Meditation for beginners

Due to the stressful environment we live in today, most people would benefit from meditating daily.

 

Imagine trying to sit comfortably to start meditating. Imagine trying to focus your mind on being still. Now imagine your mind being flooded with a billion thoughts all at once. What am I going to make for dinner today? Why did I say this thing I said 9 years ago? What did I forget to do today?

This is the struggle most people face when trying to meditate for the first time.

 

Meditation is an effective technique to help with many physical and mental health conditions. Due to the stressful environment we live in today, most people would benefit from meditating daily.

Research shows meditation can help with:

• Dealing with anxiety
• Reducing frequency of tension headaches
• Managing Irritable bowel syndrome symptoms (and digestive symptoms)
• Increasing happiness and satisfaction in daily life
• Building stronger relationships
• Dealing with anger issues better

 

Getting into a daily habit of meditation can look daunting but small steps go a long way. Here are some effective strategies for beginners:

 

Pro-tip: Use a guided meditation app to help you focus. I like the calm app or insight timer

 

1. Sit in a comfy position. Back rested either seated on hard ground or on a chair with feet firmly on the ground.
2. Sit in a quiet space – part of meditating is to tune out all the noise but initially when you start it might be hard to focus effectively.
3. Play background music or use a guided meditation app. Searching for calming sounds or white noise sounds on youtube can also help.
4. Focus on your breath. Count it – make sure you are breathing completely in for 4 counts, holding for 2 and breathing out for 4. Notice how your belly expands as you breathe in and deflates as you breathe out.
5. Start small and build every week. Starting with 2 minutes a day and building up to a longer duration works better than starting big.

 

Remember to be patient with yourself. A healthy habit takes 21 days of consistently working on it to form.

 

What to read next –> 5 health apps you need to try