Meditation for beginners: chill out in 5 easy steps
Are you one of those people that struggle to get to grips with meditation? Well, we’ve got you covered. Read on to learn how to find a bit of calm and take the stress out of chilling out!
What's the deal with meditation?
This is a shout out for those of you, like me, that are beginners at meditation. Who suck at meditation in fact.
There are hundreds, actually, thousands of blog posts online where you can learn about the virtues of meditation.
They often talk about connecting with something powerful within yourself and unleashing some kind of chilled out, deep breathing ninja.
This is not one of those posts.
To be clear, I don’t hate meditation. In fact I love the idea of it. Finding a way to calm my mind and relax my body.
Feeling a little more connected to…something…anything.
And if it’s good enough for Chris Hemsworth, it’s good enough for me!
But so far, the skill alludes me.
“It’s hard because newbies like me don’t understand the basic concept of meditation. “
Why is it so fricking hard?
I have a busy mind. I find it difficult to switch off. I don’t really dream, but when I close my eyes at night it’s like a waking dream, with bright colours and displays and often fantastical scenes before my eyes.
This can make it difficult to sleep sometimes, especially if I am already feeling stressed about something.
I end up tossing and turning and eventually giving up and wandering downstairs to read so I don’t wake up my OH.
I also find it hard to set problems to one side and focus on the things I need to get done. I’ve been working at this for a long time, and I am getting better, but it’s not easy for me.
I know I’m not alone in this so I thought the tips below might just help someone else get started with this meditation thing.
The reality of finding your zen
It’s hard because newbies like me don’t understand the basic concept of meditation.
I thought it was about zoning out and finding some kind of white space or void for my mind to stay, and that is impossible for me.
I thought I had to be in tune with some kind of higher power, and that’s just not how I roll.
I finally got lucky and stumbled across the Headspace app when a friend recommended it to me. It’s a no-nonsense, down to earth guide for meditation that is totally customizable.
You choose the voice that guides you, the duration of it (3 minutes is a good starting point) and it is very straight forward and practical.
I’ve been using it for a little while now, and while I’m not exactly a guru yet, I have at least been able to notice changes in how I feel before and after a session.
So, onto our Meditation for Beginners tips
So here’s my suggestions for you fellow beginners to ease yourself into meditation:
1. Don’t even think about comparing yourself to others. Success for you might be 1 minute sitting still to begin with. Just focus on you and your breathing.
2. Find somewhere you won’t be disturbed. That could be in the bathroom to escape your kids for a few minutes, or in the kitchen after your OH goes to bed. Whatever, just make sure you’re alone.
3. Practice being aware of your breathing while your walking. Mediation focuses a lot on your breathing, and I’ve found it useful to try to be aware of the rhythm of my breathing while out on gentle walks.
Disclaimer: this doesn’t work when I’m walking up a hill and panting for every gasp, but you get the idea.
4. Practice makes perfect. Whether you do it every morning for 3 minutes before you get out of bed, or just before you go to sleep. Making it a regular practise you do every day will help you integrate it into your every day.
5. Don’t even worry if your mind is all over the place. There have been times I’ve not been able to focus on the meditation at all, and I’ve let my mind wander freely for 5 minutes instead.
Rather than worry about it, I see it as a good opportunity for my brain to just let loose and do it’s thing for a little while. You can just try again next time and see if you feel any different.
Well folks, that brings us to the end of this one.
Let me know if you are already into meditation, and what tips you can share with others.
Or if you’re new to it, check out Headspace and tell us about your experience. They also explain the scientific benefits of meditation here, and this is the reason I will keep practicing and (hopefully) getting a little better every day.
If you’d like to learn a bit more about me and get in touch, check out this post.
Ciao for now!
Gem x
