Struggling to Meditate? These 7 Tips Can Help You.
- Dawn
- May 19, 2016
- 3 min read
The benefits of meditation are wonderful, some of them being stress reduction, improvement in brain function, increase in attention span and improved sleep. What makes meditation so great is that it’s free and natural. You don’t need to give your money to anyone to benefit from meditation. All you need is time, patience and a comfortable place to sit. Many people will struggle with meditation due to thinking that they will never be able to get their minds to be still, or that they simply cannot focus for that long. I used to feel the same way, but using the following tips I was able to break out of that way of thinking and start practising meditation.
1. Good posture You’ll find many photos/articles/videos on the internet telling you which way is the correct way to sit when you meditate. It can be hard to work out which posture to follow so for beginners it’s best to keep it simple. The most important thing is to find what is comfortable for you, whilst making sure that you are sitting with your back straight. It’s also good practice to sit with your legs crossed, palms on your lap facing upwards and your head tilting down. You can use cushions to sit on or as back support. Remember that you have to be able to sit in this position for a while so you need to feel comfortable!
2. A quiet room Meditation is not going to work if you will be constantly interrupted. Find a warm quiet room where you will not be distracted. If you need to, tell others that you will be having some quiet time and that you need not be interrupted. If your house is too loud, meditating outside in nature is great too!
3. Focus on the breath Once in a comfortable position, you can begin to focus on taking deep breaths. Take a deep breath through your nose for three seconds, hold for two, and exhale for another three seconds. Use this focus to get out of your thought pattern. If I am struggling to meditate because I have too much on my mind, I imagine myself inhaling positive thoughts/energy and exhaling all the bad. You will soon find that this is very therapeutic and works as a great mindfulness practice for getting yourself out of panic attacks or moments of distress.
4. Make sure you are breathing correctly When practising meditation, one of the most common mistakes is incorrect breathing. Think of it like singing – when you sing you sing from your diaphragm. When you breathe you should be breathing from your diaphragm as this allows you to take deeper breaths. Your Stomach should expand when you inhale and retract when you exhale.
4. Understand that you will have fleeting thoughts Do not get disheartened or annoyed when these thoughts enter your mind. Most of the time these thoughts will be random words. Just don’t pay attention to them.
5. Stop waiting for something to happen One of the biggest reasons why people give up on meditation so quickly is because they spend their time waiting for something to happen. Meditation is a state of higher consciousness but it is not like lucid dreaming or astral projection. The idea is to be able to sit with yourself, clear your mind and relax. The end result does not happen simply by meditating one time. It is a mental awakening that will occur over a period of time and change your life for the better. It’s worth it I promise so just keep at it!
6. Still struggling? Guided meditation or Binaural Beats can help you In all honesty, I struggle to sit and meditate without the use of binaural beats. Meditation is something that can take years to master but we can fast-track this skill by using binaural beats. Our brain cells generate electricity as a way to communicate with each other and these are known as brain waves. There are five main patterns of brain waves, each associated with a different state of consciousness. Binaural beats cause your brain to entrain you with the beat frequency. Click here to learn more about binaural beats and how they affect your brain.
7. Don't give up Reaching a state of higher consciousness is not something that happens instantly. It may take five, ten, or even fifteen minutes for you to reach meditation. It’s no good just giving up after five minutes of sitting still. Be patient and it will come to you, along with all of the amazing benefits which will help you along your journey.
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