The Basics of Meditation

The key to meditation if you are a beginner is to simply be aware and to observe your thoughts.

It may be challenging at the start when you being to meditate because you may feel as though your thoughts are racing the more you try to prevent them from coming in. If we try to deliberately prevent our thoughts from coming into our mind, we actually create more tension within our body. We end up creating resistance and what that does is reinforce the persistence of the thoughts. Just accepting what is there, is the way to begin to meditate.

Going with the flow:

Sometimes the harder we try, the more we struggle.

'Don't try harder, try softer.'

If we take the gentle approach and the path of least resistance, we are saying that we accept everything that arises in the moment without judgment. It is our emotional reaction to what we think that causes feelings of anxiety, anger, depression, etc. If we can just see it for what it is without allowing ourselves to be swept away by the emotion of it, we remain present and calm.

There is no right or wrong way to begin meditation:

Try not to get hung up on the right or wrong way to go about it - just observe. That's all you need to do. If we try and remember that we are the aware presence behind the thoughts, we are allowing consciousness to grow within our being. What works for you may not work for someone else so it's all about finding a technique or an activity that allows you relax and make contact with those aspects of being.

Breathing as anchor:

Becoming aware of the breath is one of way of increasing our present moment awareness. Taking a few deep conscious breaths in and out can help us become calmer if we are feeling stressed and anxious. Bringing our attention into our body can help us begin to feel more grounded again. This helps to engage the parasympathetic nervous (like putting the foot on the brake of a car that is accelerating too fast). When we breathe like this, we clear the mind, we begin to relax and we allow ourselves to come back into the present moment again.

Create a space for meditation:

It may help, especially at the start if you create a space to practice meditation - somewhere where you know that you will not be disturbed. Having a scared space where you can just relax, decompress and be yourself without distraction can really make a difference. When you have more experience, you may feel more able to adapt to stressful situations more easily when you know how you are potentially triggered and what is likely to increase stress for you. It's all about getting to know yourself and how you deal with your life situation so you can respond, rather than react.

Meditation is a journey to the centre of you and it is endlessly rewarding if you make the time to practice every day, even if it's only for 5-10 minutes a day - it's taking action that's important and being able to integrate it into your life on a daily basis.

#meditation #reiki #howtomeditate #learnmeditation #reikipractitioner #reikimasterteacher