How To Meditate: A Beginner's Guide
With so much information regarding meditation available online, it can be difficult to know where to start. Here, I share with you how to avoid being overwhelmed by the various practices on offer, along with a short, simple guided practice for the most common method: mindfulness of breathing. [Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash]
Transcript
The word meditation can mean many,
Many different things.
We in the internet age have the opportunity to encounter thousands of different teachings on meditation.
Many of these teachings will tell you that their way is the only way.
If you are even a little curious about the practice of meditation and its benefits,
You will encounter this.
Don't worry.
The way to navigate this is to focus on what's common among the various teachings you encounter.
Freedom,
Contentment,
Peace and well-being are the big ones.
And as long as your meditation practice brings about an increase in at least one of these qualities in the moment,
You're on the right track.
And the right track is good enough.
Here,
I will detail and guide you through a simple practice of the most common type of meditation.
That is mindfulness of breathing.
There are reasons why this is the most common type of meditation.
One,
The breath is a convenient meditation support in that it's always around in the present moment and everybody has one.
Two,
Breathing is an activity that can occur both consciously and unconsciously,
Making it a fascinating object with which to study attention,
Which is precisely what we'll be doing in the beginning of your practice.
Three,
Using the breath,
We can influence our state of mind.
If you've ever witnessed a panic attack,
You'll likely have heard someone recommend that the sufferer take deep breaths.
This is because the part of the brain responsible for the fight or flight response,
Which is triggered during a panic attack,
Is directing the respiratory system to take short,
Quick breaths for the purpose of oxygenating the locomotive system in readiness for action.
What's cool about this relationship between the brain and the body is that although the brain is in charge of the body,
What's going on in the body can also influence the brain.
Deep breaths tell the animal parts of the brain that everything's OK,
That we're not in danger.
In other words,
Deep breaths calm us down.
And calmness isn't only desirable when we're in an outright state of panic.
It's preferable pretty much all the time.
So hopefully now you have a good idea of why the breath is a good meditation support.
But what exactly is a meditation support?
For our purposes,
A meditation support is something that you can return your attention to again and again.
And this is the game you're going to be playing as you begin your practice.
Here's how it's going to look.
You're going to sit comfortably in a distraction-free environment.
You're going to pay attention to the breath.
You're going to become distracted.
You're then going to notice that you're distracted.
You're going to celebrate the fact that you noticed.
And you're going to return your attention to the breath.
Simple.
This practice can be done for five seconds.
And it can be done for five hours.
How long should I sit for is a very commonly asked question.
If you're someone who already enjoys sitting quietly,
I recommend that you simply sit for as long as you feel inclined.
If on the other hand,
Like most beginners,
You're someone for whom restlessness is an issue,
Then you may need to use some amount of self-discipline as you learn to get comfortable in the present moment.
In either case,
This practice,
Done correctly,
Will increase your level of satisfaction while doing nothing.
If you wish to use a timer,
I recommend beginning with short sits.
As short as one minute is fine.
And then working your way up.
Remembering that you always have the option of continuing your practice beyond the ending bell.
Any amount of practice is a success,
Regardless of how it went.
If you sat down to practice for one minute and were distracted the whole time,
Well done.
You just observed that the mind was distracted for one minute.
This may not seem like much.
But trust me,
It's an important step toward that freedom,
Contentment,
Peace and well-being we spoke about.
The other very common question that comes up among beginning meditators is regarding how to physically sit.
Some traditions,
Such as Zen,
Claim that you must maintain a very specific posture.
Others recommend a more flexible attitude.
Many modern teachers say that how you sit doesn't matter at all.
My take is that in order to practice anything effectively,
We want to be as comfortable and alert as possible.
And that our physical poise is worth considering as far as it influences this.
So,
If you're someone who can lie in bed and remain alert,
Great.
If on the other hand,
This would trigger your napping response,
You will need to experiment with a more upright seat.
Reclining is fine.
The sofa is fine.
An office chair is fine.
If you're a Westerner,
It's highly unlikely that you will be comfortable sitting on the floor for long periods of time.
If you really want to do the full lotus thing,
Then by all means,
Explore this.
It is a very stable way to sit.
But unless you're already an experienced yoga practitioner,
Then you will likely have a years-long road of reconditioning the body ahead of you,
If you wish to sit in this way comfortably.
Experimentation is the way to go.
Try sitting one way during one practice and another way during another practice.
Make notes to compare if necessary.
Find balance between comfort and alertness.
And avoid seeking perfection in either direction.
You will encounter some discomfort.
This is the nature of the feeling sense.
You will encounter some dullness.
This is the nature of the mind.
So,
With all that said,
Let's begin our practice together.
Take a few moments to get comfortable.
When you're ready,
Take a few deep breaths.
When you're done,
Return to whatever pattern of breathing is natural.
Pay attention to the sensations of the breath.
What does it feel like?
What does it sound like?
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like?
Do any thoughts related to the breath arise?
What does it feel like?
Do any thoughts unrelated to the breath arise?
What does it feel like?
The game is to notice when you've become distracted from the breath.
What does it feel like?
Noticing this distraction is successful practice.
When this occurs,
Mindfulness is re-established.
Enjoy this success.
It may not seem like much compared to worldly ambitions,
But,
On the contrary,
This is itself the essence of true contentment.
Now,
Return your attention to the breath and repeat the process as necessary.
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like?
What does it feel like?
Whether you've been distracted only once,
Or even a hundred times,
Whether you were distracted for minutes,
Or only one second,
The moment of noticing distraction is success.
If you encounter boredom,
Congratulations,
You just noticed distraction.
If you encounter restlessness,
Congratulations,
You just noticed distraction.
If you encounter a memory,
Congratulations,
You just noticed distraction.
If you encounter worry,
Congratulations,
You just noticed distraction.
And so ends this guided practice.
If you practiced correctly,
Then you experienced success in establishing mindfulness of breathing.
You experienced success in practicing meditation.
In this way,
We can already experience some of that freedom,
Contentment,
Peace,
And wellbeing whenever we remember.
In the beginning of your practice,
The distraction-free environment will be useful.
As the skill of mindfulness develops,
You will be able to practice anytime,
Anywhere.
I recommend that you listen to this recording as many times as you need in order to establish enough understanding and familiarity to practice unaided.
If you have questions or would like to share about your experience,
Please leave a comment.
May you be free,
Content,
Peaceful,
And well.
