It has been scientifically proven that meditation has multiple health benefits. Consequently, there are hundreds of books and thousands of videos that offer explanations on how to meditate. The rub is in the fact that every person is different. What works for one person will likely not work well for the next. The purpose of this post to give some suggestions of ways to approach meditation that will help you find the method that works best for you.
First, be flexible about your idea of what meditation looks like and how you want it to work for you. Some may use it to simply begin the day on a positive peaceful note, or conversely to wind down at the end of the day. Some use meditation to help find direction. Some use meditation to redirect errant energy. Some meditate every day, others only when they feel they need to.
Sitting is recommended, though not required. You can meditate while laying in bed, either before you get up in the morning or as you are getting ready to go to sleep. If you are sitting you do not need to be in the lotus position, you just need to be relaxed. If I am sitting on a chair or on the sofa, I generally put my feet on the floor to prevent slouching. I feel closed off when I slouch. Energy flows better when your back is straight.
Here, again, we come to what you expect meditation to be. You may be thinking that 20 minutes is a LONG time…it is! When starting out, I would search for videos that were 10 minutes or less. Allow yourself to meditate for only as long as you want…even as little as 3-5 minutes can have beneficial affects. Stopping for a few minutes to appreciate the profound that so many of us rush past can help adjust your energy too. Work, for me, can get hectic and crazy. So I always take time to stop and remember why it is I love my job so much, often snapping a picture, focusing both photographically and mentally on the beauty around me.
No matter why you meditate, or when, the most important part is where. Being in a place free from distractions like electronic devices, TV, children full of requests, etc. is helpful. So a quiet room, an empty patio, a deserted stretch of beach, a widening of the trail…anywhere you can be free of distraction. Although I did read an anecdote about Dr. Wayne Dyer meditating on a bench at Disney World. For me, that would take a lot of practice.
I, personally, like to meditate when I find myself in a place that soothes my soul…like at the edge of the ocean, for example, or amid giant sequoias, gazing at a glade full of lupine. I like to sit, sometimes closing my eyes, appreciating my surroundings, observing with all my senses, being grateful to have found such a place. I also use meditation before drawing oracle cards in order to clear my mind and focus on my inquiry. If I rush into a reading without this pause, I tend to get only a reflection of what is happening right at that specific time.
This brings me to one of the most common questions about meditation: how do I clear my mind? For a very long time, that was an issue for me. I tried counting breaths, starting over each time my mind wandered and many other things. I realized that I was not going to be able to just sit down and meditate on my own. What I finally found to work for me were guided meditations on the internet. You may have to listen to a few before you find a person whose voice and cadence resonates with you. One man I listened to spoke so slowly that I got impatient. In another guided meditation video I tried, the lady’s voice was so melodramatic that it was comical. Sometimes the background noise or music is distracting, rather than conducive to its purpose. You will want to find someone that makes you feel comfortable and relaxed. Two people that have many videos which I enjoy greatly are Denise Linn and Colette Baron Reid. Eventually, I was able to run the scenarios in my mind without the videos and even make up new ones on my own.
There is no right or wrong way to meditate, as long as it works for you. The whole idea is to reach a place of mental quietude and calm so that your mind can rest. So experiment, play around with it. Enjoy it. Never wonder “what am I doing wrong?” If you feel like it’s not working for you, try another method. Just start simple and know that it takes some practice. I really enjoy meditating now, and even sometimes crave it. I look forward to learning more and using it in other ways. I hope you do too!
pajama wisdom 