START MEDITATING WITH EASE
How to start meditating? This is a question I get very often from my clients, friends and acquittances. I normally reply by saying: don't think too much and just do it. But truth be said, like any new skill or habit that we want to learn or introduce, start meditating requires planning, consistency, and the right mindset.
adopt a right mind-set
I am going to begin talking about the right mindset as there are many myths and biased beliefs about what meditation is and its outcomes. First, it is sometimes associated with a specific religion, cult, or belief. But actually, a meditation practice is agnostic and can be integrated regardless of the faith of each person. In the end, meditation is about observing our mind from an outer perspective and looking at reality as it is, not as we would like it to be. It is about pausing our flux of endless thoughts for a while and connecting to our real selves since we are not our body or our mind. This connection can be enhanced by the particular belief of each person, as some might want to connect with any deity or God, integrate a mantra, or simply feel the connection with the inner self.
Second, it is believed that meditation will bring you to a state of bliss, peace, and harmony right away. Sometimes people look for a quick fix to their issues and expect that by starting meditating this will happen soon. Since this state, it's not easy to attain and more often we are faced with the reality of our "monkey" mind that cannot stop thinking, we feel frustrated and think that meditation doesn't really work or we are not made for it. This is the most often complaint that I hear from people and I have said it to myself as well. We should recognize this limiting belief and adjust our mindset to allow ourselves to learn, try and fail, and honor the process. It is very unrealistic and dangerous to expect that after a few meditation sessions, we are going to enjoy them fully and see the benefits in our lives. Similarly to the gym, our mind is a muscle that needs to be trained daily and consistently to serve us. This takes consistent practice and there are no shortcuts, sorry!
Work consistently
Moving to consistency is the real key to a healthy meditation practice. I suggest starting small and moving forward on the way. In the beginning commit to 5 to 10 minutes per day, either in the morning, in the evening, or at any time that suits better. Try to do it at the same time or at the same moment of the day; e.g. as soon as waking up or right before getting asleep. This will facilitate the practice as it is linked to another activity you won´t miss. Set an alarm if this helps or engage your partner or family members in it.
During the first weeks try hard not to miss one single meditation and push yourself to do it even if you don't want. Remember that you are trying to introduce a new habit and your mind will be reluctant to it .. so we need to give it an extra push. After a couple of days and weeks, it will become normal and even you'll start to miss your minutes of peace if skipping one day. After your 5-10 mins practice is consistent you can start increasing the time to 15-30 mins or 45-60 mins if you feel like it. There is no minimum or maximum, each of us has different needs and we need to figure out by ourselves what is our time allowance for our meditation practice.
Planning your practice
Finally, to get more concrete, I am going to talk about planning to start meditating:
1. Start easy:
If it's your first time I recommend trying guided meditations for short periods of time. The guided meditations will help you to tune in, learn techniques to observe your breath and sharpen your concentration, relax and make the process easier and smoother. You can find those on Youtube or you can get an App subscription to have access to countless meditations and resources. At the end of the post, I leave you a list of my favorite Apps :) Many of these Apps offer meditation courses for beginners that can be followed for some days or weeks. I also recommend watching the Headspace Netflix documentary to jump-start your practice.
2. Find the right spot:
Pick a place at your home where you feel comfortable having your meditation sessions. It could be in your bedroom, living room, or studio. You can pick a chair or sofa for the first sessions and move to a mat or cushion on the floor later on. Leave the place ready to start meditating as soon as you get there. For example, I leave my yoga mat on the floor with my meditation cushion on top next to my bed, so I wake up every morning, sit there and just start. Try not to have interruptions on your meditation spot and make it nice and cozy. Start meditating in a sitting position and avoid laying down as you'll end up sleeping :D This is my most important advice for beginners.
3. Find the right time:
As I mentioned before, pick the best time in your day when you think there are more chances to keep your practice. I personally prefer to do it in the mornings as soon as I wake up but also did it in the evenings when I had an office job. Experiment with different times and see what works best for you.
4. Be compassionate with yourself:
It's all about showing up and doing the work. Forget about outcomes and expectations when it comes to meditation. You will feel most probably frustrated at the beginning and this is normal. It happens to everyone! Avoid blaming yourself or feeling bad because of it. Be compassionate and patient. Your rewards are awaiting you ;)
After start meditating and get settled with a consistent routine you might want to try new techniques or go deeper into it. I recommend you read my post about my Vipassana Meditation Retreat to know more.
If you have any questions or comments I would be very happy to hear from you.
Meditation Apps that I have used:
https://www.headspace.com
https://www.calm.com
https://www.breathe-meditation.com
https://chopra.com/app
https://insighttimer.com
