Practical Meditation Tips to Get Started Right Now

Many of our lives have been turned upside down, resulting in high stress levels.  It is unclear when our lives will return to “normal, ” which results in even more stress. All this stress results in a physical outcome as tension builds in our muscles and fascia. Meditation is a well-researched option for effectively reducing stress and anxiety.  So why aren’t we all meditating?

  
Many people don’t meditate because they don’t understand how to do it and get frustrated when they can’t empty their minds or achieve the appropriate cross-legged posture.  The good news is that you don’t have to do either of those things.  The bad news is that it takes some effort but if you understand the basics, it can be quite enjoyable and helpful.  The other good news is that it doesn’t just help with stress and anxiety. Meditation can improve focus and mood, give you more energy, and help you be more creative.  Those are some great reasons to meditate. 

Benefits of Meditation

The true purpose of meditation is two-fold. In the moment, meditation shifts the brain and body into a more relaxed and calm state, resulting in an immediate positive change in physiology. Over time, meditation can change your brain and help you respond to stressful situations more positively.

Start Meditating Now with these Tips

First, you can meditate anywhere and in any position.  You can sit on a pillow cross-legged or spread out on your recliner. What truly matters is what is happening in your head.  As you get started, you will be less distracted if your body is more comfortable.  You can even meditate standing in line at the grocery store!  Again, what is happening inside is what is most important. 

You can meditate for very short periods and get positive outcomes. Even just a few minutes can begin to shift your physiology and start you on the path to changing your brain. Start with just a couple minutes at a time and slowly add a minute here and there as you gain skill and confidence. Also, the time of day doesn’t matter.  Fit it anywhere you can as you get started.  There are no rules.

(Well, there are rules in some meditation styles, and there are many styles out there.) 

Once you get going, you may want to explore what is out there and go down a more specific meditation path, but for now, let’s just get over the hurdle of getting started. All meditation styles have several common ingredients, which I’ll cover briefly here. I have a video you can watch that explains them as well.

1. Breathe.  Learn to breathe with your diaphragm.  Learn to breathe deeply and slowly.  This single skill can help you make profound shifts in your health and well-being.  The video above also covers diaphragmatic breathing.  You ALWAYS have your breath available as a focus point.  Breathe well and bring your attention to it often. 
2. Focus.  Your brain must have something to focus on.  We are wired for awareness.  Emptying the mind completely is nearly impossible.  The goal is to bring your attention to the breath, an object, or a sensation, depending on your choice of meditation style. You can be aware of other thoughts and sensations.  The goal is to learn to let them go and keep returning your attention where you want it and not get pulled down the rabbit hole of your wandering thoughts. 
3. Judgement.  Just let it go.  As thoughts enter your mind or as you notice sensations during meditation, do not judge them as good or bad. Experience them and let them go.  You will find yourself judging what is happening externally, such as the sound of someone firing up their lawn mover, and internally.  You will get frustrated with yourself when you can’t control those pesky thoughts about what you’ll have for dinner later. Do not judge yourself and your ability to meditate. Instead, congratulate yourself each time you notice your attention has wandered and you have decided to bring it back to your object of focus.  Treat yourself gently while learning, much like you’d teach a puppy or small child a new skill.  You are gentle, patient, and encouraging with them; be so with yourself. This is probably the number one issue most of us struggle with when practicing meditation. 
4. Calm. Learn to soften your body.  Learning to spot tension in your body and continually let it go will help you be more comfortable as you meditate. Soon, this will cross over into daily life. If you have trouble identifying tension in your body, try this simple trick. Choose an area of the body, like the hands, and squeeze them, then let them go. You can do this in one area or start at the toes and work your way up. Purposefully tensing and relaxing the body will help you learn how to identify these sensations.
5. Mindfulness.  Keep your attention in the present.  Stress and anxiety are typically past or future-oriented.  We can’t change the past and can plan appropriately for the future, but we can’t control it.  Staying in the present is generally much less stressful.  Use your five senses (sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste) to pull your mind into the present. 
6. Process. Let go of any outcomes you are trying to achieve and simply focus on the meditation process.  It is called a meditation practice.  Practice regularly and focus on continually bringing your mind back to the object of focus.  In a five-minute meditation, you may have to do this fifty times.  That is OK.  Next time, it might only be thirty, or it might be fifty-one. If you stick with it, it will get easier.  

You can use many strategies to help yourself let go of those pesky intrusive thoughts that will continue to interrupt your meditation process. You may want to watch the introductory video, Practical Meditation.  This will also introduce you to a simple meditation.  My follow-up video, cleverly titled Practical Meditation #2, will introduce you to a few other styles of both sitting and standing meditations.  Happy meditating!

Updated January 23, 2024