Today we are going to talk about how to meditate properly. I’m going to go over everything, how to meditate properly and where to meditate. What you should do with your body. What you should do with your mind. Even how long you should do it for, so that you will reap the benefits. All the information I’m giving you today is taking from a book which is MINDFULNESS IN PLAN ENGLISH by BHANTE GUNARATANA.
How To Meditate Properly?
Technically you can meditate anywhere you like because it is an exercise for the mind (You can be mindful anywhere doing anything). You can meditate sitting on a chair, sitting on the floor and even lying on the bed. However there is optima ways to meditate, it is not best to meditate on bed because you can easily fall asleep. Meditating on the floor with your back straight up is actually considered the most formal and beneficial way to meditate. And this is because it keeps you very awake. And can allow you to sit for long periods of time.
What Do I Do With My Body?
First thing you have to keep in mind while meditating is your feet. A lot of well seasons meditators preach about how your legs/feet need to be on top each other. However, the majority of people who are beginners, it is perfectly fine to have your legs criss-crossed on top of each other (sitting like a pretzel). Your arms resting on your thighs, your hands relaxed on top of each other and form a cupped. Your back should be straight and your head should be completely level. Your head should not be upward or downward. What to do with your eyes? You have the option of meditating with your eyes open or with your eyes closed. However for beginners I would recommend you closing your eyes because it will be easier for you to focus. If you do choose to meditate with your eyes open, do not focus on the object in front of you and instead look into the distance.
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How Long Should I Meditate.
As a beginner before you start your meditation you should set alarm, this is because time tends to feel a lot slower when you start meditating. So setting alarm will help prevent a constant need of wondering how much time is left in the session. For first time, I will recommend you start with 5 minutes on the timer. As you make meditation a daily practice and sitting in the position, you can increase this number of times as you get more used to meditating. Most people recommend meditating between the time of 10 – 20 minutes.
What To Do During Meditation
Here is where it gets tricky. There are different forms of meditation. Some focus on the things around them. Some involve in recycling thoughts in their mind. The most taught form of meditation is called MINDFULNESS BREATING MEDITATION. It is very easy to learn and considered to be just as powerful as any kind of meditation. It is the focus of breathing meditation. Where you focus on your breathing, first you have to make sure you are breathing through your nose, then all you have to do is to focus all of your attention on your breath. And observe the way the air feels are moving through nostrils. Observe the way your breath transitions from inhale to exhale. Observe that little pause between those two actions. Observe every single aspect, about the way it feels. Do not judge it, do not criticize it, simply observe. What you will quickly notice is that thoughts will start appearing in your mind and will distract you from the simple tempo task. When you notice some thought appearing in your mind, simple try to pull your focus back to your breath. Most people who meditate for the first time will find it extremely hard to focus on just the breath for even a couple of seconds; they will find themselves lost in thought quite often. This is totally normal. So don’t criticize yourself if it happens, which it will properly will. It is very common (Especially for beginners). All you have to do is simply bring your attention back to your breathing. A good trick I personally use to quickly bring my focus back is to focus all of my attention back on the little bridge between inhale and exhale. That little pause where your body transition during the act of breathing.
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When meditating try as much as possible avoid moving. Itches and urges will arise during your meditation, this is normal. It is to be expected, simply bring your focus back to your breath. And the feelings will eventually go away.
How Often Should I Meditate
In other to see the benefits of meditation, you should meditate on daily basis at least 10 minutes.
When Will I start seeing the benefits?
Well first of all you have to be doing it on a daily basis. It depends on frequency, how long you use to meditate and it is actually hard to say as it also depends from person to person.
The purpose of meditation is to clear your mind and practice being aware of the present moment. There are so many benefits to meditation, whether is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. I don’t think I can name them all but to start
- Meditation can help you calm your mind, distress and find inner peace and balance
- It can help improve your focus, your metabolism and your sleep.
- It can also help increase your productivity, creativity, intuition and happiness
- It can also help reduce aging, boost your immunity and add incredible value to overall wellbeing.
Mediation is very simple. It is just the act of making it a daily habit is the problem. I hope you have learnt how to meditate properly. Thanks for reading.
Rich article, I learn the about the benefits of meditation an i just made up my mind to start meditating at least 10 minutes per day as it will help me a lot