Begin

I will preface this meditation tutorial by stating there are many different types of meditations....

....and the more you practice, the fancier you can get with it.

I, myself, like to keep things simple, so my daily meditation is of the “focused breathing” variety, and it is what I recommend a beginner start out doing.

To begin, find a quiet space, preferably where there are no children running amuk, or other distractions (pets, music, electronics, food, etc).

Somewhere quiet and still.

I like to close my eyes but you actually don’t need to, and in fact, meditation masters would encourage you to keep them open.

As you sit quietly, it helps to bring your thumb and first finger together (on both hands) so they are touching.

Begin the meditation by simply breathing in and out, noticing the sensation of the "ins" and "outs" of your breath, and focusing in on that.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Wax on.

Wax, er, wait, what?

Here’s where meditation gets a bad rap, in my opinion.

What usually happens to people is inside of about 10 seconds of this focused breathing stuff their mind inevitably begins to wander.

They start thinking about a movie scene, or a conversation they had earlier in the day. Or maybe it’s a thought related to something they need to do later on, or a song they heard.

I once kept picturing the image of an ugly orange square for absolutely no reason at all.

It happens to everyone (the "wandering thoughts" happens to everyone, that is, not the orange square thing). I mean, people could picture an orange square, but I wouldn't say it's common or that it happens to everyone.

I digress.

The point is people's minds start to wander onto all these other things, and no sooner does the person notice this than they say to themselves in frustration,

“That's IT!"

"I can't MEDITATE!"

"My mind won’t calm DOOOWN-A !!!!!”

What they don’t realize is their mind is supposed to wander.

It’s what minds do.

In fact, at any given moment you’re likely to have all different kinds of thoughts wandering around in your brain, outside your awareness because they happen so automatically and so fast.

Meditation isn’t about stopping your mind from wandering.

Meditation is about noticing when your mind wanders, and then gently bringing your focus back to your breath.

That's it.

Notice. Observe. Become Aware. Repeat.

It's harder than it sounds, but that is sorta the point.

"The hard is what makes it great." Tom Hanks. A League of Their Own. I can't take credit for that one.

Ahem. Let's move on?

In the beginning, aim for about 2 minutes of focused breathing per day, working your way up to 12. I say 12 because 12 minutes is what the research says is necessary to reap full benefit from this practice. But it doesn’t have to be 12 and I would strongly encourage you to not start out with 12.

Start out with just 2 minutes a day for 1-2 weeks. Then gradually add on more time.

It is better to do shorter, more frequent sessions than it is to do one long session once a week. It’s called a meditative “practice” because it’s meant to be a part of your daily regimen.

Best way to stick to this daily practice is to commit yourself to a set time of day that makes most sense for you.

Some people like to begin their day with a morning meditation.

Some people like to meditate right before bed.

You could do a nooner, which serves as a way to break up the day and recenter yourself.

The time of day isn’t important. What matters is that it be a time when you are most likely to follow through on it with consistency.

So, now that you know how to begin meditating, I challenge you to do so.

2 minutes a day, for 2 weeks.

Ok then.

Out.