1. Start Small
I'm sure if you're new to the wonderful world of meditation that you've had some difficulties with managing the (How Long??) issue. Many articles I have read on the subject advise participants of this age old tradition to set a time limit on how long each session should last. Particularly when you first start practicing meditation, it can seem overwhelming and almost impossible. You come to the acknowledgment rather abruptly that your thoughts are seemingly out of control-a bombardment of everything from whats for dinner, to what you plan on wearing out on that date next week come to mind the very moment you sit down and set the intention to clear your head of all thoughts. UGH!!!!!! 35 seconds of thoughtless introspection seem like 35 years of hard time- "when's that alarm going off again!?" My advise, start small. Meditation is a great way to balance yourself from the inside out.
With our day to day activities and accompanying worries our minds move a thousand miles per hour, trying to process, evaluate, and resolve all the information we can reach for. Pausing for even one minute to allow your energy to settle has many benefits ranging form relieving stress to healing injuries. When I first started meditation, 5 minutes was my goal. Over time, with patience and practice I can now meditate for 30 minutes at a time, even more if I get into the groooooooove! But trust me 5 minutes is still very beneficial if done everyday.
2. Don't Chase Those Thoughts
Even with years of practice, you will still have thoughts that rise in the silence of your mind. The trick is to allow these thoughts to come and go. You are the observer of this reality and meditation gives you a first hand experience of this facet of actuality. Observe your thoughts as you would observe passer-by's on the sidewalk as you sit on your porch. You need not engage the passer-by's, you just notice their existence and allow them to move freely through your field of vision. This also helps you to "let go" more in life and trust the process.
3. Follow Your Breath
In-out, deep-slow, calm-ease, smile-release. This is a mantra that I use to acknowledge and pay homage to the amazing life force we call oxygen; using this mantra also helps me to focus on my breathing, not my thoughts. The basis of meditation is aimed to assist one in becoming more present in the here and now. Many of our thoughts are based in the past or future, but our breathing reminds of us our existence in the very moment. In the present moment we almost certainly find ourselves out of harms way. We are here, we are now, and we are presently away for the tumultuous theories of our future.
4. Want Nothing
When coming to your session, clear your mind of the attempt to get anything of benefit from it. Seek no answers and ask no questions. Allow yourself to simply be. Every alternate minute of the day is used by your mind in an attempt to gain something of value or for the avoidance of something unwanted. This is a sacred time to turn off from the world and from your thoughts.
5. Create a "Meditation Station"
I love this one! Setting a special place in your apartment, house, or even a corner in your room really brings magic to meditation. There is something "holy" that happens in that space that you have reserved as special because the energy around it becomes sacred as it is only used for significant purposes. I urge you to ordain your "Meditation Station" with a plethora of "good-vibe" adornments. Personally I like, incense, protective symbols, feathers. mantra beads, Buddhist statues, and candles. Anything that you feel can enhance your area with uplifting energy is a must!
In Closing,
#NAMASTE and Happy Meditation
