The Key to Meditation is to not think about Elephants!
Wait! What? Confused? Let me explain. There is something called the busy or analytical mind. This is the part of you that has over 70,000 thoughts a day, most of which are repetitive, most of which are negative. The busy mind likes to stay busy. When someone says to you "Don't think about Elephants," What's the first thing you think about? Elephants! When you meditate if you tell yourself not to think then your mind is going to think. Its just like telling yourself to not think about Elephants. This can be extremely frustrating. You see the key isn't to tell yourself not to think, it is to watch the thoughts you have without judgement and then to let go. Become the observer.
Let's do a quick experiment, try to sit for 10 min, with your eyes closed. Visualize yourself watching yourself in the 3rd person. Pretend its like playing a video game where there is you the Player watching the Character. This technique is known as disassociating. Now anytime you have a thought visualize your Character saying the thoughts out-load. As the Player, look at the Character, smile, give your Character a hug and then walk away.
This exercise will help you identify when you are thinking and disassociate yourself from your thoughts. Once you can do that you will notice that it becomes easier to settle the busy mind. There are other techniques but this one is very powerful because you will start to leave the thoughts and emotions behind. The perfect way to build a new you.
21 Meditation Tips for Beginners
1) Make Meditation be the first thing you do when you wake up
I am a big believer in the quote "we make time for the things that are important to us". If we don't make time for meditation, then we will never have time. For me meditating first thing in the morning helps to make meditation a priority. It also sets up my day for success. I usually feel calm for the entire day and can hit my peak performance easier. It also helps me to direct some of those 70,000 thoughts towards my goals. This is one of the best tips I personally use.
2) Practice Sitting still for 5 minutes
This is a simple technique where you practice sitting for 5 minutes with your eyes closed. The goal is to resist the urge to get up, check the phone, and do anything. At first it feels uncomfortable, but that's just the busy mind. Little by little sitting will become easy.
3) Have a dedicated area where you meditate
It doesn't need to be something special, but it is good to have a place where you can call your own. This could be on your couch, in our room, or even the basement. Having a dedicated meditation area will help your mind associate that area with meditation. Eventually, just but being in that area your mind will enter a meditative state.
4) Sit in a comfortable position
Do you think you need to sit cross-legged to meditate? I used to, but you don't! You can meditate sitting on the floor, on a chair, even lying down. All you need is a comfortable position.
5) Start by counting breaths
This is very easy. My first time meditating I started by counting my breaths. All you need to do is sit and count each inhale and exhale. If your mind wonders, at it will, don't worry, just reset the counter and start again. Make it a game and see how high you can count before your next thought.
6) Do a walking meditation
Perfect if you find it hard to find the time for daily meditation. Put away your cell phone and any other distraction. Before you go out for a walk, take 5 deep breaths with each breath getting slower and slower. As you are walking start counting the number of colours, shades, or shapes. If your mind wonders, don't worry, just start over and count. This will help you to become more present in the moment.
7) Don't worry about "doing it the right way"
Whatever you focus on will get your attention. Sounds obvious right. But this about this, if you are worrying about "doing it the right way" then that is what you are focused on. So instead of just enjoying the process of meditation your mind will constantly move your awareness towards judging how well you are doing. Just relax and enjoy. You will find what works for you.
8) Do a body scan
I love this type of meditation, and the best thing is that it is simple. You can sit or lay down, start by counting your breaths. Then move your attention to your toes. Start to focus on your toes and gradually move up towards the crown of your head. You might feel tingling, warmth, cool breeze or nothing at all. If the mind wonders don't worry, just go back to the last body part you remember.
9) Try Breathing Deep
If you have ever felt stressed or anxiety, breathing deep is a perfect way to calm the mind. Because it works so well calming the mind it also works well for meditation. All you need to do is fill your lungs with as much air as they can handle. Try to fill from the bottom to the top. You can tell if your belly raises before your chest. Once your lungs are filled, hold for 2 second then release then hold again for 2 seconds. Try to slow down your breathing each time and hold for 3 seconds. Add a second after each time until you get to 10 then subtract a second.
10) Get a meditation partner
Here's a secret, its easier to let ourselves down than to let others publicly. Meditation partners work great because you hold each other accountable. When one doesn't feel like it, the other can give some motivation and vise versa.
11) Listen to guided meditations
Sometimes it can be hard to know what to do next. Guided meditations are perfect. They can help you explore new techniques, keep you focused, and act like a personal meditation coach. I use guided meditations all the time and love the experience.
12) Try not to judge
This is one of the best tips. It's also the hardest. Our minds are constantly comparing. We live in a world of judgement. Naturally, you will judge how you are doing. But the key is to let go. Don't worry about how you are doing, eventually you will find what works. Instead, focus on the feeling. Focus on the process. Enjoy living in this moment.
13) Use nature sounds
There is something calming about the sound of nature. Using nature sounds can help to calm your mind naturally, without any efforts. Find some of your own sounds and use them while you meditate.
14) Keep a meditation journal
What get's measured, get's done! A journal is an excellent way to document your progress but also help hold you accountable. I have used journals and personally, I found that I always achieve my peak performance when I document what I am doing and how I am feeling. For your meditation journal you can document before your meditation, how you feel and the transformation you want to see after the meditation. Once done, record how you feel now. Don't forget to date your journal entry.
15) Set daily reminders
This is very simple. Set a reminder. The reminder will help to bring you back in the moment where you will need to make a conscious decision to complete your meditation or to ignore. You won't need this forever, just until meditation becomes a habit.
16) Focus on the sounds in your room
While you are meditating, try focusing on the sounds in your room. Start by picking a single sound. Focus on the sound entering your ear. Notice if it is louder in one ear or the other. Allow the sound to go through you. Pick apart every detail of the sound. Is there any echo, is it a high, low, mid pitch? Keep going then gradually add another sound from the room. This is perfect for training your awareness.
17) Be consistent
Nothing can be accomplished without consistency. Meditation is like building a home, one brick at a time. If you stop after only 10 bricks you won't have a home, but after time, look back and be amazed.
18) Love Thy Self
Because meditation is really an internal journey where you build a strong relationship with yourself, its very important that you love who you are. There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve, that's perfectly healthy. But you first need to love who you are. A lot of self hate comes from the negative repetitive thoughts we have everyday. So, practice Self Love, when you are in a calm state, repeat self love affirmations. Click here if you want some amazing self love affirmations.
19) Set you intention
Before you meditate it can be very powerful if you set your intention. What is it that you want as an outcome of the meditation? It could be healing, relaxing, self love, anything. By setting your intention, once you get in that meditative state you can suggest things to your subconscious mind.
20) Listen to Meditation Music
Just like listening to nature sounds, meditation music can help you enter a state of calm. It can also act as a trigger helping you enter a meditative state on que.
21) Try different types of meditation
We tend to want to do what we are good at. But, its very important to have new experiences. As you progress, try different types of meditation. This will help you grow as a person as you start to discover what works for you. Even when you find what works for you, still try to experiment. A mind once expanded can never go back to its old form.
Which of the tips are you going to try?
In this article you learned 21 amazing tips to help improve your meditation. I have personally used many of the tips and it has helped to improve the quality of my Meditation. Try them today and let me know if they helped, I know they helped me. Want to learn more about meditation, check our this article. If you are looking for more ways to transform your life, check out the other articles on our website.
Subscribe to our email list to receive new articles, motivational quotes, and other resources designed to help you become your best self. Subscribe today.