Meditation is a simple but life-transforming skill that can help you to relax, enhance understanding about yourself and develop your inherent potential.

The meditation posts I’ve written in the past are focused on the applications of different meditation techniques. But, if you’ve little knowledge about meditation, you may find it challenging to apply them without first learning how to meditate.

So in this article, I’ve laid down some basic instructions on how to meditate for beginners, as well as address some of the common concerns beginners may have.

Meditation for Beginners Tips

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  Aim to have the length of your exhales as long, if not longer, than your inhales to expel used air and make more room for fresh one. If you find the out breath is much shorter in length, you can help to expel more air by gently squeezing your abdominal for the first few times. When both the in and out breaths become naturally long and deep, then you can stop contracting your lower stomach.

• Guided meditation CDs or MP3s can be useful tools for meditators. For beginners, audio guided meditations provide step-by-step instructions that help introduce meditation in an easy, friendly and non-intimidating way.

  For experienced meditators, on the other hand, they can reveal different perspectives and approaches that might have escaped one’s awareness.

  As there are many types of guided meditation programs available, it’s important to be clear of what you are looking for before buying. Are you trying to stress less and relax more, to manage a chronic pain, to improve sleep, or to grow spiritually? No matter what’s your main objective, you can probably find one that meets your needs.

• When the weather is chilly, keep yourself warm with a blanket or shawl during meditation.

• Meditating with an empty or full stomach may be distracting or even uncomfortable. So make sure there’s something in your tummy, but not so much that you feel distracted while sitting.

• Some people find it easier to meditate with some light music in the background, while others prefer total silence. If you belong to the first group, choose appropriate tunes that help to calm you down and yet won’t distract you from your practice. Some examples to consider are sounds of nature (such as rain and ocean waves), traditional music (like native American flute music and guqin) as well as a wide range of contemporary meditation music available nowadays. The choice of music, or lack of, is entirely a matter of personal preference. So feel free to experiment and see what works best for you.

• A meditation timer or any countdown timer with a gentle alarm is another handy tool to use during meditation. It lets you know when your session is over without you constantly thinking about it. You can use the timer that’s built into your mobile phone and digital watch. Just make sure that the alarm isn’t so jarring that you’d get a rude shock each time it beeps. Alternatively, you can also use this handy free online meditation timer that comes with a few nice alarm sounds you can choose from.

• Once you’ve mastered breathing meditation, you can choose to continue with it or try other meditation techniques. There are many types of meditation techniques that can help you to develop inner qualities which you never know existed. Feel free to explore other forms of meditation listed in the Meditation Resources.

Frequently Asked Questions about Meditation

1. How often should I meditate?

   Once a day, or more if you wish. Many people meditate in the morning before breakfast and have another session just before they sleep.

   Meditation may seem like a chore at first. But, learn to enjoy it and look forward to it everyday. See it as an opportunity, rather than an item on your to-do list, to spend some intimate moments with yourself.

   Meditation should be cultivated as a life-long habit, like the brushing of your teeth in the morning and at night. Something which you’d do automatically without forcing yourself, but yet not as mindlessly as brushing.

2. How long do I need to meditate each time?

   Aim for at least fifteen minutes for each session. For most people, it’ll normally take five to ten minutes for the mind to settle down. So if your meditation is too short, you’d find the session has ended before you even have a chance to get into it.

3. Why do I find it so hard to concentrate or sit still during meditation?

   Many people, including long-time meditators, have experienced occasions when they find their concentration isn’t as focused as they want it to be. So, it’s important to be patient and compassionate with yourself, especially if you are a beginner.

   Meditation requires your mind to be quiet. Therefore, anything that stimulates your mind just before your sitting isn’t going to be very helpful, such as a heated argument with your partner, an exciting computer game, a dramatic movie or a thought-provoking book. If you find yourself often having a hard time sitting still during meditation, try to avoid engaging in any of these activities prior to your session.

   Some people also find a relaxation exercise or a gentle stretch before meditation helps them to get into a tranquil state faster.

   Alternatively, you can try walking meditation if you face difficulty with the sitting version, or work on improving your concentration using meditation.

4. When I meditate, I feel like I’m betraying my religious beliefs? Why is that?

   Meditation is often associated with Eastern cultures and religions, like Buddhism, because it probably originated from, or at least became popular first in that region. So many people have mistakenly equate meditation with a particular religion when in essence, it’s not.

   As you can see from the steps illustrated above, it doesn’t require you to believe in any deity or God, neither does it require you to give up your existing religion beliefs.

   However, it’s also important to note that there are many forms of meditation. Some meditations do involve the visualization of a popular religious icon or a recitation of a mantra from a religious text for specific purposes. And you can often modify them easily to fit your religious background to achieve the same effect. But by labeling meditation as a religious act just because of its diverse use is as good as saying all knives are weapons of destruction and hence should be banned.

   There are, unfortunately, a number of other common myths about meditation that are holding people back from learning this life-enhancing inner exercise. Click on the link to find out more.

5. I tend to fall asleep during meditation. What should I do?

   Keeping your eyes half closed and unfocused, instead of closing them completely can be a useful way to stay awake. Your physical and mental states also play a key role. When you are lethargic or dull, it’s much harder to concentrate during meditation. Initially, you may find yourself constantly trying to strike a balance between being too distracted and too relaxed. It’s perfectly normal. Just keep trying.

6. How do I know I’m meditating?

   In short, when you’re focused on your breathing, yet fully aware of the random thoughts in your mind and not being distracted by them. You can find an in-depth discussion about this question here.

7. I feel very uncomfortable in a sitting position due to mental and physical issues. Is sitting the only way to meditate? Can I lie down?

   Thankfully, sitting isn’t the only way to meditate. You can also meditate while lying down. But it can be a ‘dangerous’ position. No, not physical danger of course. You’re in danger of falling asleep halfway through your meditation. A lying position, especially one on the bed, is so comfortable that many people find it a challenge to complete their meditation. That’s why you don’t find it mentioned often. But, if you can overcome that, then by all means do it. Personally, I do 15-minute ‘sleeping’ meditation a few times a day in addition to my morning sitting meditation. This is how I do it: I’d lie down on my bed, close my eyes and focus on deep breathing. I will inhale with my nostrils and exhale through mouth slowly as I would in a sitting position. I always wake up feeling energized after that. This is my version of power nap. But I must admit that there were a few times when I became so comfortable that I actually dozed off. So be warned. Besides lying down, you can also explore these other meditation poses.

8. Who are not suitable to learn meditation on their own?

   People suffering from moderate to severe mental or learning disability should learn meditation under the guidance and supervision of a qualified trainer.

Do you have other questions about meditation that you’d like to ask? Feel free to leave them in the comments and I’d answer as best as I could.

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