How to Meditate
There are lots and lots of ways to meditate. But our concern is not to find a perfect form of meditation — it’s to form the daily habit of meditation. And so our method will be as simple as possible.
Committo just 30 minutes a day
Start simply if you want the habit to stick. You can do it for 30 minutes if you feel good about it, but all you need committing to is 10 minutes each day.
Pick a timeand trigger!
Not an exact time of day, but a general time, like morning when you wake up, during your lunch hour or at night if you feel like it. Never try to force it, it never work if it doesn't come from within, that's why you need to create you own discipline to take time for it. It's totally worth it anyway!
Sit comfortablystart with 15 minutes
Don’t fuss too much about how you sit, what you wear, what you sit on, etc. I personally like to sit on the floor, with my back leaning against the couch, because I’m very inflexible. Others who can sit cross-legged comfortably might do that instead. Still others can sit on a chair or couch if sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. Zen practitioners often use a zafu, a round cushion filled with kapok or buckwheat. Any cushion or pillow will do, and some people can sit on a bare floor comfortably.
Focuson your breath
As you breathe in, follow your breath in through your nostrils, then into your throat, then into your lungs and belly. Sit straight, keep your eyes closed and relax. As you breathe out, follow your breath out back into the world. If you find your mind wandering (and you will), just pay attention to your mind wandering, then bring it gently back to your breath. Repeat this process for the few minutes you meditate. You won’t be very good at it at first, most likely, but you’ll get better with practice.
Expand your practice
Sitting and paying attention to your breath is really mindfulness practice. It’s a way to train yourself to focus your attention. Once you’ve practiced a bit while sitting in a quiet space, you can expand your mindfulness practice:
- When you feel stress, take a minute to pay attention to your breath, and return your mind to the present moment.
- Try taking a walk, and instead of thinking about things you need to do later, pay attention to your breath, your body’s sensations, the things around you.
- When you eat, just eat, and focus your attention on the food, on your feelings as you eat, on the sensations.
- Try a mindful tea ritual, where you focus your attention on your movements as you prepare the tea, on the tea as you smell and taste it, on your breath as you go through the ritual.
- Wash your dishes and sweep your floor mindfully.
- Start with acoustic meditations. They are in our “Transformation” section in the menu. Audio meditations are more intense because they work with audio frequencies right into your brain/body, so the effects are more extraordinary.
“You are one thing only. You are a Divine Being. An all-powerful Creator. You are a Deity in jeans and a t-shirt, and within you dwells the infinite wisdom of the ages and the sacred creative force of All that is, will be and ever was.” ― Anthon St. Maarten