Meditation for Beginners

Meditation, like any new skill, requires practice.

Just like when learning to play a musical instrument, you may have to practise scales before you can play sonatas, or a dancer has to train at the barre before becoming a ballerina, meditators may have to practise breathing exercises and relaxation techniques before they are able to reach anything resembling a continual state of bliss.

It is much easier to meditate when you are on a yoga holiday or a retreat or sitting on a mountaintop. It's a bit more of a challenge when you live in the middle of a city, have a stressful commute to work or a young family to take care of or both.

Small steps are recommended if you are starting out on a meditation practice. It is better to allot a few minutes a day to centering yourself and then gradually extend the time as it becomes easier.

One day something clicks and everything falls into place. Other days you find it hard to reach the same state of peacefulness again.

Every meditation session is different and brings something new. Even if you don't notice any change at all. Meditation has an accumulative effect on the mind and body. Changes are going on in the background, unconsciously.

If you are used to filling your mind with clutter, decluttering it can sometimes be a shock to the system. So if you have started meditating and are thinking of giving up, keep at it for a bit.

Remember all the benefits of meditation.

Remember there are many different methods of meditation which may involve writing, movement, breathing, drawing, guided imagery, listening to music and much more.

If one method doesn't work for you, try something else. And while you're looking, don't give up.