Most of us surely know by now that meditation comes with a wide range of health benefits. It can help us deal with stress or anxiety and it makes us relax by chasing our problems away. It’s like exercising for your brain basically. And we all want to train ourselves to be smarter and healthier.
The best thing about this very popular practice is that it’s easy and totally free. You can do it from the comfort of your home whenever you please. Read on if you want to learn more about the 6 practical tips to get started with meditation.
MORE: 5 Guaranteed Ways to Get Rid of Hiccups Fast
1. Choose a quiet place.
Peaceful surroundings make the meditating experience for beginners more enjoyable and relaxing. So make sure you pick a spot where you are less likely to be disturbed. You can first try it out in your bedroom and then maybe move to more exotic environments such as a forest. Why not? Nature could even help you relax much faster.
2. Choose the right time.
When you do it is also a key for enhancing the experience. Again, you don’t want to be bothered by external factors that could ruin your mood. The most ideal times for meditating are usually either early in the morning, at sunrise, or at night, when everyone’s asleep.
3. Sit in a comfortable position.
Because you’ll be doing this for a while, you need to feel comfortable. Don’t worry: you really don’t have to sit in the lotus position if you find it difficult. The most important thing is to feel relaxed and focus on removing the tension in your muscles. And make sure you keep your spine erect and your eyes closed.
MORE: 4 Surprising Tricks That Will Help You Focus Better
4. Start with a few minutes.
For beginners, the recommended time is 3-5 minutes. When you first start meditating, even a couple of minutes can seem a long time because you’re not used to it. As you progress and become more experienced, you may extend the period to 15 or even 30 minutes per day. Whatever makes you feel comfortable.
5. Focus on your breath.
This is the easiest thing you can do for now. Take deep breaths and focus on each and every one. You will feel more relaxed instantly and notice that the rhythm will become slower and slower. Don’t worry if random thoughts pop into your head. This is natural. The key is to just sit with them and watch them as they simply come and go.
MORE: 7 Great Tips to Become the Most Productive Person You Know
6. Open your eyes slowly.
When you’re done, don’t rush with going back to your everyday activities. It’s best if you open your eyes gently and become aware of your surroundings. Then take one deep breath again and you’ll see how amazing the whole experience was.
Ready to meditate? Tell us how your first experience was, we want to know! And share this to help us spread these awesome practices for beginners!