A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

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Have you ever connected to something so deeply and so quickly that you wondered how you ever lived without it? That has been my journey with meditation over the last year. I honestly can’t believe it took me so long to start doing this amazing connective practice. Once I learned how to meditate it was like a switch flipped. I have felt a positive change in so many areas of my life. My mental health has improved tremendously. I am learning to listen to and trust my intuition. I am learning to follow my own path and not the path I feel others think I need to be on. There have been so many benefits for me all because I learned how to meditate and made it a consistent daily habit.

I think one of the things I love most about this too is you decide how to make meditation work best for you. Only have 5 minutes? Great! That is plenty of time to connect your body and mind and reap the benefits of stillness. Even if you can only do it for 1 minute, do it! Stillness is something we all need so desperately because we are constantly on the go. Stillness allows us to process emotions and memories, let them go, and become stronger. I first became consistent in meditation after reading a couple of books from one of my favorite spiritual teachers, Gabby Bernstein. Her books Super Attractor and The Universe Has your Back both convinced me that I need to make this a daily practice. If you are looking for a good read, I would highly recommend either of those books.

So have I convinced you that you need to learn how to mediate yet? Let’s dive in.

This post will cover:

• What is meditation?
• Why is meditation beneficial
• Who should meditate?
• How to meditate

 

What is Meditation?

Meditation is a simple practice using different tools and techniques to be mindful, calm your stress, relax your body and mind, and promote overall well being. It allows you to focus inwardly and become stronger mentally and emotionally. It allows you to let go of stresses and think clearly. There are different types of meditation and it is beneficial to try them all and decide which one works best for you.

Why is meditation beneficial?

Meditation has been the difference between me feeling like I’m thriving instead of just surviving. Meditation has given me the mental clarity to let go of stresses that don’t serve me, realize what is important and what I should be focusing on, and to be an overall more calm person. It has come in clutch for me over the last few months while we have had to stay at home during the pandemic. I have felt very little stress and have had so much mental clarity and I know that has a lot to do with my consistency in mediating.

Do you ever take the time to be still? It is so hard at first but I think pretty much everyone who meditates can feel the benefits right away. Being still can be hard since we are used to living in such a fast paced world. But being still can literally make the difference you need in your life.

 

Who should meditate?

Everyone. For real. Every single person should meditate. It is such a powerful thing to be still and trying to listen to and strengthen your intuition. I do simple meditations with all my kids all the time and they absolutely love it. They even ask for it now when they are upset and want to calm down. It has been so amazing to watch them learn to enjoy the benefits as well. Literally every person can benefit from meditation.

 

How to meditate

I think this is the step that most people get overwhelmed when trying to figure out. It can be hard to know where to start because there are a ton of ways to meditate and SO MANY resources. For me, the most simple way has been to follow guided meditations. There is literally a meditation for anything and everything. I like to search on youtube for what I need that day. I have enjoyed meditations that open and clear my chakras, focus my mind, help with forgiveness and physical healing, and calm my nerves. This is one of the first guided meditations I did and I had tears running down my face. It was so powerful. I have a playlist on youtube that I save my favorites too so I can find them easily again.

I have also loved the Meditation Minis Podcast and hers are a bit shorter. She has meditations for so many different areas. I have also heard many wonderful things about Kundalini meditations and have done a couple of those on meditating.

Once you decide which way you are going to meditate, get into a comfortable position. Most of the time the meditation will tell you what to do with your body. I like to sit with my legs crossed and my palms on my knees in receiving mode. It is important to keep a straight tall spine. I like to raise my chin a bit and smile softly. It is important that you stay as still as you can. It is hard at first but you will catch on quickly. Plus your body will thank you.

I love to journal right after I meditate too. Sometimes I receive guidance and ideas and I make sure to document them right away so I don’t forget. I love going back and reading my journal posts of my inspiration. It keeps me motivated to keep going. There is something so therapeutic about writing on paper with a pen and letting all those feelings flow out. Call me old fashioned but I absolutely LOVE it.

Well there you have it! If you have any questions on how to meditate, please comment or contact me.

I have another post that talks more about what I do each day to bring more peace to my life here.