Meditation has so many benefits from cultivating deep relaxation, reducing anxiety, and increasing creativity. Meditation is also a journey, there are ups and downs and some days feel easier than others. Like anything in life, the more attention and love we put into creating a new skill or habit, the more likely we are to develop it.
For many people, starting out meditation can feel elusive or frustrating. You may have heard about all the benefits, but not quite experienced them all yet. Below we’ve listed some tips and ideas for those of you who can relate and find yourselves in that space.
There are many different styles of meditation and mindfulness practices. Very often when starting out, you might try one and not vibe with it, and therefore give up or feel a bit unsure about investing more time in it. Realistically, we are all individuals and some styles of practices are going to resonate more than others. In the beginning, give yourself some time to try a few different practices and just note how they make you feel. When you’re starting out, stick with the practice that resonates with you the most. Don’t be afraid of repeating the same practice over and over again. This is really helpful when you’re starting out so you can really start to sink into the practice rather than constantly flitting from one thing to another and not being able to go deep into yourself.
Whilst meditating in the morning has significant benefits to start the day right, it’s not for everyone. Perhaps you’re not a morning person, or your kids are super early risers and you feel like you can’t get a moment to yourself in the morning. If this is you, then try out other times of the day. If you work, maybe it’s your lunch break, or it’s in the evening after the kids go to bed. Try out some different times that you know will work best for you and your lifestyle. If you pick a time that isn’t realistic for how you live, chances are you’ll keep skipping your practice.
Like any habit in life, whether it be healthy eating or exercise, consistency is key. For sure there are going to be days you don’t feel like meditating (they’re often the days you need it most!). But just like exercise, you never regret meditating after you’ve done it. After following the other suggestions above, once you’ve found a practice you love and a time of day that works for you, you really need to stick to it to get results. A good tip here is to have a short practice that you love as well as a longer one. That way if a curveball comes your way, go for the shorter practice, rather than skipping your meditation. It’s always about quality over quantity and getting into the rhythm of consistency.
If you’re sitting cross-legged, you can sit on a cushion or blanket to elevate your hips a bit as this makes it easier to keep your spine straight without putting strain on your lower back. Decent headphones help if you’re in a noisy space and having an eye mask can also help turn your senses more deeply within. These things are all optional of course, but worth looking at if you’re serious about creating a daily meditation practice.
As with everything, there’s no right time to start a meditation practice. So, start today. It may take a few days or weeks to find your favourite practices and teachers and see which practices could become a daily habit for you so you can start committing to a regular meditation practice that you love and suits your lifestyle.
A video guide to meditation. In this class Gelong Thubten guides you through the basics of the practice, what meditation is and what to expect from a class. This is a tutorial with a short beginners practice designed to help you get started, rather than a daily practice.
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This beginners meditation practice with Belinda Matwali guides you through a relaxing fifteen minute practice to release tension and create a deeper sense of connection.
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This beginners practice with Gelong Thubten guides you through a classic meditation practice in a very accessible, easy to follow manner.
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This 10-minute meditation focuses on a simple breathing pattern to support your body shift into the restorative, rest-and-digest parasympathetic nervous system. This practice is the perfect way to feel more grounded in your body and mind.
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A classic meditation with Gelong Thubten, which you can come back to time and time again. This practice focuses on the senses, the room around you and the breath to cultivate a deeper sense of ease and awareness. A great practice for beginners and those with more experience.
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