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Medยญiยญtaยญtion โ€œis a genยญerยญal term for a techยญnique in which a perยญson empยญties his mind of extraยญneยญous thought, with the intent of eleยญvatยญing the mind to a difยญferยญent levยญel and tranยญscend munยญdane conยญcernsโ€. It is a pracยญtice of conยญcenยญtratยญed focus upon sound, object, breath, or attenยญtion itself to feel the present moment and be fulยญly aware. The more you medยญiยญtate the less chance you will make a mistake. Medยญiยญtaยญtion is an effecยญtive way of trainยญing our minds to stay present. In this inforยญmaยญtion age we live in, Itโ€™s hard to stay focused. Our minds wanยญder around, and we are usuยญalยญly dwelling over the past, stressยญing about the future, worยญryยญing, fanยญtaยญsizยญing, and dayยญdreamยญing. Medยญiยญtaยญtion can help bring our minds back to the curยญrent moment, by proยญvidยญing us with techยญniques which are required to calm down our thoughts and reduce the stress level. Medยญiยญtaยญtion is a gym workยญout for your mind, just as exerยญcisยญing for your body. If we donโ€™t retrain the brain it can cause added pain. Learnยญing propยญer techยญniques of medยญiยญtatยญing is quite straightยญforยญward, and its benยญeยญfits can be felt immeยญdiยญateยญly. Letโ€™s explore some basic tips to get you startยญed on the jourยญney of medยญiยญtaยญtion, Here we will offer you some basic tips to get startยญed on a jourยญney that leads to greater equaยญnimยญiยญty, joy, and acceptance!

Concentration Meditation

Genยญerยญalยญly, one of the easยญiยญest ways to begin medยญiยญtaยญtion is by conยญcenยญtratยญing on your breath, which is also one of the comยญmon approachยญes for medยญiยญtatยญing, called conยญcenยญtraยญtion meditation. The objecยญtive of conยญcenยญtraยญtion medยญiยญtaยญtion is to develยญop a sinยญgle-mindยญed attenยญtion directยญed at some object: an image, a breath, a canยญdle flame, or a word or phrase. By conยญtinยญuยญalยญly returnยญing your attenยญtion to this object you will develยญop the abilยญiยญty to remain calm, focused, and grounded. This approach involves a perยญson focusยญing on one point. This can entail folยญlowยญing your breath, starยญing at the flame of a canยญdle, repeatยญing a mantra or a sinยญgle word, countยญing the beads of a string, or lisยญtenยญing to the same song repeatedly. At the beginยญning of your medยญiยญtatยญing jourยญney, it will be quite chalยญlengยญing to focus your mind, thus start with a short duraยญtion, 5โ€“10 minยญutes, then gradยญuยญalยญly work up for longer durations. The idea of this techยญnique is to just refoยญcus the awareยญness on your selectยญed object of conยญcenยญtraยญtion every time you observe your mind is wanยญderยญing. Instead of purยญsuยญing ranยญdom ideas, you simยญply loosen their hold. Your conยญcenยญtraยญtion abilยญiยญty improves through this technique.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindยญful medยญiยญtaยญtion is anothยญer medยญiยญtaยญtion techยญnique that has become greatยญly popยญuยญlar over the last few years. The basic conยญcept behind this pracยญtice is to stay focused on the curยญrent moment with a disยญpoยญsiยญtion that is acceptยญing and nonยญjudgยญmenยญtal. The aim is not putting a stop to thinkยญing or empยญty your mind but, the notion is to stay attenยญtive closeยญly towards your thoughts, physยญiยญcal senยญsaยญtions, and emoยญtions as they arise withยญout getยญting involved, in assumpยญtions, or make up stories. This is an easy exerยญcise that demands you to stay there, at that moment, withยญout dayยญdreamยญing. Howยญevยญer, it can lead to proยญfound results with pracยญtice, givยญing you more conยญtrol over your actions, allowยญing more room for equaยญnimยญiยญty and kindยญness, even in tough sitยญuยญaยญtions. Also, with time, this can help you betยญter comยญpreยญhend the reaยญsons behind your stress and what can be done to alleยญviยญate them. Stuยญdents folยญlow the comยญbiยญnaยญtion of mindยญfulยญness and conยญcenยญtraยญtion medยญiยญtaยญtion in some medยญiยญtaยญtion schools. Many disยญciยญplines demand stillยญness for a lessยญer or greater degree, relyยญing on the method of the teacher.

Movement Meditation

Moveยญment medยญiยญtaยญtion, this pracยญtice may include walkยญing through the woods, garยญdenยญing, qigong, and othยญer genยญtle forms of motion. Itโ€™s an active form of medยญiยญtaยญtion where the moveยญment guides you. Moveยญment medยญiยญtaยญtion is good for peoยญple who find peace in action and preยญfer to let their minds wander.

Why should you Meditate?

 meditation music l guided meditation l mindfulness meditation l benefits of meditation Medยญiยญtaยญtion increasยญes awareยญness of yourยญself and your surยญroundยญings. It is also an effecยญtive way to reduce stress and develยญop conยญcenยญtraยญtion. It also can help in develยญopยญing othยญer benยญeยญfiยญcial habits and feelยญings, such as a posยญiยญtive mood and outยญlook, self-disยญciยญpline, healthy sleep patยญterns and even increased pain tolerance. When you medยญiยญtate, you inject long-lastยญing benยญeยญfits into your life that does not require extra effort or expenยญsive memยญberยญship. Tryยญing out a style of mediยญaยญtion suitยญed to your goals is a great way to improve your qualยญiยญty of life, even if you only have a few minยญutes to do it each day. Some of the reaยญsons to medยญiยญtate are:
  • Underยญstandยญing the pain
  • Reduce your stress
  • Improve focus
  • Conยญnect better
  • Lowยญer brain chatter
Relaxยญation is often the result of medยญiยญtaยญtion, even if it isnโ€™t your aim. A researcher named Herยญbert Benยญson, at Harยญvard Uniยญverยญsiยญty Medยญical School, conยญceived a term called โ€˜relaxยญation responseโ€™ in the 1970s when he researched indiยญvidยญuยญals pracยญticยญing tranยญscenยญdenยญtal medยญiยญtaยญtion. Benยญson explained this relaxยญation response as an involยญunยญtary oppoยญsite response, which reduces the symยญpaยญthetยญic nerยญvous systemโ€™s activity. Since that time, many studยญies perยญformed on relaxยญation response has notยญed short-term advanยญtages for your nerยญvous sysยญtem, which are:
  • Improved cirยญcuยญlaยญtion of Blood
  • Lowยญerยญing of blood pressure
  • Lowยญerยญing of heart rate
  • Decreased resยญpiยญraยญtoยญry rate
  • Less perยญspiยญraยญtion
  • Less anxยญiยญety
  • Improved sense of wellbeing
  • Decreased corยญtiยญsol levยญels in the blood
  • Deepยญer relaxation
  • Less stress
Curยญrent researchers are explorยญing now if conยญtinยญuยญous medยญiยญtaยญtion pracยญtice leads to long-term advanยญtages and recordยญing posยญiยญtive impacts on the brain, includยญing the immune sysยญtem among medยญiยญtaยญtors. Howยญevยญer, it is worth menยญtionยญing again here that the aim of medยญiยญtaยญtion isnโ€™t achievยญing advanยญtages. As the Eastยญern philosoยญpher might say, the aim of medยญiยญtatยญing is no aim, but it is simยญply to remain present.

Some tips to consider in order to meditate

The way of trainยญing your mind through medยญiยญtaยญtion is quite simยญple (and hard) than many peoยญple think. You can go through the folยญlowยญing steps, ensure you are at a place where you could relax into medยญiยญtaยญtion, set a duraยญtion, and give this process a try.

1- Select a time

Like any othยญer habit, medยญiยญtatยญing gets easยญiยญer if it becomes a part of the rouยญtine. Select a time of doing medยญiยญtaยญtion every day and make sure to hold onto it. Many peoยญple find medยญiยญtaยญtion most conยญveยญnient in the day. Howยญevยญer, whether it is at lunch, before going to bed, or after work, ensure if you could be consistent.

2- Pick a Spot

Simยญiยญlarยญly, optยญing for the same place every day can help in medยญiยญtaยญtion. Although not essenยญtial, it can aid in minยญiยญmizยญing mind wanยญderยญing and the likeยญly disยญtracยญtions. Sitยญting on the floor or foldยญing the legs in a lotus posiยญtion, arenโ€™t necยญesยญsary at all. Just look for a suitยญable posiยญtion in which you can remain comยญfortยญable for some time, and place which feels calm and you could sit upright, and also not get too much distracted.

3- Get your Equipment (or donโ€™t)

Spendยญing a dime isnโ€™t what is needยญed to start medยญiยญtaยญtion. All that is required is a place to sit, and some will powยญer. With that being said, there are many medยญiยญtaยญtion cushยญions, chairs, and some othยญer accesยญsories for all those who preยญfer getยญting kitยญted out. Howยญevยญer, a satยญisยญfacยญtoยญry chair or soft rug at a quiยญet place is actuยญalยญly all that is needed.

4- Set a Duration

If you are a beginยญner, it can be pretยญty helpยญful to you if you pick a short duraยญtion, such as 5 or 10 minutes.

5- Feeling your Breath

While medยญiยญtatยญing, focus your conยญcenยญtraยญtion on your breath and the way your body moves durยญing every inspiยญraยญtion and expiยญraยญtion. Observe your shoulยญders, chest, and belยญly throughยญout the movement. Just breathe natยญuยญralยญly withยญout conยญtrolยญling the intenยญsiยญty or pace. In case of mind wanยญderยญing, return your conยญcenยญtraยญtion towards the breath.

6- Donโ€™t judge the wandering mind

Be kind towards your wanยญdered mind and do not think about the conยญtent comยญprisยญing your thoughts or judge yourยญself. Simยญply come back.

7- Finish with Kindness

If you have closed your eye, open them, or lift the gaze. Take some time and notice the sounds in your enviยญronยญment and how the body is feelยญing right now. That is it; this is the whole pracยญtice. You expeยญriยญence going away, then comยญing back, and all of this is done as niceยญly as it can be.

8- Challenges of Meditation

The approach of medยญiยญtaยญtion mereยญly looks simยญple, but it can turn surยญprisยญingยญly difยญfiยญcult. Yet this does not mean by any chance that you are failing.

9- Start with a Good Outlook

Approachยญing new medยญiยญtatยญing pracยญtice requires a healthy attiยญtude. Try to remain relaxed, friendยญly, and curiยญous as these qualยญiยญties would help you durยญing inevitable wax and wane of meditation. In case you are strugยญgling with medยญiยญtaยญtion or judgยญing yourยญself, give yourยญself some time to relax as the purยญpose of this approach is not to get full conยญtrol over the mind or cease thinkยญing altoยญgethยญer, but to bring a calm, acceptยญing, and comยญpasยญsionยญate approach in every situation.

10- Manage Expectations

Rememยญber, medยญiยญtaยญtion is not panaceas. You may expeยญriยญence difยญfiยญcult emoยญtions, and ranยญdom thoughts will not disยญapยญpear comยญpleteยญly. Howยญevยญer, with time, focusยญing durยญing medยญiยญtaยญtion will become easier.

Common Problems

Self-critยญiยญcism: Almost everyยญone has encounยญtered some sort of self-doubt while medยญiยญtatยญing that I am doing this wrong!  I canยญnot folยญlow my breath! Although this is a natยญurยญal impulse, it isnโ€™t helpful. You should rememยญber that the conยญcept of medยญiยญtaยญtion isnโ€™t eradยญiยญcatยญing thinkยญing. It is only to remain present with what is hapยญpenยญing at the moment right now. Try let going of all sorts of judgยญments and whether you have attained your aims, as we all have the potenยญtial for mindยญfulยญness and calmness. Sleepiยญness: A lot of peoยญple expeยญriยญence sleepiยญness while medยญiยญtatยญing. The reaยญson can be that the mind is overยญstimยญuยญlatยญed, or the body is very tired and requires some rest. Howยญevยญer, some ways can wake you up skillยญfulยญly for engagยญing in medยญiยญtaยญtion propยญerยญly. Choose walkยญing medยญiยญtaยญtion. You can lisยญten to sounds rather than using breaths to focus your attenยญtion. Try straightยญenยญing your posยญture and openยญing your eyes. Restยญlessยญness: Our bodยญies are so much used to stayยญing busy that medยญiยญtatยญing can appear borยญing iniยญtialยญly. If this occurs, try not to be very critยญiยญcal on yourยญself and focus on very parยญticยญuยญlar senยญsaยญtions like your out-breath or try conยญtrolยญling your breathยญing, such as takยญing shortยญer inspiยญraยญtion and longer expiration.  Enaam Elaยญmasยญsi (cerยญtiยญfied high-perยญforยญmance coachโ„ข) has been conยญtributed to the article.

At least but not last

Medยญiยญtaยญtion isnโ€™t a remยญeยญdy for all dissยญes, yet it is backed by much sciยญenยญtifยญic eviยญdence that it can be benยญeยญfiยญcial to those who perยญform it on a regยญuยญlar basis. When we pracยญtice medยญiยญtaยญtion, our mind learns how to access the wealth of qualยญiยญties that already exist withยญin us. And when we are able to access our most essenยญtial qualยญiยญties of goodยญness and comยญpasยญsion, we natยญuยญralยญly give them expresยญsion in the world around us because hapยญpiยญness starts within. If you find a litยญtle time durยญing the mornยญing or at night, instead of scrolling down aimยญlessยญly on your mobile phone, see what it feels like if you strive to calm down the mind or simยญply conยญcenยญtrate your ranยญdom thoughts and release their hold withยญout reactยญing over them.

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