Hi,
I'm Samantha and if you've been trying to start a meditation practice and either you haven't yet begun because you don't know where to begin or you're struggling to build something consistently,
I want to give you three quick ways that you can start your practice and build something little by little every day until you build up a really good meditation habit.
So the first one is to simply focus on the breath.
This is a very classic meditation tool and it works really,
Really effectively.
There are many ways to do this,
But I suggest one of two ways for beginners or people trying to build a practice.
The first way is to either sit in a chair or lie down wherever you're comfortable,
But you can also do this outside while you're walking,
While you're on a bus,
In a park.
And that is to simply focus on the breath.
As it comes in through your nose where it comes in a bit cold and it comes out of your nose warmer.
So focus on the breath going in and the breath going out.
If you can,
I always suggest closing your eyes,
Particularly when you're in the beginner stages of meditation,
Because there could be too many visual disturbances and distractions around you,
But you don't have to.
It depends where you are and you may not be comfortable with that.
If you can't or don't want to,
Just soften your gaze and just focus on the breath going in and out of your body.
The second way is to actually count your breathing.
And the simplest technique to start with.
And this is a great one for calming the mind and the body.
Is to breathe in for a count of four,
Hold for a count of four,
And breathe out for a count of six.
So it's really important to have a longer breath on the way out.
So in for four,
Hold for four,
And out for six.
Now,
When you're doing either of these breathing techniques,
Your mind will wander.
I promise you that.
Everybody's mind wanders.
Even for super amazing meditation teachers,
Gurus,
Their minds wander.
It does happen.
We are all human beings.
So this is called the monkey mind.
And when that happens,
Don't judge yourself.
Remember,
This happens to everybody.
The more you practice meditation,
The more this will be something within your control,
But it will happen.
So what I find is really useful to stop the judging as well is to simply give it a name.
You notice it.
So you could say something like wandering or mind.
And it just brings your attention back to the present moment because that's what we're trying to build with meditation.
We're trying to get out of the past.
Back from the future and into the present moment.
So breathing,
Breath,
Is the first one.
The second one is using guided meditations.
And I've had people say to me,
Guided meditations,
That's not proper meditating.
But who decided that?
I find guided meditations are amazing.
And that's why you're on this app.
There are a lot of incredible guided meditations here.
I have a whole library of them,
And there are some amazing meditation teachers on this app.
So use them.
There's nothing wrong with them and I think they work fantastically well.
And despite my years of personal meditation practice as well as teaching others,
I love guided meditations.
I use them.
So don't be afraid to check out what's on Insight Timer and just choose what takes your fancy.
There could be a sleep story to help you sleep.
There could be something more specific about the vagus nerve or about calming yourself during stressful situations.
Everything you need is there.
So don't be afraid to use guided meditations.
And the third point is what I call notice.
This is again a very simple meditation technique.
You don't need to do anything fancy to build a habit.
Noticing or notice is about sitting in a chair,
You could lie down,
Or this one you can absolutely do while you're out and about.
And that is something where you notice either sounds around you,
So you start by taking a settling,
Calming breath,
And then you let your ears pick up sounds around you.
It could be birds in a tree outside,
It could be the sound of the bus that you're sitting on,
And just let that sound be something that your brain can focus on.
And again,
The monkey mind will appear,
Your mind will try to wander,
And that's okay,
Just bring it back to the sound.
Another thing that's part of noticing is sensations.
So you can actually focus on the feeling of your body sitting in a chair or sitting on the ground,
Your feet on the ground.
Sometimes when walking,
Using sensations,
Noticing your feet as they walk on the pavement,
As your feet touch the ground,
And using that as a gentle rhythm to help your mind focus on the present moment.
So the most important thing with meditation is consistency.
People think they have to meditate for hours every week,
And it's not true.
Two minutes a day,
But every day if you can.
And if there's a day you can't do it,
Don't beat yourself up.
Give yourself compassion and just begin with something very simple.
