How to Meditate For Beginners: Top 10 Meditation Techniques

Inside: How to meditate for beginners (even if you’ve never meditated before). We will provide 10 easy tips answering all your questions on how to meditate for beginners and we’ve even got a bonus free meditation cheat sheet printable and meditation journal for you! #winning.

Buddha was asked, “What have you gained from meditation?” He replied, “Nothing! However, let me tell you what I have lost: anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.

Meditation is a powerful habit that has the ability to enhance your relationships, parenting, kids, goals, emotions, hobbies, and habits. 

It’s a hot topic…

…and for good reason, from the moment we are born, mindfulness can keep anxiety and stress under control and promote a happy life.

We talk a lot about mindfulness for you and mindfulness for your kids, but meditation is a powerful exercise we can employ to be more mindful.

Many people scoff at the word meditation.  They picture monks in robes, devoted yogis, or flowery hippies. And they think…that’s not me.

But meditation simply means, taking a few minutes to give your brain a break. It can be thirty seconds, one minute, ten minutes, or longer. 

And who reading this right now doesn’t need a break? (I’m waving my arms in the air wildly right now)

If you’re ready for a healthier, happier mind, then say #heckyeah!

Through meditation, we will begin the process of getting to know ourselves, in a quiet, calm and distraction-free place.

Meditation will change your life!

BIG TIME!

Now:

You might argue and say, “I don’t have time! Like as if!” Perhaps you are a busy parent, running between making healthy dinners, being a chauffeur to creating stress-free bedtime routines (I hear ya, do I even have a space on the carpet where I won’t sit on a lego?)

Well:

I’m here to say, you need this the most!!

So listen up:

I’m going to teach you everything you need to know about how to meditate for beginners so that you can start reaping all the benefits that we’ll discuss below.

Benefits of Meditation

There’s a reason for the latest mindfulness craze, and this is why:

• Meditation has calming effects and invokes peace of mind
• Increases blood flow to your brain
• Improves focus and clarity
• Reduces stress and anxiety
• Improves sleep
• Increases your energy
• Deepens your spirituality

I could go on and on.

Really.

At it’s simplest meditation is becoming aware of your thoughts and focusing on your breath.

You pay attention to your breath and when you get lost in thought, you bring your attention back to your breath.

Sounds easy right?

Oh boy. It’s so easy, but then again it’s so NOT easy.

The Role Our Thoughts Play…

When you begin meditating you will be quickly introduced to your thoughts.

Hello, thoughts.

One of the main concepts of meditation is learning how to pay attention to your thoughts.

Some thoughts will sneak in the back door, you’ll be like, oh hey, where did you come from….?

…this thought might seem innocent enough, but some thoughts snowball into worries, resentments, judgments, anxiety, jealousy, and anger.

And then some of these thoughts can beautiful, helpful, positive and gracious.

So:

When we first start to mediate our goal is simply to relax and notice our thoughts. (For good or bad).

By becoming aware of our thoughts we then develop the power to change them or at least choose what thoughts we follow and pay attention to.

And that’s why meditation is so darn powerful.

The Power of Thoughts (How to Meditate for Beginners)

Whatever spectrum your thoughts are on (positive or negative or a little of both) these uncontrollable thoughts affect us all, they run constantly, like a fridge humming in the background.

At first, watching your mind is like watching a car wreck happen right in front of you and not being able to do anything to stop it.

Meditation will help you to control these radical thoughts that are swerving all over the road; just by tuning in, watching and paying attention you can begin to steady the wheel and in time you can begin to relax and rest within the spaces of peace and clarity.

If you are just starting out, don’t worry about perfecting meditation, you will have many busy, restless, and distracted thoughts.  This is completely normal.  Take a deep breath and let us get started.

I’m excited to share that I’ve prepared a meditation starter kit for you. Completely FREE. Download it here. It includes 7 pages of meditation’s most frequently asked questions, as well as a printable meditation cheat sheet and a fillable meditation journal. (Plus a few bonus resources).

Did you download your starter kit? Amazing! I hope it helps you on your journey. Now let’s get going and learn how to meditate for beginners – 10 fundamental tips!

How to Meditate For Beginners – 10 Essential Tips

1.  Reduce distractions

You will need to find a quiet, comfortable place to spend 10 minutes (or your chosen time allotment) without interruption. 

It can be nice to create a special space to meditate, one with candles, soft pillows, calming decor or maybe even a nice outdoor space, but you don’t need to have a special spot, you can practice meditation anywhere.

The most important aspect is to be able to find a place that is free from distractions. 

I know, I know, it might be hard to find a square on the floor that isn’t covered with laundry, but do your best!

I often meditate in front of my patio door in my bedroom, I love gazing out at the trees and listening to the birds.

2.  Posture

One of the most important tips on learning how to meditate for beginners is to figure out what posture works for you. (So that you can relax and be comfortable).

The traditional meditation pose is cross-legged with your hands facing upwards, right palm in the left palm with your thumbs lightly touching or your hands facing downward and placed gently on your legs. 

However, you can sit in any position that is comfortable.

Recommended product:  Dharma Craft for all your meditation supply needs!

The Buckwheat Hull Zafu is a wonderful meditation cushion to keep your posture aligned. It’s a best selling product! It conforms more readily to each individual’s shape and is somewhat softer. It is like sitting on the sand at the beach – the hulls move where you want them.

The most important postural tip is to keep your spine straight. A straight spine will help prevent your mind from slipping into sluggishness. Pull your shoulders down, reach your neck towards the sky and slightly tuck your chin down.

You can also sit in a chair or lie down if the floor doesn’t work for you. See how to meditate lying down here.

Or you can simply just breathe, anytime, anywhere. That’s meditation too!!

3.  Eyes

This is the tricky part, do you close your eyes?  Keep them open?

If your mind is very busy close your eyes to try to quiet the chatter, however, if your mind is sluggish, open your eyes and look at something bright or colorful to awaken your senses.

The traditional placement of the eyes is slightly open, with a lowered and soft gaze, not really looking at anything in particular. 

Experiment and see what’s best for you and don’t be afraid to switch it up depending on how you feel.

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Mindfulness is like a superpower. And when you teach these skills to your kids? That’s when you can slap an “S” on your chest… ….because you and your kids will be unstoppable (think calm, happy, resilient kids). And now you can have parenting superpowers: Introducing Mighty Mindful Kids, the one-of-a-kind printable mindfulness eBook for kids ages 2 to 10!  

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4. Time

This is a very personal choice, to start I would suggest 5 to 10 minutes and maybe in time work your way up to whatever you are comfortable with (and what you can realistically commit to per day). 

I would meditate often and in short intervals. Even just setting a breathing break on your phone and taking seven deep breaths every couple of hours is extremely beneficial.

Find a length of time that allows you to settle your mind but doesn’t put stress on your body or the rest of your day. 

Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing, do what is best for you.

 5.  Relax

You will need to decide if you want to meditate in complete silence or if you would prefer relaxation music. 

If the mind is very agitated playing relaxation music is very helpful to quiet and calm the busyness, it gives you something to focus on.

I always recommend the guided meditation site for their relaxation music and a wide range of guided meditations.

Another guided meditation I use weekly (and love) is The Honest Guys on YouTube. (Umm, over 11 million views, so I guess I’m not the only one loving them!) Completely free! Have a listen!

We’ve also got 10 of the best free guided meditations right here for you. Check them out now!

You can also use a guided meditation app to help you.

There are many apps out there to get you started, I use and recommend Headspace, they have free and paid meditations.

If none of this works for you, practicing in silence will give you an entirely different experience and a complete overview of what the mind is doing. 

There is something extremely healing about sitting in silence.  When outer and inner silence meet, that is a beautiful thing.

Take a few minutes and relax your body parts.  Relax the top of your head, your cheeks, your jaw, the space between your eyebrows, your neck and shoulders, arms and hands, stomach and legs. Relax, relax, relax.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE meditation cheat sheet!

6.  Breath

Turn your attention to your breath, simply notice that you are breathing and don’t try to force anything. 

The breath will be our anchor, especially in the beginning, anytime we notice that our thoughts have wandered we will simply bring it back to the breath. Pay attention to the sensation of the breath as it enters and exits your nostrils.

If your mind is exceptionally busy, try to count your breaths.  Do rounds of seven rotations.

7. Focus

Try to focus on the present moment. 

This is something we don’t normally do, we are usually very uncomfortable with the present.  However, meditation is about improving our focus and waking up to the ordinary moments that make up our lives.  By awakening, to these moments we can infuse them with peace and clarity.

At first, your mind will be very busy it might even feel busier than usual, this is because you are becoming aware of just how restless your mind actually is.

Try to bring yourself back to the breath, whenever your mind tries to slip away from the present moment.

8.  Thoughts

The very act of meditation is not about doing more thinking, it is about finding stillness. 

Thoughts will arise, there is no doubt, but try not to follow them.  It can be helpful to visualize your mind like a vast blue sky, your thoughts are like the clouds, they come and go; so let them go, just like a passing cloud.

You don’t have to hang onto and follow every thought. 

When you notice that you have gotten carried away try not to get upset, this is normal and this is inevitably going to happen.  Lose your desire to perfect meditation.

Keep pulling your mind back to the present moment, over and over again; pull it back.

9.  Habits

Be sure to incorporate meditation into your weekly or daily routine.  Eventually, a habit will form and you will begin to reap the benefits of meditation in all facets of your life.

Perhaps seek out a weekly meditation class, sign up for a retreat or find a meditation buddy. These are all useful tips to help you maintain your practice.

It is also helpful to watch podcasts, videos, read articles and blogs, anything to keep you interested and inspired.

10. Smile

Are you enjoying yourself, form a slight smile, it will change your perspective.

Even preliminary states of meditation are powerful.  The more we practice gradually we begin to rewire our experiences and peace will be born.  So there you have it – 10 fundamental tips on how to meditate for beginners.

When the sea is churning the otherwise clear water will be stirred up and muddy.  And you can expect this in the early stages of meditation. But when the wind dies down, the mud inevitably settles and what’s left is the crystal clear water that was always there.

You might also love:

• Mindfulness for Mom’s
• 10 of the VERY Best Free Guided Meditations
• What is Mindfulness?
• How to Be Balanced in a Busy World – 9 Brilliant Hacks

Don’t forget to snag your free meditation start-up kit! Enjoy!

 

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