How to Meditate: Beginner Guide to Make A Meditation Habit

In this guide, we’ll be looking at the benefits of meditation, sharing advice on how to build a regular meditation practice, answering questions that beginners often have—and more! We’ll also be recommending a range of beginner meditations for you to try.

How to start meditating? Change starts here!

You may have already heard about the benefits of meditation from friends, coworkers or from the internet and wider world. Perhaps you’ve already been thinking about how to incorporate meditation into your day but haven’t quite got round to it yet. Or perhaps meditation is all completely new to you! Whatever your starting position, it’s great that you are here.

The many benefits of meditation

Endless studies have added to the list of proven benefits of meditation for mental and physical health:

• A calmer, more stable and focused mind

• Improved sleep quality

• Reduced stress and tension

• Equanimity

• Enhanced self-awareness and improved self-image

• Increased feelings of love, gratitude and compassion

• Decreased levels of anxiety, depression and pain

• Enhanced emotional stability

• Increased confidence and motivation

• Physical health benefits, such as decreased blood pressure, improved immune health and reduced inflammation

 

The list goes on…and you don’t need to pick just one benefit. A regular practice may eventually impact all aspects of your mental, physical and emotional health for the better.

Your meditation questions answered

There is so much information about meditation out there! And so many different (and sometimes conflicting) pieces of advice, that sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. That’s why we’re going to tackle some of the most frequently-asked questions that we get at Insight Timer on how to meditate, which will hopefully help to get you started.

How long should I meditate for? 

Making meditation a regular part of your week is actually more important than how long you meditate for. For that reason, it’s best not to get too hung up on a specific duration. It should simply work for you. While research suggests that the effects of meditation kick in from around the ten-minute mark, if you’re a beginner you can start with five minutes a day until you become familiar with the practice. Once it becomes a core part of your routine, you can slowly increase the time you spend meditating.

What is the best time of day to meditate?

Do I have to sit cross-legged? 

No! Simply find a position that is comfortable for you, but not a slouchy posture which may cause discomfort and pain in your body that can end up distracting you. You can of course sit cross-legged, but sitting on a chair with a straight back or lying down can also work.

How should I breathe?

Unless your teacher tells you otherwise, it’s best to breathe in and out through your nose as nasal breathing helps you to take fuller, deeper and slower breaths that will calm your nervous system and reduce stress. Longer exhales signal the body to relax.

What should I focus on?

Any focal point that helps to keep the mind in the present moment will generally work. Exactly what you focus on will depend on the meditation style you practice. Your teacher will instruct on the focal point during a guided meditation, however the most common focal points are: 

• The breath 

• Specific body parts

• Sound or music

• A specific feeling, like gratitude or compassion

• Silently repeating a sound or word in your mind, like a mantra

• An affirmation

• A candle, picture or flower

Know that it is completely normal to lose focus when meditating. It happens to everyone. Just gently bring your attention back to your present moment anchor.

How do I best prepare for meditation?

How teachers can transform your journey

Teaching style, phrasing, voice and tone (even accent!) can all play a role in helping beginners to feel comfortable and well-guided—and can be the make or break as to whether you return to the next session. 

Insight Timer is home to over 10,000 teachers from all over the world, giving you access to the largest network of profound knowledge around meditation and self-care.

Finding the right meditation technique for you

Try to stay open-minded and curious—not simply opting for the techniques that appeal to you when you read about them in theory, but that actually offer you the most impactful experience in practice. You might be surprised!

Building your meditation practice

How to stick to your habit

1. Build meditation into your existing routine. It’s helpful to know that 45% of everyday behaviors are repeated in the same location every day. So if you can, try to build meditation into a part of your routine that you know will happen every day—for example, straight after your alarm goes off, after brushing your teeth in the morning, or after taking a shower in the evening. Use this existing habit as a signal for your new habit.

2. (Try to) be consistent with where you meditate. It may not seem like a big deal, but at the beginning of your journey, being consistent with the place to meditate can really help too. Research shows that the more often a behaviour occurs within a certain location, the stronger the habit can become. Choose a place that is quiet, pleasant and where you won’t be disturbed.

3. Plan ahead. For example, if you are going to meditate in the morning before going to work, perhaps you need to set your alarm 10 or 15 minutes earlier.

4. Be realistic. Perhaps it’s only feasible for you to meditate three or four times a week instead of daily. Or perhaps you feel you can only manage five minutes a day instead of 15. That’s ok! Small changes can lead to big results, so don’t be discouraged. The key thing is that it needs to work for you. Once you’ve built up momentum and are feeling the benefits you may feel it easier to expand your meditation practice.

Your meditation commitment

Now it’s time to commit! Once you’ve got clear on the points above, research shows that it helps to write your commitment down. By writing it down you signal your brain that it is of big importance. See it as a kind of mini contract with yourself!

After you have written it down, place this somewhere you can see it! This will act as a reminder or cue whilst you are still developing the habit, and help to reinforce the importance of it in your brain.

Habits are formed when commitments are made. Getting into a new habit will not happen overnight and adapting to it can be incremental (more on that tomorrow!) But stick to it, and it’ll become easier and easier every day, and soon you will be reaping all the rewards of having a regular meditation practice.

What’s the big deal about a commitment?

Kudos to you if you made a meditation commitment yesterday, wrote it down and stuck it somewhere visible. Now you’ve probably got your ‘what’ (meditation) ‘when’ (after brushing your teeth) and ‘where’ (in the bedroom) nailed down. And maybe you’re also wondering what the big deal is about having made this commitment to yourself! That’s where the ‘why’ comes in...

Why are you here?

Recognizing why you are interested in meditation is an important step of making it part of your life. There is a reason that you want to find out more about meditation and are committed to giving it a go. Perhaps you’re keen to find more focus, or you want to manage your stress better. Perhaps you’re looking to improve your feelings of wellbeing, or want to find more gratitude and peace in your day-to-day life.

This is where the distinction between goals and intentions becomes important. The first stage of deciding what you want to achieve helps you to define your goal, for example: "I wish to feel less stressed". But the more important step—which puts the control into your hands—is to become clear on your intention and to voice it, for example: "I intend to be mindful of my thought patterns in stressful situations so that I can respond in healthier ways."

When setting a new habit, it’s helpful to keep a clear sight of the intention behind it, which prevents you from getting distracted (the common reason why New Years’ resolutions fail!) By remembering your intention, you can keep a firm sight of why you are meditating.

When will I see the results of my new habit?

The Science Bit: How habits form

Habit formation in general takes on average about 10 weeks. Sounds like a long time? Not when you think about it in the context of the grand scheme of your life. And the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll get there!

Research shows that when it comes to habit development, the initial repetitions that we do have the greatest impact. In other words, it’s the early days that count. Keep reminding yourself of your intention and motivation to meditate over the next two to three months. You will notice that coming to your practice feels less and less like a task. Once your new habit has peaked and becomes like second nature, maintaining it will be a lot easier.

As both a resource and a community, Insight Timer supports you along the way to making meditation a regular part of your life that you won’t want to miss! We believe in your capacity to keep up this habit and to experience the many benefits of meditation long into the future. You’ve got this :)

There are still so many thoughts in my mind during meditation. Am I doing it right?

Having thoughts during practice is an entirely normal part of meditation. So every time that you notice you have drifted off into thought, gently and compassionately pull yourself back to your focus (whether it’s to your breath, a mantra, or a visualisation you are listening to). No matter how long you are lost in thought, the second you notice you are lost, you become found. And that’s the real essence of meditation.

If you continue to notice your mind buzzing busily away while meditating, here are a few things you can try: 

• Stuck in ruminating thoughts about the past or worries about the future? Catch them. Label your past-oriented thoughts as ‘What Was’ and your future-oriented thoughts as ‘What If’. Then gently bring your attention to the ‘What IS’. Your present moment reality. 

• Imagine your mind is a radio, then visualize yourself changing the channel or frequency to the ‘now’ station.

I can't meditate at home

I get sleepy during meditation. What can I do?

• If you meditate lying down, try sitting up. If you meditate sitting down, try a moving meditation. You can also try meditating with your eyes open, by holding a soft gaze on an object such as a candle, flower or picture.

• Consider changing the time of the meditation. Pick the time in the day when you feel most awake, e.g. meditate first thing in the morning when you are most alert. 

• If you currently meditate in your bed or bedroom, move it to another place that you don’t associate with sleep. 

If, after trying the above, you still find yourself falling asleep during meditation, it might mean that:

1. You aren’t getting enough sleep at night. Ensure that you are getting enough hours (7-9) and that the quality of your sleep is sufficient by being consistent with your bedtime, making sure your room is quiet, dark and cool, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, and getting some exercise such as yoga. You can also try some of our sleep resources here.

2. You aren’t getting enough relaxation time during the day. Make sure you take moments through the day to check in with yourself and relax.

When I meditate, my body hurts. What should I do?

Cross-legged meditation in particular requires great strength to maintain a healthy posture, which means that discomfort can be fairly common during meditation. The first step is simply to remember that soreness during meditation isn’t usually an indication of anything serious within the body but simply your body acknowledging an unfamiliar posture. The simple act of acknowledging this can usually alleviate some of the little aches. If discomfort turns into pain you might want to consider changing your meditation posture:

• If you experience back pain, try placing several supportive pillows behind your back.

• If the soreness in your back is more moderate , you can sit against a wall with a pillow in your lower back or, if you want to sit cross-legged, on a cushion to alleviate your hips.

• To alleviate knee pain, sit against a wall with your legs out straight.

• If you notice your neck getting sore during seated meditation, draw your chin back over your collar bones.

Help! I don’t have any motivation to meditate

Meditation, done. What now?

You may feel that when your meditation is over, it’s time to jump straight back into the busy whirlwind of the day! But by doing so, it’s all too easy to lose the calm and focused state of mind that you have created during meditation. Take a few moments to: 

Congratulate yourself

When starting out with meditation it can be beneficial to take a few moments afterwards to enjoy and/or reflect on what you have just accomplished. Give yourself appreciation for having stuck to your practice! If you can cultivate positive feelings about yourself after a meditation session, you’re much more likely to do it again. Learn to congratulate yourself, even after those meditation sessions that feel challenging or when your mind has felt super busy.

Recognize the state and quality of your mind

Note how you feel, physically and mentally, after your meditation. Then make a conscious effort to carry this quality ‘off the cushion’, and revisit it throughout the day. Because you don’t want the calm, focused and peaceful effects of meditation to simply be limited to the time you’re meditating—you want these qualities to become a part of your daily life.

Prolong the magic 

If at all possible, try to engage in an activity that prolongs the effect of meditation on you, for example journalling and reflecting on what has come up for you during the meditation, or any insights you have had. When you do go back to your day-to-day activities, starting with some gentle chores or a short walk can help to integrate and prolong your experience.

Find your tribe and build a meditation community

When starting out on your meditation journey, it can be easy to get trapped in old patterns, lose motivation or feel like you’re the only one having difficulties. And that’s where your fellow meditators come in! It’s helpful to share and encourage each other along the way. The concept of community is an important foundation on Insight Timer, because a community (of like-minded meditators and teachers) can gently and gradually encourage us to see meditation less as personal pursuit, and more as a collective mission.

Accountability and action!

Remember our tips for forming new habits? Your new community on Insight Timer can add a new level of accountability to the commitment you’ve made to yourself. Research shows that people are more likely to stick to their commitments if they

1. told somebody about it, and

2. shared their weekly progress with that person.

Use Insight Timer Circles to check-in with friends, family members and other people on similar journeys to yours and share your habit progress. Recommend your favourite content within the Circle and join group meditations for a sense of togetherness. You can also connect with and learn from meditation teachers in real-time through live events.

Get by with a little help from your friends…

The ripple effects of meditation

Letting go of habits that no longer serve you

We have already shared tips and exercises for making meditation a habit to stick with. And as you keep practicing, you’ll find that your new skills of being able to stay present will help to guide you more broadly in day-to-day life. You learn to recognize other habits that may no longer serve you and choose a different way to approach things and situations that may have previously wobbled you.

Checking in with yourself

In our busy lives it’s all too easy to become distracted by the outer world that we forget to check in with ourselves. We often end up acting on autopilot, unaware of behavioral patterns and hidden biases that keep us trapped in stress, anxiety and doubt. Meditation not only creates a break whenever you practice, it also equips you with the tools you need to create some breathing space when you encounter difficult situations—enabling you to respond with more integrity, equanimity and compassion towards yourself and others.

Insight Timer: Meditation that works for YOU!

Research has shown that the type of meditation you choose matters! As we have seen, different styles of meditation can have different effects on your mental and emotional state. Mindfulness meditation reduces rumination, open awareness practices cultivate equanimity, concentration practices improve your focus, while loving-kindness, gratitude and compassion meditations boost those associated feelings.

With Insight Timer you have access to the world’s largest (and free!) collection of meditation styles—not narrowed down to one specific category or one specific outcome. Because both how you are and how you intend to feel matter to us. And it’s our promise that you will always be able to find a meditation practice that suits you, whatever your state of mind.

How yoga can complement your practice

Most people know about the physical benefits of yoga, such as improved fitness, muscle health, body flow and flexibility. But alongside the benefits for your body, yoga also offers an array of benefits for your mental and emotional health.

How yoga transforms your stress response

The combination of movement, steady breathing and open, curious and compassionate mind can help to transform your response to day-to-day stresses in a number of ways:

• Yoga improves your ability to stay calm and present in challenging situations.

• Yoga teaches you to observe your mind and let go of self-critical thinking.

• If you tend to withdraw when things get stressful, yoga empowers you to become actively engaged and energized.

• Yoga improves your ability to accept stressors without feeling overwhelmed or controlled by them, helping to balance your fight-or-flight response with your relaxation response

• Yoga helps you to increase your natural sleep drive for better sleep at night.

• By always finishing a class in the final resting pose savasana, yoga helps you to learn to let go of a challenge once it is done, and allow yourself to rest.

How yin yoga can improve your sleep

If you spend the majority of your day sitting, you might experience restlessness in your muscles or aches and pains that could keep you awake at night. Doing yin yoga in the evening offers relieving stretches for your hips, back, neck and shoulders that can help to lengthen your body’s muscles and tissues and alleviate both restlessness and pain.

During yin yoga classes, you are not only stretching the tissue itself—you’re also stretching the mind in its ability to cultivate patience and be still. The long and slow holds of yin yoga poses, sometimes accompanied by a guided contemplation, can also bring up difficult emotions you would usually avoid or bury deep within you. By slowing down and resting you can recognize emotions, and then let go of them! That’s why we recommend incorporating yin yoga into your evening routine as it prepares both body and mind for restful sleep. Try our free yin yoga classes and see how you get on.

We are so happy that you stuck around. We hope we have provided you with all the tools that you need to develop new healthy self-care practices—and that you’ll be reaping the rewards for years to come!

Related Topics

Mindfulness Meditation • Open Awareness • Guided imagery • Relaxation Meditation • Affirmations • Mantra • Breathing Meditation • Sound Meditation • Concentration Meditation • Body Scan • Secular Mindfulness • Sleep • Happiness • Letting Go • Clarity • Science • Psychology • Buddhism • Compassion