Meditation is a simple but life-transforming skill that can help you to 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 you may have.
How to Meditate
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Choose a conducive environment. Find a nice, quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for fifteen minutes or longer. Sit down, relax and rest your hands on your lap. You can sit on the floor cross-legged with the support of a meditation cushion, or on any chair with your feet resting on the ground. It’s not necessary to force yourself into a lotus position if you’re not used to it.
Regardless of how you sit, it’s important to maintain the natural curve of your back. That means no slouching forward or leaning backward — either of which can strain and hurt your back. People with chronic back problem may find a kneeling meditation bench useful, especially for prolonged meditation.
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Breathe slowly and deeply. Close your eyes softly. Begin by taking a few slow and deep breaths — inhaling with your nose and exhaling from your mouth. Don’t force your breathing. Let it come naturally. The first few intakes of air are likely to be shallow, but as you allow more air to fill your lungs each time, your breaths will gradually become deeper and fuller. Take as long as you need to breathe slowly and deeply.
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Be aware. When you are breathing deeply, you’ll begin to feel calmer and more relaxed. That’s a good sign. Now, focus your attention on your breathing. Be aware of each breath that you take in through your nose. Be mindful of each breath that you exhale with your mouth. Continue focusing on your breaths for as long as you like.
If you find your attention straying away from your breaths, just gently bring it back. It may happen many times. Don’t be disheartened. What’s important is to realize that you’ve wandered and bring your attention back to where it should be. As you develop greater focus power, you will find it easier to concentrate.
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Ending the session. When you are ready to end the session, open your eyes and stand up slowly. Stretch yourself and extend your increased awareness to your next activities. Well done! You’ve done it!
Meditation for Beginners Tips
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The length of your exhale should be as long, if not longer, than your inhale, 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, there’s no need to squeeze your stomach anymore.
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Some beginners find it easier to meditate with music in the background. If you belong to this group, choose tunes that help you to calm down and won’t distract you from your practice. Some examples to consider are sounds of nature, native American flute music 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.
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When the weather is chilly, wrap a thin blanket or shawl to keep yourself warm during meditation.
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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 bloated while sitting.
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If time is of the essence, you can use a meditation timer or any timer with a gentle alarm to let you know that the session is over.
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Once you’ve mastered this breathing meditation, you can continue with it or try other meditation techniques. There are many types of meditation available that can help you to develop inner qualities that you never know existed. Feel free to explore other forms of meditation listed under Useful Meditation Resources and Other Meditation Techniques.
Frequently Asked Questions about Meditation
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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.
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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 that the session has ended before you even have a chance to get into it.
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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 with meditation.
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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 activity. Click on the link to find out more.
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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.
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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!
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.
Enhance your meditation experience and learn more useful techniques from our Meditation Resources »
Truly your suggestions for meditation are very much informative and simple that can be applied by any beginner. I would like to bring to your attention that there are some very simple physical techniques which help us to direct our mind effortlessly into meditation. Also meditation is something that works in the area of mind which is subtle in nature. So the mind needs some subtle tool to reach to it. Such tool is our breath. But the breath has two parts – positive and negative. Just if we divert the breath into the positive direction the meditation would be happily gliding into peace. Let me let you know that technique once there is a reply back question from you asking for it of course with your identity. I live in South India and am a master in meditation with the blessings of my Guru. Thank you and best wishes for your service to the society. Mukundh. Madurai India.
Hi Mukundh, Thank you for dropping by and sharing your thoughts. Hope to see you around here more often. Cheers.
[...] Ho presents How to Meditate: A Beginner’s Guide posted at The Conscious Life, saying, “Have you been wanting to learn how to meditate but [...]
I’ve been learning how to meditate from blogs like this, and recently bought a CD which was quite good as well. (http://www.easysteps-meditation.com for the curious) But free articles like this are what really got me started on my journey, and I’m very thankful you for providing a easy (and free) introduction to a new way of life
Hi Bil, I’m glad that you find online meditation resources like mine useful. Indeed, it’s my wish that people who have never tried meditation before will be interested to give it a try after reading this article. Meditation is not difficult to learn at all, although it does take effort and persistent to do it well.
Having learned the basics, I’m happy to know that you’ve taken it further by enriching your knowledge and skill with other resources you can find. It takes time to reap the benefits of meditation, but for those who persist, sweet rewards await! I wish you all the best.
When I first started to meditate, I didn’t have any problems clearing my mind. I guess I’m just natural at it. The one thing I have problem is falling asleep, usually after an hour of meditating.
I believed one of the hardest things to do during meditation is keeping the mind clear and focused. For beginners, this may be the hardest obstacle to overcome. My suggestions would be to listen to meditation music or concentrate on breathing techniques while meditating. Also, avoid drinking energy drink, coffee, alcohol or anything that can distract the mind.
Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and heal the body. Certain researchers found out that when people meditate, their DNA stretches. This allows their RNA to access critical data stored in their DNA. This exchange of data gives RNA the necessary information to help activate the body’s natural healing systems.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your findings, Chang.
Thank you for this article, I found it quite helpful. I’m just a teenager, so obviously drama seems extremely large and sressful to me at this time, and this article really helped me get away from that. It made me feel healthier, also, and showed me my potential in being able to calm myself rather easily. What’s more, it gave me some quiet time which was considerably nice, and it’s free, which isn’t the case with many helpful meditation guides that I’ve looked up. Thank you so much!
Dear Sarah, you’re most welcome. Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s heartening to hear that you’ve found this guide useful.
Meditation is a useful skill that helps us to see how unruly our mind can be. Whether you’re a kid, teenager or an adult, all of us face the struggles in the mind each day. So, self-generated melodrama is definitely not something that’s restricted only to teenagers.
I must commend you for starting early. You’ll stand to gain the benefits of meditation earlier than those who discovered meditation later in their lives. For myself, I only started meditating in my late twenties. If only I knew it earlier…
If you’ve any ideas or suggestions on how this guide can serve you better, please do not hesitate to leave your comments here or drop me a note. I’m sure I’ve missed out certain things which beginners to meditation would like to see included here.
I would like to meditate, I never have been able to do this, since I am always so anxious and have a lot of negative thinking. I will try this this week. but I may need help. ha!
Dear Jen,
Sure! I’ll be glad to help you and share my experience with you. Feel free to contact me through comments, email, twitter or facebook.
You said “I never have been able to do this“. I’m curious to know what are the usual obstacles that surface in your mind whenever you try to meditate? What’s stopping you? Knowing them and addressing them will help you to begin meditation and help you to face some of the anxieties that appear regularly in your life.
In addition to meditation, you can also try other ways to reduce anxiety. They are outlined in these articles:
* Natural Strategies to Overcome Anxiety
* How to Reduce Anxiety and Stress with Humor
I find that at first meditation is almost similar to working out, mostly in the sense that getting started is the hardest part. But pushing through that first obstacle makes it easier and easier to continue doing it, and will make other things in your life easier and clearer. Great article, a lot of meditation articles I’ve seen on the internet are very long and confusing for the most part, but this is very easy to read and do, my compliments.
Thanks for your compliments, Nicholas. Feel free to let me know if there are areas on meditation which you like to see more of that are not covered here. It’s my intention to demystify meditation and make it simple and straight forward for those who are new to this ancient art.
Well actually, if i’m not stepping out of bounds or anything, i’m curious about mudras, hand signs? and chanting during meditation, like is there a specific purpose to doing them, or is it just to clear your mind?
Great suggestions, Nicolas! I’d cover mudras as well as mantra meditation in future posts. Do consider subscribing to our newsletter to keep yourself posted. Thanks for your support!
Oh great thank you, its very appreciated, you have an awesome article set up, thanks again.
You’re most welcome, Nicolas!
This is an excellent article aimed towards the beginning practitioner. I really enjoy how you went into detail in each step by step instruction and included a faq. Top notch article!
Thank you for your encouragement, Paul! If you’ve ideas on how to make this guide better, feel free to let me know.
A very simple guide to follow that was exactly what I was looking for! I’ve been doing this for about a month now and it’s a great way to relax and clear your mind. Just wanted you to know your article is very much appreciated! Thanks again!
You’re most welcome, Greg. Thank you for for the feedback! I’m very happy to know that the breathing meditation described in this article has helped you to relax and clear your mind. Once you’re comfortable with this practice, you may also want to give the other meditations listed under “Useful Meditation Resources” a try. May peace be with you.
I really appreciate how you were able to explain the begining steps to meditation. I have been wanting to meditate for a while now. Things have just been so hectic in my life lately and really am searching for a sense of calm if even for a few minutes. Thanks again.
Thank you, Rosa. I’m glad that you find the article useful. Yes, I understand that sometimes, life can be so hectic that it seems impossible to find the time to meditate. During times like this, try exercising your creativity and find pockets of time in between places or activities to catch some deep breaths or have a quick meditation. I hope meditation will help you to restore balance in your life. Take care!