ring, or the email to come in, or the text to ding on my phone. Anxiety started to plague as every time my phone went off I could feel my body tense up. Meditation can be unnerving at first, but soon it became the form of calmness that helped me through that particularly stressful period. I know there is “science” as to the “why” it works, but I truely can’t explain how it got easier for me, other than repeated practice.
What To Expect
One of the most important things to do when starting meditation is to find a comfortable position. Sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground or floor is a good option, or you can sit cross-legged on a cushion. You might also want to try lying down, although this can sometimes lead to falling asleep; and be sure to make sure you can put a pillow underneath your legs to aide your lower back. Once you've found a position that feels comfortable for you, make sure your spine is straight and your head is not tilted forward or backward. You can close your eyes or keep them open and focused on a single point.
The main point of learning for me was to focus on my breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly and evenly. There are so many “types” of breathe work (we will blog on that in the near future) and once you find your version of breathe work that works for your body, I urge you not to think too deeply but flow with your own breathe. This is the key that I learnt: When your mind starts to wander, gently bring it back to your breath. That’s all you have to think about at the start!!
You may want to use a mantra, or repeated phrase, as another tool to help you focus during meditation. Pick a short phrase that has meaning for you, such as "I am in my ultimate happiness”
USE GUIDANCE
We are so fortunate to have a whole pillar inside our program “The IVP Health Collective” dedicated to guided meditations. I have found the ones inside our program very helpful, especially when you are first starting.
I hope you can find a point of solitude to focus on your breathe, listen to a meditation, and to just be still in your day,
Hugs always,
Tamsin xx