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Meditation for Beginners
This entry was posted on 8/24/2006 9:57 PM and is filed under Spirituality.
Meditation is really not that difficult, especially for people just getting started. The initial goal of meditation is just to quiet one's mind, to help silencing the incessant busy thoughts that, normally, go on in our heads. Silencing the mind can have many levels of benefits. Some may include sharper focus, stronger will, clearer mind, and, when the mind is quiet, it is easier to get in touch with one's spirit. For an average person, normally, one hears the self-dialogue going on and on. It not only makes decisions harder to reach; it also creates much unnecessary worrying. When the mind is more still, the ego tends to disappear, or at least becomes smaller; when the ego is smaller, one is more in touch with the spirit, or, one's true self.
So, how do we start? It's really not that hard. Humans are creatures of habit. When a habit is created, it becomes the norm, and it takes very little energy to be at the norm. But, it's harder to create a new habit, or to undo an old one. For most people, the norm is the incessant self-dialogue that goes on inside one's head. It will take some time to change that and create a new norm.
So, people who want to start practicing meditation should start slowly. But, consistency will be the key. Try meditating every single day at the similar time of the day. For instance, try meditate every morning after getting up and before eating breakfast (it's better not to meditate with a full stomach). You don't have to meditate for long, just 5 to 15 minutes per day, or per session (if you meditate more than once a day). The important thing is to create that habit. Getting your mind to become used to be silent for 5 to 15 minutes a day, everyday. After a few weeks, it should be become very easy. You might feel time goes by too fast during your meditation. That 15 minutes might seem like a blink of a eye during your meditation. You might even feel a little weird, like you're missing something, if you somehow miss a session. You can then slowly add to your time. But, do it consistently. If you decide it's time to do 30 minutes per day, then, do 30 minutes everyday. This way, the habit can be more easily formed.
What does it mean to meditate? Or, how does one actually meditate? Well, there are many (perhaps countless ways) of meditation. In the starting stages, though, it's just about focusing on one thing, and one thing only, to the exclusion of everything else. Some popular "objects" to focus on are one's breathing, mantras, music, and chakras (this will be the subject of a new entry). But, the main thing is to focus on just that one thing for the whole duration of one's meditation.
For instance, if you choose to meditate on your breathing, then, you should strive to put all your attention on the breathing. Notice your breath intakes and outtakes. Notice the air that goes through your nostrils. Notice the rising and falling of your chest, or your stomach. Do your best to stop all thoughts and just focus on your breathing. This may take some time to achieve. Thoughts will creep in. But, as soon as you catch yourself, you need to pull your focus back onto your breathing. Try not to judge yourself if some thoughts creep in. If you judge yourself, you're likely to create more thoughts. Just allow the thoughts come and go. When you catch yourself thinking or following thoughts, just shift your focus back to your breathing.
Practice with patience and consistency. Then, you shall create a nice new habit!
Good luck!
Shivoham
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