6 Meditation Tips for Beginners
Many people think of meditation as the purpose of clearing or emptying the mind. In fact, that is not the essence of meditation. During meditation, we can empty the mind, but that is not the main goal.
Apart from being spiritual, meditation is also beneficial for physical and psychological health. Meditation involves both physical and mental relaxation techniques, including relaxing sitting and breathing exercises. This relaxation can calm the mind from the anxiety and stress that you encounter every day. People who meditate for this reason will feel an increase in self-confidence, focus, concentration, and self-calm, which is one of the goals of meditation.
To relieve stress and calm yourself down, you can choose between different types of meditation. The type of meditation varies based on the technique. Different people have different meditation preferences, and there is no right or the wrong kind. Because it's about compatibility. However, to begin with, you do not need to memorize, let alone try too many types of meditation. You can start with the most basic type, which is a breath awareness meditation.
1. Breath Awareness Meditation
Breath awareness meditation is a type of meditation for beginners because it is straightforward to practice compared to the other types. First, you need to sit in a chair in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Then, focus your attention on the inhalation and exhalation of your breath. Here, you practice being aware and feel your breath.
This type of meditation is effective for creating synergy between your body and mind and reducing stress. In a stressful moment, sit for a moment and do some breath awareness meditation to calm yourself down. In addition, breath awareness meditation is very easy to do in various places, such as in the office, on the bus, on the train, in the car, and in other places where you can sit relaxed.
Even so, starting a new habit is not easy. For that, here are some tips for practising meditation for beginners:
2. Start with 2 Minutes of Meditation
Hearing or seeing a person who can meditate for half an hour or even hours can certainly discourage a beginner. Therefore, start small, meditating for two minutes per day. If you can imagine, two minutes at a glance sounds light. However, the key is not only in duration but also in your consistency.
So, start by meditating two minutes per day for one full week. If successful, increase the duration to four minutes per day. Then if it goes well, increase the duration a little more. In two months, you can meditate for 10 minutes every day.
3. Don't Confuse the Technique Too Much
When meditating, don't worry about whether you are doing it right or not. You don't need to worry about technique. Just do it without worrying about anything. However, if in the middle of meditating, there are still worries or disturbing thoughts, stay calm because it is very natural. Do not pursue perfection because there is no perfect way to meditate. Be grateful that you have started meditating.
4. Count the Breath in the Heart
To make it easier to focus your mind, try counting "one" when you take your first breath, then counting "two" when you exhale. Continue counting, then start over when you reach the count of ten.
At this time, you will find your mind wandering. However, this is not a problem. If your mind starts to lose focus, smile, return to feeling your calm breath, and count from the start. You may feel a little annoyed with yourself. However, not focusing while meditating is not a problem because it is a natural thing, and everyone does it.
5. Be nice to yourself
When various thoughts and feelings arise in the middle of meditation, face your thoughts in a friendly manner. You don't need to "punish" yourself. See these thoughts as friends, not bullies, let alone enemies.
6. Smile When the Meditation is Over
End your meditation session with a smile. After two minutes have passed, smile with gratitude that you managed to keep your commitment to meditation. Then, open your eyes slowly.