Tips For Meditation
Contents
It is funny, I guess I am like the walking paradox. Big into weight lifting, power lifting and bodybuilding. But I love meditation. I initially integrated it into my life because I needed a better way to recover. I was sleeping 6-8 hours a day. But waking up feeling as if I never even feel asleep!
Have you been there??
So that was initially why I started to meditate.
But I noticed, as the more and more I did so, the better I felt throughout the day. I felt more compassionate, better rested and simply progressive. Like I was doing something in my life that was bringing me closer to becoming all I could be. And in a spiritual sense, feeling more at peace with life.
Now I am nowhere near enlightened! Just because I am offering you these tips for meditation, it doesn’t mean I have ARRIVED. Or that I am at a place where I have totally transcended all suffering or the negative aspects of this human experience.
I am just a guy who have been positively impacted by meditation. And hope that I can help you on your journey to finding WHATEVER you want to find in this life.
I hope we are finding each other at the right time. In which you can learn from what I have learned!
Below are meditation tips that I have picked up along the way. That I feel can cut your learning process. And hopefully get you better and faster results with your meditation!
Enjoy. And share with my your thoughts or questions when you are done in the comment section below if you have a minute!
(DON’T MISS: 211 Quotes About Meditation!)
21 Tips For Meditation (How To Meditate)
Keep It SIMPLE!
I think the first tip I can offer you for how to meditate better and simply just start, is to NOT complicate the process. Like Albert Einstein says:
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
We are trying to integrate an act that is very popular in the Eastern society. In which a lot of us still think in terms of how we have been bred to do so in the Western society. In which we think answers are in COMPLEXITY.
I am from the Bay Area, and grew up in a place called Silicon Valley. In which everything is pretty intricate in how things work. I mean it is the home and mecca of some of the biggest technology companies that have ever been started. Where Steve Jobs made his legacy and gave us the gift of Apple.
So when I first started the process of meditation, I thought I have to do things in an extremely complex matter. Like, IT CAN’T BE THIS SIMPLE!
Are you with me on that??
So whatever different styles of meditation you partake in, keep it simple!
Listen To Your Mantra As You Say It
The second tip will really maximize the benefits of meditation that you can reap. When meditating, you are most likely GOING to get distracted. More often than not, it happens fairly quick.
But you can rein this nasty habit in by really paying attention to what you are meditating on. That is why mantras are so awesome. You repeat it over and over while truly listening and feeling the mantra.
Instead of saying it over and over in a robotic fashion, instead be present with every single mantra you say. Don’t worry about how many repetitions of the mantra you are getting. The power is in the quality of the meditation and staying with each mantra.
So if you are using a simple “OM” or “AUM”, then you want to stick with each OM instead of just trying to get to the next one.
The same can be true with things like mindful meditation or breathing meditation. Or any other type of meditation. The key is to be present during as much of your practice as you can.
Resource: 21 Mantras For Meditation
Don’t Expect Anything
When I first started my meditation process, I was really trying to force something magnificent to happen. Each time, I wanted to reach a state of perfect bliss that I always related to when I thought about what meditation meant to me.
I wanted to reach enlightenment! EVERY SINGLE SESSION!
But the more I let go of my expectations, the more I enjoyed the process. And the more deeper I would go into silent states of peace.
I have reached states of what is referred to as “Peace that passes all understanding”. In which you enter into a state of awareness or consciousness in which you are almost omnipresent.
You feel one with everything. You don’t really need to think at all. It is as if you have all the answers in the world. No fear at all. True peace.
And this happened because I wasn’t so attached to what was happening. Or GETTING somewhere. Which brings us to my next mediation tip.
Don’t Try To GET Somewhere
That is the thing. What we are seeking is already within us. In life, we have what is known as “Fear of Missing Out” (FOMO).
We always want to get to the next thing. Or not miss anything. We are rushing around. Trying to do everything. Experience everything. And be everything to everyone. Which, in a sense, is great because I am a big advocate of living this life in a way that allows you to do as much as you can while you are here.
But at the end of the day, mediation is the exact opposite. All the peace and greatness you are seeking to experience is already within you. And it reveals itself to you when you silent your mind.
So try to remain right where you are with your meditation. Don’t exert mental effort on trying to GET somewhere. Or arrive.
Stay still and know that you have what you are seeking already. You just have to uncover it through continual mediation and simply not trying to force yourself to getting somewhere.
Are we still on the same page?
Longer May Not Be Better
When it comes down to it, people think they need to meditation for a really long time in order to reap the benefits of meditation. But really, you can still experience benefits by meditating only a few minutes a day.
Again, it is quality over quantity.
Point made!
Sit Upright
Tony Robbins talk about learning and doing things in a passive state versus an active state. He talks about how when people sit in a passive state, they may enjoy the process, but they aren’t getting the most out of the seminar. Their retention and learning abilities are lessened drastically. Versus someone who sits upright and in a more powerful position.
You really open up your cerebral flow to your brain when you are sitting upright. Which we want as much flow to our brain as possible since mediation has A LOT to do with our brains (minds)!
So commit to sitting upright and not slouching. Sit in almost an excited way. Like you are in a movie in which they are going to reveal the ultimate plot twist and you want to see and hear everything!
Try Different Styles
When I first started meditating, I used mantras. Mainly “AUM” and “Om Mani Padme Hum”. A couple Buddhists mantras that I read about on a blog.
I was so stuck to using those at first. That I left a lot of other great techniques on the table.
But the deeper I got into my practice, the more I branched out and tried other techniques.
Things like breathing meditation, silent meditation, mindful mediation and more.
I now even do a lot of audio meditation. And even do so while I am working on this blog or doing things like cooking or stretching.
You can also do sensation meditation, a form of mindful meditation, where you are simply becoming aware of the sensations in your body. Any aches and pains, your heart pumping, how the air on your skin feels and the way your diaphragm or chest is rising up and down through your breathing.
Play With Different Styles
Our minds and body really react so great to stimulus. Like exercise, our bodies react very well to new stimulus. But when we continue to do the same exercises, our results stagnate. And we have to work harder and harder to get results.
I have found the same thing with meditation. It can help to switch up your styles here and there. And try new ones to see what types of meditation bring you the most peace and mind silence.
Resource: 23 Types of Meditation
Pick Back Up With You Get Distracted (Stick With It)
Again, distractions are inevitable. We are tying to quiet our minds, which have been running at full speed since the day we were born!
You will sit down and meditate. And at some point, you will think about something. And that something will have 10 other somethings attached to it! And once you are aware of being distracted, you will say something like “How the heck did I end up here!”.
Am I making sense?
But it is OK. Don’t worry about the whole session being ruined. Simply get back on the horse and keep going until your alarm sounds.
Don’t beat yourself up. The more your meditate, the longer you will be able to go without getting distracted.
And the faster you will be able to quiet your mind and do so effectively.
Just keep picking back up where you left off. And like with anything else in life, the more you practice, the better you will get 🙂
Do So Daily
Again, just like with anything else, we getting better with consistency. So schedule your meditation each day at a time in which you can stick to it.
The more you stick to this schedule, the more you will just do so naturally. It becomes such an ingrained habit that you no longer have to even exert much effort, if any at all to stick to this habit.
Maybe you want to do so in the morning as part of your morning rituals that start your day right.
Or maybe you want to end your day with a nice session that can help you sink into sleep better.
And you can even try to do so mid day to calm your mind of stresses that you are experiencing from you work day.
No matter what your preferred time is to mediate, stick to it each day.
Try To Do So Near The End of The Day
When you start your day out, you are already thinking about all the things you have to do that day. Positive and negative. Excitement and stress is filling up your experience in the morning. You may even be tempted to jam your mediation session in right before something else.
But if you wait until the end of the day, you can bypass all of this. For example say you do your meditation and hour after you eat your last meal.
You have done all you can do for that day. Or at least almost all of it. And you are not rushed. You won’t FEEL rushed.
That is so key because then you can already be more prepared to go into the meditation session. Knowing that you have nothing else to really worry about.
This is an effective tip for us just beginning as well. As we need all the help we can to settle in the mind and get that baby quiet!
Meditate In The Same Place
The best fit for me, when I really sink into my meditations fast and effectively, are when I am in my room.
I guess it is really just a safe place for me. I am familiar with the area. As well as I know that the distractions are going to be minimal.
I also have great sessions on top of a hike I do.
Find places in which you feel the most safe and secure. Because this will ease our crocodile brain. Signaling that we do not have to worry about any threats. Sounds extreme, but it is true about this area of our mind.
Once we quiet this area of our mind, our high functioning centers of our brain can take over. And allow us to intellectually conceptualize the process with more ease.
Letting us maximize our time we spend in meditation.
Don’t Meditate When You Are Tired
When you start meditating when you are tired, it can make you doze off. I have done it a few times when I think I can meditate right before I go to bed.
I go in thinking that I will sleep better because my mind is quiet. Which will help me sink off into dreamland more effectively.
In theory, this would work great! But it never has. Not once!
I end up crashing out a couple minutes in. And waking up a minutes or hours afterwards. Or to my preset daily alarm in the morning when it is time to wake up for the next day!
Use Your Eyes
Different people have different preferences for how they use their eyes during meditation. Some people feel as if they can reach deeper states of meditation while closing their eyes.
Others feel as if they need to be wide open.
Some of the ancient Buddhist teachings advocate keeping your eyes half open and half closed.
For me, I like to keep my eyes focused on one thing on the way or in my meditation space. This helps me keep more focused.
Try different things with your gaze. I think you will find a certain style that you like in which you can really enjoy your mediation more and make it more effective for you with the way you use your eyes.
Take The Process Seriously
There are certain times in life where we dumb down things by taking them less serious. But the fact of the matter is that meditation can be something in your life that can bring you a lot of fulfillment. And you want to respect the process by fully devoting yourself to it.
I mean with anything in life. You get out what you put into it. So really commit to the process. Take it serious. Don’t mess around or let yourself get distracted.
Whether it is for 1 minute or 1 hour. Devote yourself completely to the process. And I promise that you will feel more at peace at the end of each session.
Don’t Cling Onto Thoughts
During meditation and life itself, it is easy to get attached to our thoughts and feelings. To become them in a sense. But during meditation, you want to simply become a the witnesser of your thoughts. You want to just simply watch them go by.
Meditation is a great time to let go of unwanted thoughts. And you can’t do so when you are identifying with your thoughts. You need to disassociate yourself from the thought. And you can do so by watching your thoughts, instead of becoming them.
Just see them as visitors. In which you can watch them pass by. If you want to keep it. Or you can choose to let it go for good.
Meditate When You Are Slightly Hungry
Trying to meditate on a full stomach can be super tough. You tend to go into a it a little drowzy. Or simple not as hyper aware as you would like to be.
This can cause you to act out the meditation process a little more sluggish. Or cause you to fall asleep mid practice!
But also, you don’t want to be super hungry, to where it is distracting you from sinking into a nice session of meditation.
Set Your Timer and Leave It Be!
When I first started meditating, I would set my timer and keep checking it. Seeing how long I had left and how far I had come with my session.
But it simply just kept knocking me off course with my practice.
If you find yourself doing this, you may need to simply start with less meditation time. Starting with a few minutes a day. Then adding more something like a minute more each week. Until you reach a point where you can go 20-30 minutes without feeling the need to check your timer.
You can also set your timer and put it on the other side of the room. This will takeaway the chance to open up your phone and see how much time you have left.
Just trust the process and know that the less distractions you create during your time, the quieter your mind will become during your meditation sessions.
Enjoy The Process
Even though meditation can create some seriously great benefits, it doesn’t have to be taken very serious. In a sense that you don’t have to look a certain way. Be a certain way. Or act a certain way.
You just need to respect the process and have some fun with it. Relax into your sessions. And try to enjoy yourself.
The more you enjoy the process, the easier it will be to go deeper into your meditation. And better yet the more likely you will be integrate meditation into your life on a daily basis.
Don’t Try To Be Perfect
Shooting for perfection in anything is an awesome pursuit. And admirable. But tying to meditate perfectly can get in the way of you really doing so effectively.
Allow yourself to just do what you can with the knowledge and experience you have.
Trust that YOU can do it to. That you don’t have to be a certain type of person or master the technique you are using before you ever even reap any of the benefits of meditation.
This includes not trying to worry about what, if at all, you are doing wrong. It is literally impossible to do mediation wrong!
You, of course, can maximize your efforts by doing certain things. But you CAN’T do it wrong! Know this and internalize this. And this will help do away with the feeling that you may be doing it wrong.
Don’t Force The Process
Whether it is mantra meditation or breathing meditation, it is best to let the process evolve.
I know that when I first started meditating, I used the mantra OM. And I would try to say OM the same exact way and in the same exact pace each time.
But as I relaxed more into the process, the mantra took on a life of it’s own. I would say it in my head and sometimes it would come out as dull and short. And other times it would come out as more pronounced and loud in my head.
The same was true about when I started up with breath meditation. I would try to force myself to breath in and out and watch my breath at the same time.
But the less I tried to control the process, the more I was able to just allow myself to breathe. And I was more naturally able to witness the process. And live in the moment more and more effectively during my practice.
Resource: 85 Live In The Moment Quotes
Immerse Yourself In The Culture
Like anything, doing things alone can become a little boring. And we may not look forward to it as much if we are not surrounded by people who are on the same path.
This can mean getting a partner to meditate with. Or keep each other accountable.
Or it can mean joining online communities where people like you are learning to master meditation.
Ingrain It Into Your Personality
If you really start to like meditation, it can become great to start to identify with it. Make it become who you are and what you are about.
Because human beings are great at doing things in line with what and who they feel that they are. We act in accordance with those beliefs.
Start talking to people about your practice. Tell them about what types of meditations you do. How it has changed your life in a positive way. As well as what you are looking forward to getting from it in the near and distant future.
This will cement your belief in it. And make you act upon your practice with more ease. And just naturally meditate each day without really thinking about it.
Welcome Thoughts As They Come Up
The whole process of meditation is not to suppress thoughts. One would think so because meditation is about quieting our mind.
By we quiet our mind by placing our emphasis on on something. Focusing one one thing. Like our breath or simply a mantra.
Through constant repetition of this process, we can quiet the mind without trying to suppress the thoughts.
And we can do this, not by trying to push them away, but allowing them to come up and pass on. Like ships in the night!
Commit To Giving It A Solid Try
The first meditation session I had, I found myself being pretty bored with it. I wanted to just never revisit it again. But I chose to move forward with it. And am glad I did.
Commit to daily meditation for at least 21 days. The data shows that it takes around this amount of days of doing something consistent to form a new habit.
At the end of this time, you can decide if meditation is for you or not!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up If You Miss A Session
I am super tough on myself. When I would miss a meditation session, I would feel pretty bad. I felt like I had to start all over or something.
But don’t worry if you miss a sesh. Just get back on the horse and get back on track!
Smile At Unwanted Feelings
We have a tendency to run from things that don’t feel good. Suppress them. But during meditation, we have the chance to step back from our thoughts and feelings and see them from a entirely different vantage point.
So when meditating, use this tip to use the power of positivity to dissipate unwanted feelings. They are JUST feelings. Simply trapped energy in the form of an extremely small ball of molecules that have accumulated in your body.
That’s it!
So when it comes down to now feelings these feelings and being more present with them, literally smile and laugh at these feelings that you don’t want.
I promise that after a couple of rounds of this, they will dissipate and won’t effect you as much. If at all anymore.
Don’t Try To Mimic Other Postures
We have all seen pictures of this gurus and zen masters in some epic posture. In half or full lotus. Or even hanging from a tree!
Don’t really worry about mastering these postures first. Just be comfortable but still erect enough to feel energized. Then get into your practice!
Keep Your Hands Open
When we close our hands, this is an indicator that we are stressed. And resisting the process. You want to open your hands while you meditate. This will be an indicator to your mind and body that this is a safe practice. And you will be able to enjoy the process more and enjoy deeper meditations.
Count Your Breaths
You can play with difference cadences when meditating. A good one for beginning meditation is to count to 4 while breathing in. Hold your breath for 2 seconds. Then breath out for 3. This is another awesome meditating tip.
I got this one from Deepak Chopra. A master at meditation. And it works great for centering your mind and body with the breath.
Cultivate Feelings
Another great tip by Deepak is to cultivate pleasant feelings while mediating. You can think about someone you deeply love. And then allow that emotion to well up in your body. And then you stand back and observe the feeling.
You can do the same if you want to feel something like compassion. Think about a cause near and dear to your heart. And the feeling of compassion of wanting to help the people that will benefit from this cause.
Then again, stand back from the feeling and observe it.
This form of meditation is referred to as insight meditation.
Conclusion To Tips For Meditating
So there we are my friend. A myriad of tips to help you with meditation. Whether you are first starting out or have been doing so in your life. Utilize some or all of these tips to really maximize your meditation sessions.
As you see now, there countless ways to meditate and get the most out of it. Starting today.
I hope you got value from the article. And learned something that can help you in your life.
Now I want to hear from you!
Share with me what your favorite tip for meditating was. As well as if you have anything to add to the article that we can all learned from. Maybe something that has really helped you meditate better.
Let’s chat in the comment section below!
Peace,
Chris
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