Beginner's Guide to Meditation?

[johnsonava]

Hello everyone,

I've recently become interested in meditation and its potential benefits for mindfulness and stress reduction. However, I'm quite new to this practice and not sure where to begin.

If you're an experienced meditator, could you please share some guidance for beginners like me? What are some simple techniques or resources that can help me get started? How do you create a calm and focused mindset during meditation sessions?

Any tips, recommended apps, or personal experiences would be highly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

[Miss Hepburn]

Hopefully you'll find something here, in our Meditation section. :)

[Uma]

Hi johnsonava and welcome to the forum.

Why don't you try some of the meditations in the link in my signature (these in my opinion are the best).

[Bubbles]

the book 'wherever you go there you are' is great for beginner but also others too, plus it is easy to read and covers lots of questions you might have regarding 'am i doing it right' and so forth

[Unseeking Seeker]

@ johnsonava ~ what is meditation, is evidently the first question. On this forum too, you may find diverse opinions on what meditation is and how to practice/ adopt it.

There are so many views ~ chanting, prayer, attending satsangs* (* gatherings where a spiritual idea is discussed, often from scriptures), watching the breath, employing any of a wide array of yoga procedures, visualisations, affirmations, concentration on an object or symbol, contemplation on space, time, emptiness and so on, perhaps listening to soothing music, watching a sunrise or sunset, sitting under a tree, enjoying the fragrance of flowers, watching birds or children at play, lovers holding hands … we are spoilt for choice!

In all of the above, the common thread is non-doership or in other words, resting our identity/ ego and shifting from head to heart, we attempt to connect rather than seize or grasp. Or we may say, thought cessation. We are aware but devoid of thought. If any thought appears, we do not assign ownership to it, it is just an external object appearing in our consciousness, just like a bird flying by our window. So, we do not cling to thought. Finally, thoughts cease but we are aware, as awareness itself. Silence.

That’s all there is to it, in my view. However, I’d say, this needs to become an ever present orientation rather than an exercise done at a this or that time, although sitting silently in meditation at a particular time and place does have the obvious benefit of amplifying and deepening stillness. There are pros and cons to it, if it is a regimented routine though.

Enjoy your meditation in any way that resonates. It brings in equanimity, joy, calmness, acceptance, attitude of forgiving, connects lower mind with conscience … yes, the benefits are enormous, slow but sure.

[txsha]

I have two videos on my channel that are great for beginners, and even experts.

One of those videos is 14 minutes long, and is titled 5 Minute Meditation for Anxiety, How to Meditate. It describes the 2 essential components, which can be done in really just like 2 minutes, to get into that calm, meditative trance state: grounding and centering. And a few ways to achieve that.

The other video is 40 minutes long and is called 1A: Your Complete Guide to Meditation. It goes through many questions beginners have, such as:

*What kind of meditation should I do?
*How long should I meditate for?
*Should I lie down or sit up?
*What if I fall asleep in meditation?

I'm not sure if I am allowed to link those specific videos here, but my channel link is in my signature below

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by johnsonava

If you're an experienced meditator, could you please share some guidance for beginners like me? What are some simple techniques or resources that can help me get started? How do you create a calm and focused mindset during meditation sessions?

There are plenty of books and websites with useful guidance on how to begin a meditation practice.

My own opinion is that the easiest way to start is by focusing on the breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose, breathing slowly and deeply. Keep the inhale and the exhale the same length - using a count can help, but keep to whatever is comfortable.

When you become more familiar with meditation you can try variations on the breathing - making the exhale twice as long as the inhale, pausing at the end of the inhale and the exhale, etc.

And every time you find the mind has wandered then gently return your focus to your breathing.

Try to meditate initially for 15-20 minutes twice a day. Again, as you become more familiar with meditation you can extend this to 30 minutes, an hour, or even longer.

Regarding posture, there are good reasons for sitting cross-legged on a flat cushion so the navel is higher than the knees, with the spine erect. And if you can sit comfortably in the full lotus or the half-lotus then that is even better. But the important thing is to be physically comfortable - an aching body makes meditation very difficult.

And if sitting cross-legged is not feasible then sit upright on a chair, and if that too is not feasible then meditate lying down.

Using a mantra can help to focus the wandering mind. Something very simple - it does not have to be Sanskrit although I do favour those. The obvious mantra is OM, mentally repeated with each outbreath. Or SOHAM, pronounced So Hum. Mentally say So on the inhale and Hum on the exhale. The usual translation of Soham is "I am That."

Once you have established a regular meditation practice then you can explore other systems of meditation according to whatever you are drawn to. And there are many different practices of varying complexity, but if it is all new to you then keep it simple.

Peace

[Gem]

Not wanting to be a pill, just quite pedantic, but if you say meditation is non-doing and also say do visualisation, chant, control breath, count etc. that's a direct contradiction. Just thought I'd point that out because we get to a state that we can say anything and no matter if it makes sense or not. Hencewhy I'll just say use discretion, think for yourself, give things consideration, and take care to when discerning the pathway you'd take.

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Gem

...but if you say meditation is non-doing and also say do visualisation, chant, control breath,
count etc. that's a direct contradiction.

Good point...I had not read it through to catch that. :)

[sky]

Originally Posted by Gem

Not wanting to be a pill, just quite pedantic, but if you say meditation is non-doing and also say do visualisation, chant, control breath, count etc. that's a direct contradiction. Just thought I'd point that out

I personally agree with U Seekers use of the word 'Non-doership' ( Post 5 ).Meditation is something we choose to do, as is watching our breath and bringing our attention back to it when we become distracted, we cannot Meditate without doing something.... until the happenings arise rather than the doing.....
Imo..