Beginner's Meditation

This is a meditation for the absolute beginner. We begin with discussion and experimentation in finding a suitable, comfortable meditation posture, with helpful tips for sitting while on the floor or in a chair. Then we spend some time mindfully watching the breath.

Royalty-free music from Bensound

Transcript

This is a meditation for those of you who have never meditated before.

I'll walk you through some tips to help you find the most comfortable position for you to meditate in today,

And then we'll do a brief breathing meditation.

First of all,

Find a quiet place to meditate where you can be reasonably sure that you won't be disturbed.

You'll want to find a position that allows your spine to be straight but not stiff.

You want to be comfortable,

But not so comfortable that you fall asleep unless that's your goal.

Think about a child's block tower.

If all the blocks are stacked just so,

A block tower stands up straight and strong on its own without outside support.

We're going to try to stack your spine just so as well so that you'll be able to maintain an upright posture with very little muscular effort,

Which will keep your body from becoming fatigued as you meditate.

An upright posture will also make room inside your body so that your lungs can expand.

You may choose to meditate by lying down on your back on the floor or bed.

You might want to place a pillow under your knees or neck and have a blanket nearby in case you get chilly.

Let your hands rest by your side or on your belly.

You may also choose to meditate while sitting on a chair.

I would recommend scooting forward a bit so that you're sitting away from the back of the chair.

This will keep you from slumping and help you maintain that nice upright posture.

You can put a cushion behind your lower back if you need a little lumbar support.

Let your hands rest on your thighs,

Your knees,

Or in your lap.

Or you may choose to meditate while sitting on the floor.

I would recommend sitting on a small,

Firm cushion just under your sitz bones so that your thighs are able to slope downward from the pelvis.

This will help you maintain the curve in your lower back so that your spine can stack in the most stable position possible.

There are special meditation cushions made for this purpose,

But if you don't have one,

You can fold a bed pillow in half and sit on it,

Or sit on a folded blanket or towel.

Experiment with the height and density of your cushion to find the one that's most comfortable for you.

If your knees don't quite reach the ground,

You may be more comfortable with an additional cushion supporting them.

If you're sitting on the floor,

You can sit cross-legged with one foot pulled in close to your body and your shins parallel on the floor in front of you.

Or if you're a little more flexible,

You can try sitting in a half-lotus position with one foot resting on the opposite thigh.

You may even be able to sit in a full-lotus position with both feet on the opposite thigh.

Or you might find another position that works best for you while sitting on the floor.

If you can sit comfortably with your spine upright,

Your position is fine.

If you are meditating in a seated position,

Either in a chair or on the floor,

You want your lower body to create a stable base.

Think of it as creating a tripod with your seat and your feet or your knees.

See if you can find a sense of having equal weight on each leg of that tripod.

Feel your pelvis strong and rooted to your seat,

And then see if you can extend that rooted feeling beyond your seat,

Deep into the earth.

Once you feel strong and stable in the pelvis,

Imagine your spine growing out of it.

Stack each vertebrae on top of the next like you're building that nice strong block tower.

Let your spine lengthen upward,

Lifting the ribs off the pelvis and gently pulling your shoulders back into a relaxed,

Open position.

The spine extends all the way up your neck to roughly between your ears.

So let that upward extension gently lift the back of your skull and slightly tilt your chin forward.

Then without losing that extended feeling in your spine,

See if you can let your body settle.

Feel long and upright and also at ease.

Let your arms feel heavy and relaxed and let your hands rest on your thighs or in your lap.

When you're feeling rooted and stable,

Gently close your eyes if it is safe to do so,

Or you can half close your eyes and let your gaze rest on the floor a few feet in front of you.

Now that you've settled into your position for today's meditation,

We're ready to begin.

Meditation is essentially the sustained act of paying attention without judgment or expectation.

What you pay attention to will vary depending on the type of meditation you're doing on a given day.

Some meditations focus on sensations in your body or a word or phrase.

Today we're going to meditate by paying attention to the breath.

Our breath is always with us and so it's a wonderful thing to focus on for meditation.

When you're ready,

Just bring your attention to your breath.

Without changing anything or judging anything,

Just notice what you notice.

You might notice the temperature of your breath or maybe that you feel your breath somewhere in your body.

Maybe you notice the pace of your breath or maybe you notice something else.

Whatever you notice about your breath is exactly right.

Just try to notice each breath as it comes and goes.

Let's practice for a few moments.

Jealous of it.

You you you When your mind starts to wander and it will Just gently bring your attention back to your breath.

This is completely normal Sometimes people get the idea that meditation is about completely clearing the mind of thoughts,

But that's not necessarily the case Almost all of us get caught up and carried away in our thoughts memories and worries and usually we don't even notice that it's happening Meditation helps us to become aware of that when our thoughts pull at our focus and It gives us a chance to practice bringing our attention back to what we want to focus on So when you notice that you've gotten lost and reminiscing about your last vacation or in planning what you're going to have for dinner tonight Or worrying that you're doing this whole meditation thing,

Right?

All you have to do is say to yourself Gently and without judgment.

Oh,

There's some thoughts again and then return your attention to your breath Let's spend a few more minutes practicing this focus you you you you On your next exhale bring your attention back to the room take your time Open your eyes and take a look around the room You might want to wiggle your fingers or toes or maybe stretch a bit Notice any changes that you feel in your mind or in your body If it feels right to you you might place your hands over your heart and take a moment to thank yourself For making time for you today Meditation is simple,

But it's not always easy Like most things though this hard work is so rewarding.

Thank you so much for joining me today