This short video will give you an introduction to what meditation is about.
Video – An Short Introduction to Meditation
Where to Meditate?
You can meditate anywhere and at any time – while walking, doing the dishes, having a shower. It is good however to have a formal regular practice where you are not active so that you can quieten the mind fully. Try to pick a regular spot in your house that feels comfortable to you, a nice space. Doing meditation in the same spot tends to help support the routine of practice because it becomes “your place of meditation”. When you sit there you more easily go into a meditative state.
How often should I do it and for how long?
You should try to do it daily or as often as you can. Doing it at the same time of the day every day will help to support the routine of meditation, it becomes “your time to meditate”. For absolute beginners, try to sit for 15-20 minutes each time. Over time as you get better try to extend this out to 30 minutes. After a year or so of meditation you may be able to extend this again to 45 minutes or one hour although this is pushing the boundaries and quite a long sit. Thirty minutes is a good period to stick to and is most typical.
Do I sit, stand, lay down?
Sitting is the most common posture but its not necessary. If you have a bad back, hips or knees you can sit on a chair, or stool or just lay down (there are pictures to demonstrate below). Laying down is a bit more difficult however in that we associate very strongly the urge to sleep with laying down and this is simply because we’ve been laying down to sleep for many years. While it looks cool to do the full lotus very few people can actually do it, and it really isn’t necessary. Find what works for you.
Finding time, effort and intention
Often these are the biggest obstacles to approaching meditation and setting up a regular practice. It is important to understand this or you’ll struggle starting and maintaining it. I’ve discussed this is more detail in this article - Go Straight, Go Steady, Be Unsure. It is a worthwhile read.
Finding a Teacher
Having a meditation teacher is vitally important to practicing meditation. Why? Meditation, and our experiences through it redefine our lives. If we incorrectly interpret these experiences we can lead ourselves down unhealthy paths. A teacher helps give us context and correct understanding to these experiences and the development of wisdom which guides us correctly through our challenges, towards spiritual maturity. While we typically like to think that “I can work it out on my own”, having the advice and guidance of an experienced practitioner is invaluable. Please don’t be so proud to think you can do it on your own. Find a teacher that you trust and respect and meet with them regularly. It will greatly benefit your practice and development. I’ve talked about this more in this article - Why a Meditation Teacher is Important.
