Meditation for Beginners

 
Before beginning any type of meditation, realize it is to help you to open your mind and your heart. It is also a way to help you move into a wonderful state of relaxation. Meditation has been practiced for centuries. A person doesn’t have to belong to any particular type of religion to enjoy its benefits.

I try to set the mood before I begin my meditation. Some people like things completely quiet. I prefer to have sounds of nature playing softly in the background. My favorite is the sound of water, either falling or waves rolling into shore. I often have incense burning in the background too.

Here are the steps I recommend.

1. Get your body into a comfortable position that you can remain in for at least 30 minutes to start. You may prefer lying down on your bed or sitting in your favorite chair. Place cushions in spots that may bother you after a few minutes of sitting or lying.

2. Just before you begin your meditation, take a couple of minutes and think about something that you want to change in your life. Try to imagine that change has already happened and that you have already realized your dream. As you go into your meditation, you will concentrate on that one thought.

3. Close your eyes and inhale a deep breath through your nose. Try to fill your lungs as full as they will go. Then exhale and empty your lungs of all the air. Repeat the process again and then a 3rd time. On the 3rd exhale, imagine that all your worries and stress and anxiety is being expelled into the universe. Feel the tension in your muscles begin to subside. It may be difficult to empty your mind of worries the first few times but gradually you will get used to doing it.

4. Meditation is easier for some if you are able to give all your stress over to a higher power. It’s okay if you don’t believe in a higher power. Some people just imagine the stress and worries floating away on a cloud or boat.

5. As you relax, shut your eyes and concentrate on the spot above your eyebrows in the center of your forehead. This is often referred to as the 3rd eye. You may feel some muscle strain around your eyes until the muscles get used to the movement. Try to focus your eyes on this spot but don’t overdo it at first. This will help empty your mind to everything else.

6. When you focus, imagine that you are at the end of a long tunnel and the 3rd eye is guiding the way through the tunnel. Allow your mind to walk along the tunnel toward an end that never comes. Just concentrate on walking through the tunnel. Remember the change you want to make in your life and imagine you are already experiencing it as you walk through the tunnel.

7. You finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. That light is in a place that you feel very relaxed. Maybe it is by the ocean or lying in a field of green. Each person’s special place will be different and only mean something to you. You embrace that peaceful place as you enter into it. This is the point in your meditation where you are able to let everything go. When you first begin meditating, the time you spend may be quite short.

8. The next part of your meditation depends on how deep you want to go into your relaxation. As you become used to it and realize the benefits, you will decide how long you want to be in a meditative state of being. Many people stay in at least 40 minutes. It takes time to give yourself permission to do so but gradually it will get easier.

9. You will know when it is time to end your meditative state. You will slowly become aware again of what is happening around you. As you come back to the everyday world, take time to thank yourself and your higher powers if you have any for the wonderful experience.

10. It is a good idea to practice meditation everyday and at the same time. That way it becomes a part of your regular routine. Each person develops his own way of meditating. No way is right or wrong. Gradually it will get easier to do. Also, keep a journal and pen next to where you do your meditation so you can record whatever thoughts are at the surface as you finish your meditation.