How To Meditate For Beginners: Getting Started

Have you ever tried to meditate? Have you been hearing about all the wonderful effects that a daily meditation practice has on your body- physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually? Have you read about all those people that get up extra early in the morning and meditate for 20 minutes? 

Does all that sound great? Or does it make you want to hit the snooze button? Or a little bit of both? If you have explored how to mediate for beginners it may seem a bit overwhelming. When you think of meditation do you picture sitting on the floor in an uncomfortable position for way too long while trying your hardest to empty your mind completely- while you breathe and hope that enough time has gone by?

Well, let’s not do that- Let’s get some tips to help us start a daily meditation practice that is manageable, enjoyable, fits into our daily life, and has room to grow (if that is what we want).

Before you get started, you may be interested in this printable To Be List. Instead of the traditional To Do List, you can make a list of the things you would like to be. For instance, today I will be patient, creative, open to new opportunities- the list of possibilities is endless. Print it out and place it somewhere that you can see throughout the day.

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Starting a daily meditation practice sounds great on paper- but how do we even start? 

Let’s start at the beginning and take a quick look at what exactly meditation is. Then, if you are interested you can take a look at some research on how it is actually helping us. Next we will take a quick look at how it can help us with healthy aging. Finally- we get some tips on how to mediate beginners.

What Is Meditation?

Meditation has been around for many many years. It is a practice that involves using mental and physical techniques to help clear and/or focus the mind. It can help us with stress management, help relieve anxiety, help us adapt to challenges, and help us relax. Meditation is not clearing your mind so that it is empty. It does not have to involve sitting motionless – although it can. The wonderful thing about meditation is that there are techniques that can fit everyone’s needs. If you have tried it before and it did not resonate with you- I encourage you to give it another try.

Remember, as with any mindfulness practice, it is cumulative and it will take time to feel the effects of a meditation practice.

Here is some information if you would like more details. Meditation is a very robust subject- I am here to give you practical tips on how to get started. There are so many resources it can seem overwhelming. Just start with the basics and work out from there.

Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know | NCCIH

The History and Origin of Meditation

12 Science-Based Benefits of Meditation

How Can Meditation Help Us With Healthy Aging?

• Aging can bring all kinds of challenges- both positive and negative. How we deal with those challenges is what can make the difference in how we feel and our outlook on life.
• Changes in our health circumstances may require us to have patience and calmness to deal with difficult decisions.
• Meditation can help us better deal with the anxiety that comes with uncertain times.
• Starting a movement based meditation practice can help us continue with lifelong mobility exercises that will serve us in anything that we do.
• If you are a caregiver, meditation can help you deal with the demands on your mental, physical and emotional state.

So, there are just some basics and resources to help get you started in learning about or beginning a daily meditation practice. Take a look at those resources for a deeper read or keep reading for some tips for how to meditate for beginners. You may also be interested in this book: Practicing Mindfulness-75 Essential Meditations Or, you may be interested in this meditation card deck: 108 Mindfulness Meditations: Every Day Peace Cards

7 Basic Meditation Tips: How To Meditate For Beginners 

1. Start slowly

Do not aim for 20 minutes right away- start with 2-3 minutes and go from there. Gradually build up as you are able to- no pressure.

2. Do not try to sit in an uncomfortable position

Do not start by sitting in a cross legged posture on the floor if that is not what is right for you. Begin your meditation practice by moving your body and adding some light movement- whatever that means for you- before you come to stillness. Here are some simple suggestions:

• Toes taps
• Raise the arms up overhead and then back down a few times
• March in palace
• Arms swings
• Small jumps 
• Whatever movement feels good

Then, find a comfortable position. It may be in a chair, lying down on the ground, or even your bed. If you want to sit on the floor in a cross legged position, you may try sitting up on a yoga block, pillow, or blanket to lessen the strain on tight hips and allow you to lengthen through the spine a bit more.

3. Do not try to empty your mind

That is not the goal. Our minds are never empty. Allow thoughts to come and go- it is the act of acknowledging those thoughts and then simply letting them go as you come back to your focus or your breathing. Keep repeating, no matter how frequently those random thoughts enter- that is life. Over time this will help you in your daily life as stressors come at inopportune times. Let it go and deal with the present moment. Then, you can come back to the stressors as needed with a calmer mind and body.

4. No Judgment

Do not feel bad or judge your success or lack thereof. There is no good or bad meditation. Take from it what you can and move on – you get another opportunity tomorrow. There is only positivity here. If your goal was to practice for 10 minutes and you made it 7- that’s great. Learn and move forward.

5. Start A Routine

Set a time to practice each day. If waking up at 5 am is not going to work for you- don’t set yourself up for failure. Pick a time that is manageable and start there.  Ask yourself, “ when during the day can I reasonably set aside a few minutes?”

6. Keep It Simple

Don’t overthink it- just start. If you end up sitting or laying down on the floor and simply breathing for 5 minutes- great! You just did something wonderful for your body and your mind.

Be sure to check in with how you feel after. You can write it in a journal if that is your thing- or simply make a mental note of how you feel before and then after.

7. Have Fun

Above all, enjoy it. Have some fun and don’t take it too seriously- unless that is what you want! When we start something new, we never know where it will take us. Once you develop a routine, you can start adding in other elements that may resonate with you. This simple 20 Minute Meditation Candle Set may be of interest to you.

Be sure to keep reading for a simple 2-3 minute exercise ( I mean super simple) to help get you started. Then take a look at 4 meditation practices that you may be interested in. 

One Simple Way To Get Started With Meditation For Absolute Beginners

Begin by finding some gentle movement. If you are seated you may try to roll the shoulders one way and then the other, bring the shoulders up to the ears and then down, tap the toes, or march in place. If you are standing, rise up and down on the heels, swing the arms, do some marches or small jumps. Just notice how you feel.

Then, find a comfortable position. You can sit on the floor, in a chair, lie down- you choose. You just want it to be free of distraction. If you wish, you can set a gentle timer for 2-3 minutes. Now, try the following:

• Now, close your eyes and just breath
• Take a nice deep inhale and a nice long exhale
• Focus only on the sound of your breath 
• Do not concern yourself with any extraneous noise- think of all the background noise as music
• Inhale as you tap your pointer finger on one hand to your thumb and then slowly exhale. Inhale as you tap the thumb to the middle finger and then slowly exhale. Repeat with the rest of your fingers and the move to the other hand. You may repeat as many times as you want.
• If a thought comes into your mind, acknowledge it and then simply return to the sounds and sensations of your breath and the sensations in you fingers.
• When the timer goes off, open your eyes. Gently introduce some movement to the body- point and flex the feet, roll the wrists, or stretch the arms overhead.
• Take your time as you come back to your body and then notice how you feel

There you did it!

Here Are 5 Meditation Practices For Beginners:

1. Mantra Focused

Here,  you would pick a mantra that resonates with you. As you sit comfortably and focus on the breath – repeat your mantra a few times. Then as you sit quietly, whenever you have thoughts coming into the mind you will simply repeat the mantra as you return to the focus on your breath. You can start with 2-3 minutes and then go from there. You can find some examples here: 21 Mantras To Transform Your Meditation Practice

2.Meditation With Movement

This involves gentle movements as we focus on how the body feels and connects us to our breath. You may have heard of sun salutations where we move from one posture to the next and connect the movements with our breath. Here is my modified chair yoga sun salutation  or you may try this standing version.

Or simply try this:

• Sit tall with a long spine with the arms by your sides and palms facing the body.
• Inhale as you slowly raise the arms overhead as far as is comfortable and exhale to gently lower the arms back down.
• Repeat several times and then notice how you feel

3. Walking meditations

Walking meditations are also a way to combine meditation with movement. Simply go for a walk and focus on the present moment. Use all your senses as you take in your surroundings. Nothing is good or bad,  it just is. Take a walk for a few minutes as you focus on your breath and the environment and then see how you feel.

4. Mindfulness Meditation.

This involves staying in the present moment. You can do this anywhere and at any time. It is about being in the moment and focusing on the sensations of the given tasks. For example, the next time you are washing dishes focus on the water- how the water temperature feels, how it feels on your skin, and the sensations and the sounds

Take any activity that you are doing and just try to be in the moment. Use all your senses as you bring some awareness to your breath. Then, notice how you feel.

5. Visual Based Meditation

Here we have two types- internal or external. In internal meditation we focus on a mental image – it could be a color, a symbol, a place, or an activity. Guided meditation can be very useful for beginners as it takes the focus off of you and you simply follow along and create an image in your mind of the words that you hear. 

External visual meditation can involve focusing on an external object such as the flame of a candle, a dot on the wall, or even how a flag is blowing in the breeze. Simply breathe and focus only on the object.

Here are a few more resources to help you get started. Remember it does not have to be perfect. Just get started. Once you have carved out a daily habit- you may find that you are interested in learning more, expanding your techniques, or extending your time. Remember not to rush. Try not to approach it as something you check off or have to do. Over time you will find that it changes from something you have to do to something you get to do!

Guided Forest Walk Meditation ( 20 Minutes)

5 Minute Candle Meditation

Guided Morning Meditation (10 Minutes)

Let me know how it goes in the comments below!

Want More?

Try this 3 Part Meditation For Beginners Series (Pick Up Limes)

Take a look at the 21 Day Mindfulness Challenge for a gentle introduction to mindfulness practices

If you are a caregiver, you may be interested in  Chair Yoga For Caregivers

You may also be interested in learning about the 7 types of rest and how to get them

If you would like a daily journal notebook, you may be interested in my simple Daily Journal Notebook

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Or take a look at The Peaceful Chair Etsy Shop for health and wellness related printables

Namaste!

Disclaimer: The Peaceful Chair and thepeacefulchair.com strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before starting this or any exercise program.The information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not to be used in place of medical advice or information from your healthcare provider. Neither The Peaceful Chair, the peacefulchair.com, nor any of its contributors shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the information contained in any links, videos, or any content on this website.