A Quick and Simple Way to Reduce the Stress You Face in Life
How to meditate: fifteen practical tips to help you get in tune with your mind.
8 weeks of meditation, change your life and habits for years.
Meditation is a method of training the mind using different and varied techniques, and it consists of a set of activities that require different mental skills. How do I start meditation is the question that ranges in your mind as you read this information.
You should know that, as a beginner in the world of meditation, you may find it difficult to practice meditation for a long time or your brain is free of different thoughts.
So how do I start meditation effectively at this stage, to answer, you need to read the following detailed article?
The benefits of meditation
One of the well-known benefits of meditation is that it relieves stress and anxiety. According to what was published by the Care2 website, meditation gives those who practice it a feeling of satisfaction by changing the actual structure of the brain, as studies have shown that practicing meditation constantly leads to tangible physical changes. And you don’t have to wait months to see the benefits of meditation, because a 20-minute session makes you calmer and more energetic, and studies show that just 8 weeks of continuous meditation can change your mood and habits for years.
There are many benefits of meditation as follows:
benefits of meditation |
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Promote brain health and reduce the rate of its aging, by increasing the level of gray matter in it, which is responsible for controlling muscles, vision, hearing, and memory |
Low high blood pressure |
Relax |
Improving the flow of blood circulation in the body |
Low heart rate |
Breathe better |
Increase productivity in general |
feeling less stressed |
Increased sense of energy |
Responsible for the metabolism process, and is released in the body in cases of stress |
A decrease in the level of cortisol in the body, which is a hormone |
It should be noted that these benefits are short-term, and research and studies are still ongoing on the long-term benefits of meditation.
On the other hand, some eastern philosophers pointed out that the goal of meditation is not for the sake of the previous benefits, but for the sake of being you, your body, and your mind in the present, and liberating the latter, i.e., the mind, from being attached to things and thoughts that it is unable to change or control.
To get you started, here are fifteen practical tips that you can use in meditation:
1. Relax for two minutes:
Relaxing for two minutes may sound very simple, and excellent. Start with two minutes a day for a week, and if things are going well, increase it by two minutes every week, and if you succeed in increasing it with short periods, you will reach a meditation session for ten minutes a day when you reach the second month, which is amazing, the important thing is to start with short periods.
2. Start your day with meditation:
It’s easy to say, “I will meditate every day,” and then forget it all. (Avoid) the problem set a daily alarm that reminds you to meditate when you wake up, use a mobile phone, or the phrase “meditate” where you can see it.
3. Don’t get caught up in how to do it:
Most people ask: where do we sit, how do we sit, what is the perfect rug for meditation… These questions are not important, start sitting on a chair or sofa or even your bed.
And if you are comfortable sitting on the floor, use the folded feet position, it only takes two minutes to start, so…sit. Later, the duration of your meditation will increase, so you can choose a place where you feel comfortable. As for the beginning, it is not significant, all you have to do is select a quiet and comfortable place.
4. Connect with your inner feelings and try to understand them:
At the beginning of your meditation session, try to analyze your feelings, how your body feels, and what state your mind is going through busy, tired or anxious? Look for the problems that bother you and try to find appropriate solutions.
5. Count your breathing and make it more regulated:
Since you have reached an advanced and more stable stage, pay attention to the breathing process, and keep track of the air that enters your lungs through your nose? Try to regulate the breathing process in the following way:
1_inhale, 2_exhale, 3_inhale…and so on. Repeat the process until you reach ten, then try again.
6. Do not exaggerate the wandering:
Your mind will certainly wander, but it is not a problem when you notice that smile and go back to watching your breath again.
You may get a little frustrated, but fugue isn’t a big deal, we all suffer from it. In any case, it will not be easy in a short period.
7. Be more receptive and friendly:
When you notice an increase in thoughts and feelings during the meditation session — as it is supposed — take a friendly attitude, and count them as a friend, not an intruder or an enemy. It’s part of you, so try to be more friendly and less harsh.
8. Do not worry about doubting the correctness of what you are doing:
You may suspect that you are doing it the wrong way, it’s okay, everyone feels the same, but you are not doing it wrong. There is no perfect way to meditate, so try to be happy with what you are doing.
9. Do not worry about clearing the mind:
Many people think that meditation is the process of clearing the mind or stopping thinking… This is not true. It may sometimes happen, but it is not the main goal of meditation.
It is normal for our heads to be filled with ideas, our minds are factories to produce them, so we simply cannot stop them. Instead, try to practice focusing, and try again when your mind starts to wander.
10. Be more accepting of yourself:
If thoughts and feelings start to stress you out, it may occur to you to go along with them and stick with them.
I mentioned earlier that the solution lies in resorting to regulating breathing, but reaching an advanced stage of meditation may enable you to match your feelings and feelings.
We often tend to avoid feelings of frustration, anger, or anxiety… Diving into feelings and thoughts for a short time can be helpful, be curious and try to keep up.
11. Know yourself more:
This training is not limited to increasing focus, but rather an investigation into how the mind works. What happens inside our minds is ambiguous, but observing bewilderment, frustration, and complex emotions helps us delve deeper into ourselves.
12. Be a friend to yourself:
When you start getting to know yourself, do it in a friendly manner, and stay away from the harsh criticism style. Consider yourself a serious friend you’d like to get to know, smile, and be nice.
13. Explore your body :
What you can do once you have mastered controlled breathing is focus more on each part of your body. Start at the soles of your feet, feel well, and slowly move to the toes, the feet, through the ankles, and up to the top of the head.
14. Focus on your surroundings :
By looking at your surroundings, you can — after a short period of mastery of controlled breathing, of course — raise your level of focus. For example, focusing on light. Focus your eyes on a specific point and stare at the surrounding light. After a while, start focusing on the sounds. Then try to focus on all kinds of things that are flowing around you (including light and sounds).
15. Commit to meditating:
Don’t just say, “I’ll do the experiment for a few days,” but stick to it, and try to convince yourself to meditate for at least a month.
That is why you see many current and previous religions have imposed and practiced the rituals of prayer and made it an essential pillar of daily life, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and others. This prayer is short and sometimes prolonged meditation sessions. Regardless of the deity you worship, whether God or hidden forces of nature, the truth is that you sit with yourself for a period when you collect a lot of your thoughts and get to know yourself more.
The next time you practice your prayer, do not make it a mere obligation and duty but try to follow the above steps as much as possible, to make it a rich, healthy daily experience instead of being a punishment for the mind and body.