Meditation guide for beginners

Hello everyone,

We all know the many virtues of meditation. It brings peace of mind , calmness, it allows us to be in harmony with our inner self, helps us to solve our inner conflicts, etc … There are different meditation practices , such as yoga meditation, Buddhist meditation, Zazen meditation, etc.

When you want to get started, you can easily be lost in the middle of all this information! Which meditation method to adopt? When to practice meditation? How many times a week?

Here is a mini meditation guide for beginners to start this practice smoothly.

Understand the meditation

First, it is important to understand meditation before practicing it.
See the meditation as an awareness . Do not consider it as a way to extinguish your mind. It is true that our mind calms down when we meditate, but we do not put it out. We find the calm that already resides there.
Also, there is no question of concentrating without being distracted. It’s about being able to redirect our attention to the focus point. If your mind is drifting, do not be critical of yourself and guide where you want it to happen.

Find a teacher who suits you

It is not mandatory to be guided by a teacher during our first meditation sessions, but it is strongly recommended. If you can not move to a meditation center or attend meditation classes, you can help yourself with books on meditation.

Feel comfortable

When meditating, it is important that your posture is comfortable . Do not punish yourself with an unpleasant posture. You must find the posture that matches your body and your stamina. The mind and body are intimately linked, so the choice of your posture is personal. If your posture is balanced, your mind will be balanced. To meditate, be comfortable!
Also find places that relax you, which calms you.

Concentrate on your breathing

Breath is the point of intersection between your body and your mind . Breathe deeply and slow your heart rate. This will activate the parasympathetic nervous system and your mind will begin to relax.
Begin to become aware of your breathing a few minutes before settling down to meditate. Especially if it is difficult for you to sit down and meditate. Slow down your activity about 10 to 15 minutes before you start. This will slow down your heart rate.

A practice without effort

There is no doubt that you must make an effort to create the space and to find time to meditate. However, your practice must be completely effortless . You must let go and no longer resist. Let your mind enter into a state of wide meditative awareness by gently putting your attention on your breathing or mantra.

Give your mind time

Your mind will not be quiet from the first few sessions, and you must accept it. It takes time because meditation is an exercise. Do not give up early, let yourself time . One of the biggest myths of meditation is that practitioners must stop thinking. It’s totally wrong! Practitioners must change the relationship they have with their thoughts and stop being swept away by them. They must control their thoughts and get them to be more positive, more fluid, lighter.
At first, you will go through an unpleasant period because your mind will not be used to letting go and will not be conditioned to calm down. But keep going and do not give up: you will manage to control your mind through exercise.

Start softly

As a beginner, the few minutes of meditation may seem incredibly long. Set yourself a reasonable meditation time, which you can respect. You can lengthen it after a few meditation sessions, when your mind and body are more used to this practice.

Be realistic

Keep in mind that meditation is a technique of training the mind. The skills required for meditation develop over a lifetime . Some benefits are immediate, others take longer. Your expectations should not be too high, you could be disappointed or unmotivated, and you might give up.
It will take time before you master this, so, be nice to yourself! 🙂

So practice regularly and focus on your practice day by day. Do not think about the next sessions or the last ones.

Smile

Smile will help you improve your practice . Yes yes, you read correctly! Smooth your forehead, smile widely, and your mind will relax more easily, since it likens the smile to relaxation and joy.

Practice regularly

Are you aware of the time you spend performing stressful tasks and other activities that stimulate your anxiety? So free yourself from a few stressful minutes and replace them with minutes of calm and relaxation .
It is essential that you practice meditation regularly so that you condition your body and mind for this practice and relaxation.

Complete the meditation

Avoid doing stressful activities before or after your meditation session. For example, avoid opening your bills right after meditating, or do not settle in to practice meditation immediately after a conflict. It is necessary to relax, to breathe deeply, and to go down a notch before meditating. If not, the meditation session will be a bad time and you will be more reluctant to start again.
It is advisable to opt for relaxing activities when you start meditation. Adult coloring, creation of mandalas, sewing, drawing, painting, writing, etc … Let your creativity burst and flourish.
You can also promote balanced, healthy meals: a balanced mind in a balanced body!