How to Meditate.

I think you will find it is really much easier than you may think.

First of all, you are likely already meditating in some form and have just never labeled it as meditation. At its simplest, have you ever just sat and pondered or just gazed into space thinking about nothing in particular? Some call it day-dreaming, some say you are spaced out. Well, I propose to you that those moments are indeed meditative. The only difference is you did not set out to meditate - it just happened. Another scenario, have you ever been so intent on something that everything else around you just seemed to disappear and nothing mattered but what was right in front of you; you were completely “in the moment?” My point is there are so many people that say they have never meditated and don't know how; however, again I say to you, these are meditative moments. This all being said, you now have a reference point as to what meditation feels like. It really is that simple. The only difference is that then you did not set out to meditate, it just happened.

Now then, all that is left is to do it on purpose or with intent. The easiest way is to make sure you set aside some time. When you are first beginning to practice meditation, it really doesn't matter how long, simply make sure you set aside some time where you will be totally alone with no exte
al influences of any kind, no music, no television, no phones, no computer, etc. Make your meditation environment as quiet as possible.

I know it is very difficult when you have never done this before to do it for very long which is why I recommend setting aside only 20 minutes. If, for whatever reason, you cannot sit completely still for 20 minutes, then start with 10 minutes – the important thing is to set aside the time for the specific purpose of sitting quietly. It is perfectly acceptable to set an alarm for however long you want to meditate so you do not have the tendency to “peek” at a clock – just sit until the alarm goes off.

Once you have set your space and time and are ready to begin, simply take a few slow, deep breaths – I recommend breathing in through your nose, hold it for a second and exhale slowly through your mouth. With each breath, just allow your Self to relax.

Once you feel relaxed, simply say to your Self, "Please show me a good memory of my childhood." Actually saying it is best, but even if you just say it silently, that is a good start. Once you have said that, just sit quietly. Pay attention to how you feel, what you feel, and where in your body you feel it. The first few times you may not 'get’ anything; but stay with it and within a very short time you will start to remember something of your childhood that you haven't thought about in a long time. Once that memory comes in, just allow it to unfold. I would bet “dollars to donuts”, as the saying goes, that once this happens you will likely sit there longer than the 10 or 20 minutes you allotted your Self.

Yes, there are a multitude of books, cds, dvds, etc. that explain how to meditate. You are certainly free to pursue them and spend a lot of time figuring out the best way to learn to meditate; please be careful that you do not spend all of your time “learning” and not meditating. That being said, I am not claiming that this is the best way to learn to meditate, rather, that I believe it to be the simplest. My goal is to help people to learn and practice meditation. It matters not to me how you learn or how you meditate, just please do your Self and the rest of humanity a favor and practice meditating on a regular basis.

There are also probably as many breathing techniques, postures, and other varieties of meditation, as there are people teaching them. I recommend that you delve into them if you are so inclined; however, please wait until you are comfortable just sitting quietly for at least a half-hour at a time, an hour would be better, but just be sure you are comfortable with being able to sit quietly before expanding on other ways to meditate.

Once you are comfortable sitting quietly for a period of time, then by all means, experiment to your heart’s content. As I said, there are innumerable ways to meditate and a myriad of different meditations. For example, you may want to do a crystal or gem stone meditation, a candle meditation, listen to music, etc. And finally, once you are more comfortable sitting or lying quietly, you will find you can meditate “ON” something; for example, you may have a decision to make or a challenge that needs a solution; meditation is a great way to arrive at the best answer or solution.

This article is part of a series of articles I have written about meditation; the “Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of meditation. I also recommend you download and read my article Our Three Minds . This will help you better understand why meditation works so well and why it is so powerful.

Thank you for being you.