A beginners guide to Meditation!
- Harmonious Vegan
- May 23, 2019
- 3 min read
Adding meditation to your life can be really difficult if you a busy lifestyle or not much spare time. However, it can be done anywhere or for any length of time!
When I started meditation regularly about three months ago I started after seeing many adverts for the digital app called 'Headspace' as I was a student I got the subscription for just 4.99£ a month which I thought was a steal and left me with no excuse not to do it daily with this guide.
I started to go through the beginners guides which started from as little as three minutes and then gradually worked my way up to the full ten and then onwards and upwards from there.
I found it to be difficult to sit still and do nothing but within a few sessions I started to enjoy the peacefulness and clarity the meditation brought to my lifestyle.
A lot of places around the UK offer free mediation classes and lessons which is useful if you would like to learn with a teacher or other students. However, if that isn't your thing and you would like to practice alone there are many resources available to you from Youtube videos to apps you can download onto your smartphone. These are great as you can pretty much take a timeout wherever you are and its very flexible and fits around your lifestyle.
If you have made the decision to start meditation then here are some easy tips and steps to get you started!
(1) Don't worry if at first you are distracted and find it hard to meditate (THIS IS NORMAL)
(2) Don't expect to just be able to meditate for hours - this takes time and you have to build up your time and relaxation methods.
(3) Find somewhere fairly quiet and somewhere you can practice regularly - somewhere you find relaxing and calm.
(4) Write down your progress so you can see how far you have come!
(5) If silence isn't your thing then try a Spotify relaxation playlist or a meditation app that talks you through each step and stage.
(6) Finding your rhythm - I like to meditate during the morning and early hours as I feel that it centres my day and allows me to think but some people like to meditate before bed or throughout the day, so try meditating at different times of the day to find what is best for you!
(7) Take breaks - one thing I have learnt from the app 'Headspace' is you should allow your mind to wander after a few minutes of meditation eg. if you meditating for 20 minutes half way through give your mind a minute to relax and wander this will help you focus more.
(8) Do what feels comfortable to you - you don't have to meditate in a sitting crossed legged position, some people find it more comfortable to lie down!
(9) Try and make a habit of doing it at the same time or same day as it takes 21-31 days to form a habit!
(10) Don't pressure yourself, although it takes time and practice to learn to meditate don't pressure yourself to do it if you're not feeling as you will resent doing it and you're less likely to want to continue practicing meditation and it won't benefit your lifestyle if your resent doing it!
My top three smartphone apps:
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