Getting Started with Meditation

Before I list off a few meditation options and techniques you can try to find what works for you, I'd like to give you some of my own experiences with meditation.

Meditation is one habit I've struggled for years to try and build. I've tried many times and failed.

You always hear about it in interviews or read the research on how important it can be but I've never been able to do it properly. And I think one of the main reasons is because I held a common misconception: I always believed meditation was supposed to be relaxing. But I really don't believe that this is the way to think about the process of it.

When I imagine someone, who was 'good at meditation' it was someone who was relaxed, calm, present, focused. Whenever I tried to meditate, I assumed I should feel relaxed, calm, present, focused. But these are simply the results of meditation, not the process of meditating, and especially hard to do when I first started.

When I first tried meditating on my own, I closed my eyes and waited for something to happen. Of course, nothing happened and my mind was as busy as ever.  I was always easily distracted by the sounds around me, or would have my mind wander off to work issues or things I needed to be doing, and thought I just wasn't doing it right or it wasn't for me.

I would sit in silence and set my timer for these 5 minutes, close my eyes, and would rarely last the 5 minutes without opening my eyes to check how long I had left to go.

Now after a few months of practicing I'm beginning to realize that the mind wandering off is actually an essential part of the process of meditating. Even when I am trying to pay close attention to my breath I still get distracted by other sensations, but as they pass, I simply return my attention to the breathing.

I'm no longer just trying to sit in silence and have tried instead to use guided meditation.  I am using Waking Up with Sam Harris App and the current guided mediation practise helps me train my ability to notice sights, sounds, sensations and thoughts as they appear in my consciousness.

Finding a meditation technique that works for you

If something doesn't work for you, don't stress it out! There are so many techniques that you can try and you'll find one that works for you. 

There are many ways to build your practice. If you’re feeling stuck, try a new approach.

I also want to remind you that I know very little about meditation and am actively trying to include this myself to my daily habits too.

I’m in the beginning stages of meditation with a very very basic level of knowledge of the practice

Mindfulness with Breathing / Focused Attention

This form of meditation is fairly straightforward because it uses the object of your breath to focus attention, to anchor the mind and maintain awareness. Notice your mind starting to wander? Simply return to the breath.

Body Scan Meditation

This is supposedly great for beginners. Focus your attention on different parts of your body from your head to your feet, notice how they feel and release any tension. Often, our body is doing one thing while our mind is elsewhere. This technique is designed to sync body and mind by performing a mental scan, from the top of the head to the end of your toes. 

Mantra Meditation

Think of a mantra — a word or phrase you repeat during meditation — as a tool to help release your mind. Since it helps you stay focused, it could lead to improved results from meditation. You repeat it over and over in your head, often timing it with your breathing. An example they give is "Let Go", but you can pick anything that resonates with you.

Count Your Breaths

Breath counting is an easy variant of the mantra meditation technique. Count every time you exhale, and when you reach 10, start over at 1 on the next exhale. 

Use An App or Guided Audio Track (I Highly Recommend)

There are so many apps that all take a different approach with their meditation style, narration, app design, and more.

Later this week I will be providing a quick overview and rundown of which you may want to try. Some of the best meditation apps out there are designed specifically for beginners and can then progress users into more advanced meditators.

The upcoming overview will list the top Meditation Apps that can be found in the iOS or Google Play Store. The list will include apps like Waking Up, Headspace, Ten Percent Happier, Insight Timer, Smiling Mind & Calm.

I have recently started using Waking Up with Sam Harris and think it is fantastic, but I would love to know what you find works as well.