It seems like there are two types of people in the world:
Ones who love to meditate and ones who find it too “woo woo”, unsure what to do with their racing thoughts as they sit down for the first time.
No matter your skill set, practicing meditation isn’t difficult to do.
Just like cooking, training for a marathon, or studying for a test in class, meditation takes a little bit of practice on your part.
With the right meditation tips, you’ll have a solid plan of action each time you practice.
And I would love for you to get out any judgments you have about it.
If you think meditation is about sitting in a silent room with burning incense and a mind hallow of any thoughts, I’m excited to change your perspective on it.
You can definitely do all those things, as personal preference, but it’s not a requirement.
Meditation isn’t complicated.
You don’t have to silence all your thoughts to be considered “successful” at it.
It’s is simply being mindful of the things around you.
When the world is spinning around you and you’re looking to get some sort of grasp on your life, being present and staying grounded will reduce stress and anxiety.
You become present by practicing meditation.
There are many different tips out there to help you focus better and connect to the present moment.
If you’d like to learn more about how to meditate, be sure to check out my other post: Meditation for Beginners: The Ultimate Guide
Try these easy tips to increase your meditation benefits:
1. Limit the Distractions.
Find a peaceful time and place for meditation.
This is a personal preference, some people enjoy doing it first thing in the morning before they’ve even gotten out of bed.
Others prefer meditation right before bed, allowing their mind to unwind after a long day.
Choose your best time, and feel free to test it out at first.
As you practice, close the windows and doors to avoid any outside noise.
Setting a timer will help you as you get started, in case you’re on a time crunch (after all, who isn’t?).
Also setting a timer for 5-minutes makes it seem less intimidating.
2. Meditate in a Comfortable Space
More advanced levels of meditation mean you can meditate anywhere.
But, as a beginner you’ll want to practice in a space that is familiar and comfortable to you.
A lot of what holds you back from having an enjoyable experience meditating is worrying about the wrong things.
The key is to minimize these worries.
Start in your bedroom or somewhere safe. You will build up to new places later in your practice.
3. Try Meditating at The Same Time Each Day.
You can’t just meditate once and expect magical changes.
There’s a trial and error phase and learning about what is most comfortable for you.
Setting a designated time every day will help you develop a habit of meditating and making it a part of your routine.
If you’ve never meditated before, this is what I suggest:
- Schedule out 2-3 days within the next week to meditate
- Block out 5 minutes on those days
- Put it in your calendar and set a reminder
That’s what your first week will look like as you become accustomed.
You can then increase the days and amount of time each week as you continue to practice.
Always start out slow so you don’t overwhelm yourself.
4. Avoid Eating Too Much Before
It sounds odd, but you’ll actually have a better experience on an empty stomach.
This is because if you decide to meditate right after a hearty meal, your body will use up a lot of energy digesting that food.
It’s one of the top reasons people fall asleep while meditating!
It’s recommended to practice before breakfast or a few hours after a meal.
5. Adjust Your Seating
You can choose to sit or lay down, either one is perfectly fine.
Either way, make sure your body is comfortable. If you choose to sit, be sure to sit upright and straight.
When laying down, lay completely flat with your arms to your sides.
In either position, be sure that your muscles aren’t too tense.
This will ensure you aren’t worrying so much about sitting while you meditate.
6. Relax Your Body
Do you ever notice how tense you become in daily situations?
Think about when you drive your car on the highway.
Do you feel calm and relaxed, or do you feel your muscles tighten as you grip the steering wheel?
Our bodies tense up often, and we usually never even notice it. Kind of like breathing.
But, when you practice meditation, you’ll want to focus on completely relaxing your body.
Be mindful of releasing tension from your clenched jaw, shrugged shoulders, tight back and nervous legs.
It might even feel uncomfortable to allow your body to fully relax. This is good, it means you definitely need it!
7. Slowly Increase the Distractions.
One of the best meditation tips is to gradually increase the distractions around you.
Focusing on meditation while the world continues around you is how you know you’re getting the most out of it.
So you can control your thoughts, emotions, and reactions in any situation.
Even during really chaotic scenarios, like a child screaming on a plane, or a stressful meeting at work, you can reduce how you react.
Granted, it takes a lot of practice to completely block out a screaming child.
You most likely won’t get to the point of being able to ignore it, instead tolerate it and not allow it to increase your stress levels.
Start small at first. Maybe turn on the tv as you meditate and see if you can tune it out.
Then, build up.
Go somewhere busy, like the subway during rush hour or the grocery store during dinner time.
Practice in different settings and build up to it.
8. Reflect on Your Meditation.
Ask yourself what you can do to meditate even better.
Keep asking this question and use the answers to your advantage.
Meditation has so many benefits, but there are probably more benefits than you realize
The more effectively you meditate, the more you’ll get out of it.
When you first sit down to meditate, remind yourself that all your challenges and concerns will have to wait until you’re finished.
This can be a powerful tool to keep distracting thoughts at bay.
Enjoy the benefits of a deeper and more meaningful meditation session.
Put these tips into practice to reap the greatest rewards.
