How to Meditate: A Beginners Guide to Meditation
Written by Beatrice Walker / April 12, 2021
The practice of meditation has had a significant effect on my life and overall mental health. I’ve been practicing meditation for almost 10 years as a way to help manage my own anxiety. The deeper that I get into my meditation practice the more I realize how many positive effects can develop from a consistent meditation practice. The benefits from daily meditation are immense and honestly life changing.
Meditation not only helps reduce stress and anxiety, but it can also have a major impact on the body's central nervous system by lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate, and reducing the amount of stress hormones that are released. This has a direct effect on our sympathetic nervous system which is the body’s fight, flight, or freeze response to stress. Meditation can directly impact our reactions, which directly affects how we communicate, how we manage stress, and how we manage relationships.
The goal of meditation is not to cease all thought. The goal of meditation is to be so completely present that you notice when thoughts come up and not become attached to them. Meditating is the act of releasing thoughts and by doing this you also release stress. So don’t be too concerned when thoughts arise as you meditate, this will happen. Focus on being present, sitting with yourself, and focusing on your breath.
I put together the following steps for those looking to get into meditation, those who might be struggling with meditation, and those looking to strengthen their existing meditation practice.
Look for a relatively quiet place, and find a comfortable seat (i.e. cross legged, sitting in a chair with your feet on the ground, or laying down).
2. Close your eyes, or gently gaze on a fixed location or object.
3. Begin to notice your breath, and start by breathing in and out through the nose.
4. Let the breath become slow and deep.
5. Notice the coolness of the breath as you inhale, and notice how it’s slightly warmer as you exhale.
6. Try to remain as present as possible, and don’t become attached to thoughts that arise, because they most likely will.
7. When a thought comes up don’t attach to it, rather thank yourself for the thought and then let it float away. Remind yourself that you can come back to that thought later, but that you don’t need to think about it right now.
8. If you realize you’ve become attached to a thought, don’t get upset with yourself, acknowledge that you were able to detach from the thought, and go back to focusing on your breath.
9. You can practice different kinds of breath work as you meditate. A simple form of breath work is to count to five as you inhale and count to five as you exhale. Repeat this exercise counting while you breathe during your meditation.
10. Notice sounds around you, but don’t try to label, judge, or attach to them. Just notice them and return to focusing on your breath.
11. Set a timer as a gentle reminder for you to come out of meditation so you’re not worrying or having thoughts about how much time has passed.