How to Meditate

The goal of meditation is to focus and quiet your mind—eventually reaching a higher level of awareness and inner calm. Meditation is an ancient practice, but scientists are still discovering all of its benefits. Neurologists have found that regular meditation actually changes your brain in ways that can help you to control emotions, enhance concentration, decrease stress, and even become more connected to those around you.It may seem challenging at first, but by learning the basics of meditation, you can begin your journey on the path of enlightenment and bliss. With practice, you’ll be able to achieve a sense of tranquility and peace no matter what's going on around you.

Choose a peaceful environment. Meditation should be practiced in a peaceful location. A tranquil environment will enable you to focus exclusively on the task at hand and avoid external stimuli and distractions. Find a place where you will not be interrupted for the duration of your meditation—whether it lasts 5 minutes or half an hour. The space does not need to be very large—a walk-in closet or even an outdoor bench can be used for meditation as long as you have privacy.

• For those new to meditation, it's especially important to avoid any external distractions. Turn off TV sets, phones, or other noisy appliances. If you play music, choose calm, repetitive tunes to avoid breaking your concentration. Another option is to turn on a small water fountain since the sound of running water is calming.
• Your meditation space does not need to be completely silent, so you won’t need earplugs. The sound of a lawnmower or dog barking shouldn't prevent effective meditation. In fact, being aware of these noises without letting them dominate your thoughts is an important component of meditation.
• Meditating outside works for many so long as you don't sit near a busy roadway or another source of loud noise. You can find peace under a tree or sitting upon some lush grass in a favorite corner of a garden.

Wear comfortable clothes. One of the major goals of meditation is to calm the mind and block out external distractions. This can be difficult if you feel physically uncomfortable due to tight or restrictive clothing. Try to wear loose clothing during meditation practice and make sure to remove your shoes.

• Wear a sweater or cardigan if you plan on meditating someplace cool. You don’t want the sensation of feeling cold to consume your thoughts.
• If you are in a place where you can't easily change your clothes, do your best to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Try just taking off your shoes.

Decide how long you want to meditate. Before you begin, you should decide how long you are going to meditate. While many seasoned meditators recommend 20 minute sessions twice a day, beginners can start by doing as little as 5 minutes once a day.

• You should also try to meditate at the same time each day—whether it's 15 minutes first thing in the morning or 5 minutes on your lunch hour. Whatever length of time you choose, try to make meditation a regular part of your daily routine.
• Once you have decided on a time frame, try to stick to it. Don't just give up because you feel like it isn't working. It will take time and practice to achieve successful meditation. Right now, the most important thing is to keep trying.
• Find a way to keep track of your meditation time without distracting yourself. Set a gentle alarm to alert you when your time is up. Or time your practice to end with a certain event—such as the sun hitting a certain spot on the wall.

Stretch out. Meditation involves sitting in one spot for a certain period of time, so it is important to release any tension or tightness before you begin. A couple of minutes of light stretching can help prepare both your body and mind for meditation. It will also prevent you from focusing on any sore spots instead of relaxing.

• Remember to stretch your neck, shoulders, and lower back—especially if you've been sitting in front of a computer. Stretching out your legs—with an emphasis on the inner thigh—can be helpful when meditating in the lotus position.
• If you don’t already know how to stretch, consider learning different stretching techniques to try before you meditate.

Sit in a comfortable position. It is very important that you are comfortable while you meditate, so finding the best position for you is the goal. Traditionally, meditation is practiced by sitting on a cushion on the ground in either a lotus position or half-lotus position, but this position can be uncomfortable if you lack flexibility in your legs, hips, and lower back. You want to find a posture that allows you to sit with a balanced, tall, and straight posture.

• You can sit—with or without crossing your legs—on a cushion, chair, or meditation bench.
• Once seated, your pelvis should be tilted forward enough to center your spine over your “sit bones,” the two bones in your butt that bear your weight when seated. To tilt your pelvis into the right position, sit on the forward edge of a thick cushion or place something about 3 or 4 inches (7.6 or 10.2 cm) thick under the back legs of a chair.
• You can also a use a meditation bench, which are usually built with a tilted seat. If you’re using a bench that’s not tilted, put something under it, so it tilts forward between a half inch and an inch.
• Once you’re properly seated, focus on the rest of your back. Start from your bottom and think about each vertebra in your spine as balancing one on top of another to support the whole weight of your torso, neck, and head. It requires practice to find the position that allows you to relax your torso with only slight effort being used to maintain your balance. Whenever you feel tension, relax the area. If you can't relax it without slumping, check the alignment of your posture and seek to rebalance your torso, so those areas can relax.
• The most important thing is that you are comfortable, relaxed, and have a balanced torso, so your spine can support all of your weight from the waist up.
• The traditional hand placement involves resting your hands in your lap, palms facing upward, with your right hand on top of your left. However, you can also rest your hands on your knees or leave them hanging down by your side.

Close your eyes. Meditation can be performed with the eyes open or closed. As a beginner, it is often best to try meditating with closed eyes in order to avoid visual distractions.

• Once you have grown accustomed to meditation, you can try practicing with your eyes open. This tends to help if you find yourself falling asleep when meditating with your eyes closed or if you experience disturbing mental images, which happens to a small number of people.
• When you keep your eyes open, you will need to keep them "soft" by not focusing on any one thing in particular. You don't want to go into a trance-like state. The goal is to feel relaxed yet alert.

Follow your breathing. The most basic and universal of all meditation techniques, breathing meditation, is a great place to start your practice. Pick a spot above your navel and focus on that spot with your mind. Become aware of the rising and falling of your abdomen as you breathe in and out. Don't make a conscious effort to change your breathing patterns. Just breathe normally.

• Try to focus on your breathing and only your breathing. Don't think about your breathing or pass any sort of judgment of it (e.g. that breath was shorter than the last one). Just attempt to know your breath and be aware of it.
• Focus on mental images to guide you. Imagine a coin sitting on the spot above your navel and rising and falling with each breath. Or picture a buoy floating in the ocean that’s bobbing up and down with the swell and lull of your breathing. Alternatively, imagine a lotus flower sitting in your belly and unfurling its petals with every intake of breath.
• Don't worry if your mind starts to wander. You are a beginner, and meditation takes practice. Just make an effort to refocus your mind on your breathing and try to think of nothing else.

Clear your mind. To meditate, you should focus on one thing at a maximum. If you're a beginner, it might help to focus on something like a mantra or visual object. More advanced meditators may try to clear their minds completely.

Repeat a mantra. Mantra meditation is another common form of meditation that involves repeating a mantra (a sound, word, or phrase) over and over until you silence the mind and enter a deep, meditative state. The mantra can be anything you choose so long as it’s easy to remember.

• Some good mantras to start with include words like: one, peace, calm, tranquil, and silence. If you want to use more traditional mantras, you can use the word "Om," which symbolizes omnipresent consciousness. Or you can use the phrase "Sat, Chit, Ananda," which means "Existence, Consciousness, Bliss."
• In Sanskrit, the word mantra means "instrument of the mind." The mantra is an instrument that creates vibrations in the mind, allowing you to disconnect from your thoughts and enter a deeper state of consciousness.
• Silently repeat the mantra over and over to yourself as you meditate, allowing the word or phrase to whisper through your mind. Don't worry if your mind wanders off. Just refocus your attention and refocus on the repetition of the word.
• As you enter a deeper level of awareness and consciousness, it may become unnecessary to continue repeating the mantra.

Concentrate on a simple visual object. In a similar way to using a mantra, you can use a simple visual object to focus your mind and allow you to reach a level of deeper consciousness. This is a form of open-eye meditation, which many meditators find helpful.

• The visual object can be anything you wish. The flame of a lit candle can be particularly pleasant. Other possible objects to consider include: crystals, flowers, or pictures of divine beings such as the Buddha.
• Place the object at eye level, so you don't need to strain your head and neck to view it. Gaze at it until your peripheral vision starts to dim and the object consumes your vision.
• Once you are focused entirely on the object, you should feel a sense of profound serenity.

Practice visualization. Visualization is another popular meditation technique. It involves creating a peaceful place in your mind and exploring it until you reach a state of complete calm. The place can be anywhere you like; however, it should not be entirely real. You want to image a unique place that’s personalized for you.

• The place you visualize could be a warm, sandy beach, a flower-filled meadow, a quiet forest, or a comfortable sitting room with a roaring fire. Whatever place you choose, allow it to become your sanctuary.
• Once you have mentally entered your sanctuary, allow yourself to explore it. Don’t work to "create" your surroundings. It’s as if they are already there. Just relax and allow the details to come to the forefront of your mind.
• Take in the sights, sounds, and scents of your surroundings. Feel the fresh breeze against your face or the heat of the flames warming your body. Enjoy the space for as long as you wish, allowing it to naturally expand and become more tangible. When you are ready to leave, take a few deep breaths, then open your eyes.
• Know that you can come back to this same place the next time you practice visualization, or you can simply create a new space.

Do a body scan. Doing a body scan involves focusing on each individual body part in turn and consciously relaxing it. It is a simple meditation technique that allows you to relax the mind as you relax the body.

• Close your eyes and pick a starting point on your body such as your toes. Concentrate on whatever sensations you can feel in your toes. Make a conscious effort to relax any contracted muscles and release any tension or tightness in your toes. When your toes are fully relaxed, move upwards to your feet and repeat the relaxation process.
• Continue along your body, moving upwards from your feet to your calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, hips, abdomen, chest, back, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, neck, face, ears, and the top of your head. Take as long as you want on each area.
• Once you have completed the relaxation of each individual body part, focus on your body as a whole and enjoy the sensation of calmness and looseness you have achieved. Focus on your breathing for several minutes before coming out of your meditation practice.

Try heart chakra meditation. The heart chakra is one of seven chakras, or energy centers, located within the body. The heart chakra is located in the center of the chest and is associated with love, compassion, peace, and acceptance. Heart chakra meditation involves getting in touch with these feelings and sending them out into the world.

• To begin, close your eyes and rub the palms of your hands together to create warmth and energy. Then place your right hand on the center of your chest, over your heart chakra, and place your left hand on top of your right hand.
• Take a deep breath and as you exhale, say the word "yam," which is the vibration associated with the heart chakra. As you do this, imagine a glowing green energy radiating from your chest and into your palms.
• This green energy is love, life, and the other positive emotions you are feeling at that moment. When you are ready, take your hands from your chest and allow the energy to escape from your palms, sending your love to the world.
• Feel your body from the inside. Can you feel the energy field in your body, particularly in your arms and legs? If you don't feel it, it's fine. But think: how are we able to move different parts of the body? It's the energy field that flows in our body. Focusing your attention on that energy field will not only help you stay in the present, but it will also help you connect with your Being and the flow of life in you.

Try walking meditation. Walking meditation is an alternate form of meditation that involves observing the movement of the feet and becoming aware of your body's connection to the earth. If you plan on performing long, seated meditation sessions, it is a good idea to break them up with some walking meditation.

• Choose a quiet location to practice your walking meditation with as few distractions as possible. The space doesn't need to be very large, but you should be able to walk at least seven paces in a straight line before needing to turn around. Remove your shoes if possible.
• Hold your head up with your gaze directed straight ahead and your hands clasped together in front of you. Take a slow, deliberate step with your right foot. Forget about any sensations or feelings in the foot and try to concentrate on the movement itself. After taking the first step, stop for a moment before taking the next. Only one foot should be moving at any given time.
• When you reach the end of your walking path, stop completely with your feet together. Then pivot on your right foot and turn around. Continue walking in the opposite direction using the same slow, deliberate movements as before.
• While practicing walking meditation, try to focus on the movement of the feet and nothing else. This intense focus is similar to the way that you focus on the rising and falling of your breath during breathing meditation. Try to clear your mind and become aware of the connection between your foot and the earth below it.

Try to meditate at the same time every day

Take a guided meditation class

Read spiritual books

Practice mindfulness in your everyday life

Maintain a healthy lifestyle

Understand that meditation is a journey

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