Meditation -- Beginners Version

[sandy99]

How to Meditate

Here are the basics of mindfulness meditation in 3 simple steps:

Sit comfortably and close your eyes.

Focus your full attention on the feeling of your breath coming in and going out. Pick a spot - nose, chest, belly - and just feel the inhale and exhale.

The third step is the biggie. As soon as you try to do this, Your mind is probably going to go nuts. You’re going to start thinking: What’s for lunch? Do I need a haircut? Why do celebrities marry other celebrities?

This is totally normal. All of our minds are a bit crazy. No big deal. As soon as you notice your mind has wandered, just return your attention to the breath.

That’s it. That’s how to meditate. No matter how many times you get lost, no matter how long you get lost for, as long as your are returning to the breath again and again - you are meditating.

Every time you catch yourself wandering and haul your attention back to the breath, it’s like a bicep curl for the brain. Not for nothing, it’s also a radical act; you’re breaking a lifetime’s habit of walking around in a fog of rumination and projection, and you’re actually focusing on what’s happening right now. You are building a mental muscle called ‘mindfulness’ - a complex and ancient term that we’ll give a simple, serviceable definition for in a moment.

I’ve heard from so many people who assume that they could never learn how to meditate because they can’t “clear the mind.” I can’t say this loudly or frequently enough: the goal is not to magically clear your mind; it’s to focus your mind -- for a few nanoseconds at a time -- and every time you get lost, just start again.