How to Meditate: A Simple Beginner’s Guide

Meditation; from someone that has never done it before it probably looks like this elaborate action. Music, ambiance, room esthetics, etc. I’m here to say it is not. Meditation does not have to be hard and during this post we are unpacking what meditation really is as well as me providing you with a simple beginner’s guide.

What Meditation is Not

Before I begin to discuss a simple beginner’s guide to meditate I feel it’s important to point out what meditation Is Not.

• Where you sit and try to be empty of everything.
• Where you look the part of being a munk but internally you are chaotic
• You need to sit for hours and hours seated on the floor in a crossed legged position.
• Making a complex production out of the practice
• Thinking that meditations are just for the hippy woo-woo people

Performing the act of meditation can be driven towards a certain goal or thoughts. Guided Meditations are where one focuses on a certain idea, thought, emotion, or goal and letting go of all else around you during that time. To simply sit and be void of all emotions and thoughts is pretty impossible at first. If you have tried to meditate and thought “I did it wrong” you did not. Meditations are gentle and you absolutely will have thoughts that creep. It’s learning the act of acknowledging them, letting them go, then tuning back to what you were focusing on.

You don’t need to purchase a fancy sit pillow or room esthetic to completely change an area in your house to begin meditating. You can start laying in bed if that’s most comfortable! I always suggest a nice clean corner of your house, or just simply an area where you can fully relax and settle down, that’s all that matters. You essentially are learning the art of relaxing and turning that parasympathetic nervous system on. If you feel chaotic on the inside, can’t sit still, and just plain wound up I suggest physical activity to get that energy out! Then come back to this practice and you may notice you’re able to settle down better.

Meditation at first can seem hard, and you may second guess yourself if it even benefitted you. But hear me when I write this; You can not start a complex meditation that is long. Meditation does require practice and it takes time to train your mind to simply be present with its self. Trying to sit in a crossed legged position for over an hour as beginner will not be beneficial, and your legs might fall asleep. I suggest a simple 5-10 minute guided meditation at first to help you begin.

Meditations are for anyone! There are so many different guided meditations. Apps, YouTube, Virtual and Live Classes! The options are endless with our technology. Finding something that you will enjoy is completely possible, and easier now more so than ever! It doesn’t have to be just for spiritual people, it’s for everyone! I suggest finding something free, try different people, different channels. I suggest starting in your home with something free like YouTube. You may find you don’t like a person’s voice, the way they articulate, or the back ground music. These are things my ears are sensitive to, and I can’t be fully present if I’m focusing more on someone swallowing in the recording, or the dog barking in the back ground.

Beginner’s Guide; StepsToward Meditation

After writing some key points of what meditation is not. You can start to break away from some of those ideas that might have been wrong about this practice. So let’s discuss what meditation really is, and how to get you as a beginner feeling confident in creating your own practice!

Find a Time and Space

You will require a time where you can fully settle, relax, and be present. It’s not a good idea to try to do your first meditation in a chaotic house with children running around. Or if your spouse is awake milling about trying to converse with you either. I enjoy first thing in the mornings after my partner leaves for work and my children are still sleeping. The house is “mine” and very peaceful during that time.

You also need a space. This could be anywhere, the point is, it’s an area in your house where you enjoy going to and have created it for yourself. I have dedicated the loft to being my area. My crafting things, desk, books, and more are set up in that space. I have made this space for me. If you have a space in your house that you feel most comfortable in then I suggest doing your meditations there. You could use your bedroom, or even your porch! It’s a spot where you can it “yours” and you already enjoy being there.

Finding a Meditation

If you want to begin with guided meditations as your first practice; great! As I mentioned above, there are so many! I suggest sitting down prior to the time you want to start your practice and search through to find what you’re looking for. You want to connect with the higher spirit, there’s a meditation for that! Feeling called to access your ancestors, there’s a meditation for that! Want to spend more time in the thrones of the Lord, there’s meditations for even that!

The point? Don’t go down the rabbit hole right before you are about to get situated for your practice. Look up what you want to focus on previous and save it to your device! Remember to keep it simple, and try to keep the meditation length short (5-10 mins), especially at first. When you feel more confident you will be able to meditate for longer, in time. My comfortable go to length is about 20 mins. But I didn’t just start with that! It’s taken me time and practicing to work up to that!

Create a Habit Out of It

Like anything, practice makes perfect! Take some time to create a weekly schedule, or even daily if your time allows! The main point is; don’t think after meditating just once you will be forever be changed there after. Meditating is practice that requires you to show up for yourself as much as you want!

Keep in mind while creating your routine that you should be picking times where you won’t be interrupted. You want to be in a place most comfortable to you and you need to be in a position where you can fully relax. The point? If you are going to begin meditating you need to be able to settle in and become present with yourself.

Record your Meditations

I can’t say it enough how much of a fan I am of journaling! It’s a great idea to record what type of meditation you performed and how you responded. You can even come back to your entry in a few days or weeks to see how the meditation has effected you. Regardless, it is your journal and your practice; use it how you see fit!

A Meditation Guideline

But what if you don’t find a meditation that really fits what you want? A.- after performing a few practices you will be able to grasp the concept of how most meditations are performed. Sometimes I can become reactive to the recordings, hearing and nit picking everything. I am a very empathic soul, and sensitive to external noise to say the least. Sometimes it becomes too much for me to handle and the meditation can begin to make me agitated. (This is why I suggest finding a meditation prior.) I have learned to work around this and have found channels and meditations I truly enjoy. Below is listed simple ways for you to perform your own meditation without a recording!

Beginner Guide for Meditation

• Begin as you normally would. Go to your space at your designated time etc.
• Settle into yourself and begin to focus on the present.
  • I enjoy playing Htz music. (Healing, high vibrational music) If I am performing my own meditation. I also like to light a candle or two and not have a lot of artificial light on during this time.
• Give your self the time to be comfortable and drop in to yourself.
  • “Dropping in” is when you take big deep cleansing breaths in and slowly letting them out. Envision on every exhale all the current troubles, worries, external thoughts, emotions, etc leaving you.
• Once you feel settled and calm you can begin to focus on what you want the meditation to focus on.
  • Examples can include a question; I might ask “show me what I need to know” Or “ Direct me in such a way” Asking questions in this manner is putting it out in the universe for the higher powers (God, Spirit, what ever you believe) to answer you during this time.
  • Note that you may not get an answer to what ever you’re looking for right away. It sometimes can take a few days but you should notice subtle differences, like a shift, after you perform your practice. Also note this is not a clear cut thing at times. It can be so subtle you might not even realize at first!
• After finding your focus begin your meditation. Take some more cleansing breaths and begin to clear all out of your mind for the moment. Focus on yourself, how you feel, etc. On each exhale let it all go.
  • Thoughts, emotions, things to do are going to pop up during this time. It’s okay! Simply acknowledge them and let them go returning back to yourself and breath.
• After spending time clearing out your mind shift your focus on what your intention is for this practice.
  • Ask your question, focus on your “why” at this time. Give yourself the time to really envision this in your mind’s eye. Be gentle on yourself and continue to breathe through focusing on the intention for this practice.
• Focus for a few minutes; it’s good to set a timer for how long you plan to be in your practice for. Once you hear your timer start to shift out of your meditation.
  • I like to begin by thanking the higher powers for being present with me, and then slowly coming out of the meditation by letting the external come internal. Noise, room temperature, movement etc.
  • Begin to breathe normally again is also a great way to get yourself back to the present.
• After you come out, eyes open, reflect. (A great time to journal!)

Reflecting on your Meditations

Be gentle on yourself as any new practice will take some time to learn. You may feel awkward at first, it’s okay I did too! Continue to make this into your routine practice! Meditating is a great way to reduce stress, become present with yourself, and give your self the availability the time it has been craving for!

I truly hope you have found my How to Meditate: A Simple Beginner’s Guide post an easy to use frame work when you begin your own practice! If you liked this check out my post on 5 easy Steps to Becoming More Mindful, 6 Steps to Cultivate Growth and more! As always give my blog a like, a comment, a share, and a subscribe if you want to hear more from yours truly! Have a blessed day!