How to practice meditation is a case of following a few simple steps and gradually teaching your mind to become still and calm. You can also choose to use guided meditation to help you along when you want to learn how to do meditation.
Time and place:
Choose a time to meditate when you won’t be interrupted or need to worry about a next task waiting for you. Most people prefer to meditate first thing in the morning when they are still fresh, but it is up to you to find a time that suits your lifestyle best.
Find a place where it is quiet, have soft light and where the temperature won’t cause you to feel too cold or too hot.
You can sit on the ground, if you are outside, or the floor on a cushion while keeping your back straight and your limbs relaxed.
Some people prefer laying down. It doesn’t matter how you position your body – as long as you are comfortable and able to relax fully.
Meditation Quick Links:
Relax:
Some find that starting on a certain area (like the face or the feet) and working downwards or upwards is easiest and works best. It is sometimes necessary to go back to an area if it tenses up again. Take your time and don’t move onto a next limb until you have achieved total relaxation.
You might also find that you need to adjust your position slightly, especially the spine, to be able to relax. However as you get better you can incorporate stillness as part of the discipline.
Focus:
You can either choose to focus on nothing by gently emptying your mind every time a thought or sensation enters it, or you can choose to focus on something specific to anchor you and cancel out everything else.
You goal is to get rid of the normal, everyday noises in your mind and to quieten down into a mindful stillness.
Some choose to focus on their breathing, repeating a mantra like “om,” focusing on a candle flame, listening to calming meditation music or even picturing an imaginary place that personifies peace and quiet to them.
A step further:
Most meditators never reach the pinnacle of meditation, the ability to completely silence the mind and detach.
This requires discipline and time, but the ability to shift from focusing on one single thing to focusing on nothing, is profound and will change how you feel about yourself and how you see the world.
Learning how to do meditation is easy, but reaching higher levels of awareness is a process dictated by discipline and regular practice.