How to Meditate

How to Meditate, now that can be a tricky question to answer because we could give you an easy answer that would make Meditation sound easy or we could give you a complex and very detailed answer that would make the practice of Meditation sound to difficult. Which may cause some people to retract from the practice of Meditation.

This is because when you sit and Meditate, you are undertaking the easiest and most the most difficult venture a person can undertake. All you have to do is sit, relax and allow the mind to calm into a deep state of relaxation.

A deep state of relaxation is required for any Meditation practice to be successful. Now that is a very simplified description of the practice, but you can see the easy part, sitting.

The most difficult part of the practice is to relax, when you relax then you are able to release stress, heal the mind and body and experience how life is it supposed to be experienced.

Through the Higher Self, soul, spirit or what every you refer to who you really are and not through the ego as you are currently experiencing life which causes suffering and misery.

Meditation is done while sitting in a straight back chair, floor, ground or on a cushion. When sitting in a straight back chair keep your feet on the floor and your back as straight as possible but comfortable.

When sitting on the floor or on a cushion there are several Meditative Asanas or sitting postures you can use and keep your back as straight as possible while sitting comfortably.

Meditation chairs are also a good tool for keeping your back straight and sitting comfortably, but they are more costly then a good zafu cushion.

When starting a meditation practice it is okay to pick a simple asana such as sitting crossed legged.

The Asana you choose should fit the Meditation and should give you a good base for your body and provide comfort as you sit for extended periods of time.

When you Meditate, you do not have to have your hands in a Mudra or hand gesture. Such as what is commonly seen where the palms are facing up, the thump and index finger are touching at the tips of the fingers forming a circle and the other fingers are stretched out. You can place your hands on your knees or in your lap with your palms up or down.

Keep in mind that when your palms are facing up your breath will be in the belly and when your palms are facing down then your breath will be in the chest.

Below you will find several tips as well as aid such as a Meditation cushion. We hop that you find the information below helpful as you start or continue your journey.

Tips For Beginning a Meditation Practice

At the center, we see the following seven tips as important steps to follow for starting or continuing a successful Meditation practice. We hope you the best as you start or continue your journey and remember that you can always Contact Us with any questions.

7 Tips For Starting A Meditation Practice

# 1. Sitting Through The Restlessness

This is one of the most common difficulties for beginning a Meditation practice. As you sit you might have an itch, ache or a busy mind but sitting through the restlessness is the best thing you can do while you meditate.

Responding to the restlessness can lead to improper habits, no Meditative benefits, and a practice that will probably end. The key is to tune everything out and concentrate on the Meditation at hand, this in the beginning may be difficult but giving the mind one thing to concentrate on will help the restlessness to fade.

With dedication and time, the restlessness will not be an issue and the Meditative work will start after you take the first deep breath to center yourself.

# 2. Just Sit

Actually sitting is a big part because if you do not sit, then you can not practice. Once you sit, the hardest part has been accomplished and now the practice of Meditation can begin. There are several different Meditation Aanas or Meditation seats that can be used during the practice. We suggest using a Meditation Asana that is comfortable enough for you to sit for up to a half hour or more. In order to Meditate, you need to sit.

# 3. Make It Count

Now that you are sitting, lets make the best of it. The hard part is over so now just relax and envelope yourself into the practice. Engrossing yourself in the practice will help keep unwanted thoughts from entering your mind, but if they do just simply do not feed them, just be the observer of the thoughts. Like anything in life, put forth the effort and you will be rewarded for that effort.

# 4. Time

When starting a Meditation practice, it is best to set a certain amount of time aside during your day and let anyone who lives with you know that during this time period that you have chosen, you wish not to be disturbed and that this is your personal time. The time spent sitting in Meditation is the best spent time in your life, so make sure that you utilize that time as efficiently as possible.

# 5. Mind Over Body

Most of us have some kind of ache in our body that causes discomfort in our every day life. We highly suggest stretching before you sit and remember that weather you are sitting or living your life, the discomfort will be there so keep sitting. As you sit do not focus on the discomfort, instead keep your focus on the Meditation and the discomfort will fade as you continue to Meditate.

# 6. Relax

Relaxation is an important key to a successful Meditation practice because when you relax, you allow your energy to flow. Relaxation is about letting go of tension, stress and bringing the mind and body into a state of calm and peace, allowing you Meditate. During deep states of relaxation, the body heals it's self with the energy that would have been used for movement and thought.

Many studies have shown that when you are sleeping, the mind and body are in a deep state of relaxation, allowing the body to use that time to heal and repair it's self with the unused energy, the same is happening when you sit and Meditate. Relaxation during normal times helps us cope with stressful situations when they occur, allowing the mind and body to not get as stressed out which caused the stress that is experienced to be for a shorter period of time.

#7. Check Your Breath

It is always a good idea to check your breath as you sit and Meditate. When your breath is in a natural rhythm and relaxed then you are relaxed, but if your breath is constricted or labored. Then you are constricting your energy or shifting your energy into fear and anxiety.

Fear and anxiety may manifest in ways that we are used to for an example, we may feel hesitant because of the underlying fear or anxiety. The rate of the breath controls the heart rate and how active the mind is, so checking the breath is always a good thing to do.

Meditation Space, Time, Clothing and Meditation Cushions

If you do not a have spare room as your Meditation space and have to use your room, then place aside a space that will be undisturbed and not at the foot of the bed if possible. If possible do not use your bed because your bed is associated with sleeping.

Keep the space you use to Meditate, clean and organized. Meditation time is very important because you can train your mind by associating the time with Meditation allowing for a more complete Meditative experience. Setting aside a time to sit and meditate can also help you remember to Meditate and your family and friends know not to contact you during a certain period of time.

As far as what time of the day to Meditate, we like the morning because you are fresh and have no worries of the day suturing around in your mind. Also many believe that there is more good energy in the morning and we agree very much.

We personally see that Meditation clothing is more important then most people give credit. Having Meditation clothing can give you the opportunity to prepare mind for Meditation and you can practice breathing exercises to lower your heart rate and still your mind.

Your Meditation clothing should not be tight or constrictive and it should not be so loose that you are getting warped up in it.

There are many types of meditation clothing that found from regular length shirts to long shirts with the paints ranging from baggie to extremely baggie.

The shirts are your decision but when it comes to the paints, we would choose something more on the baggie side because the baggier paints the more the extra fabric will bunch up at the knees making you feel uncomfortable.

When it comes to a spandex material for Meditation or Yoga, we personally feel that it is to constrictive and revealing and should used for exercising if used at all.

We also believe that if you are going to be Meditating with people of the opposite sex then you should cover your body at all time as not to invite unwanted thoughts that can come about.

We always suggest to have a thin blanket next to you for after a Meditation because you might find that you typically get chilly after, especially after a good Meditation. This happens because you are stirring up blocked energy. Meditation does not have to be done on a hard surface and should not be painful.

Meditation cushions can be a helpful aid for someone who has back, hip or knee pain, but not all cushions are equal. A good cushion to use while you sit and Meditate, should not only give you a comfortable surface to sit on but it should also help aid in your posture while you sit and meditate.

The best Meditation cushion and what we use at the center is a zabuton and a zafu Cushion nd what makes it the best is base cushion, cushions the ankles and the zafu cushion lifts the hips above knees thus taking strain and stress of the joints in the knees and hips making it easier to sit and Meditate.

We also find that with the zafu cushion it is easier to sit in the full lotus position because your knees are lower and have less strain on them while you Meditate.

There are other Meditation cushions on the market such as the smile cushion the make it easier to sit and Meditate, also there are Meditation chairs that are for the purpose to Meditate in, for sale ranging from a straight back chair to a fully padded chair that allows you to sit crossed legged.

In Sanskrit "mud" means "joy" and "ra"means "produce", therefore Mudra means gestures that produce joy and happiness. Hasta Mudras are used to channel, balance and restore the Prana, chi or life energy in your body.

By preforming these Hasta Mudras meaning "hand gestures," energy can flow through the entire Chakra system including the 72,000 Nadis, providing peace, joy and security while you Meditate. The practice of Hasta Mudras are on the Hasta Mudra page. While the practitioner sits to Meditate, Hasta Mudras can be incorporated.

Incense, Candles, Music And Meditation Bell

Several Ancient civilizations used incense as a natural herbal medicine for treating health issues. This in fact forms the foundation of aromatherapy. Many ingredients used to make incense are used as medicines all over the world. Burning incense during a Meditation practice is said to reduce the negative energy around us, helps to create a positive state of mind and helps condition the mind to associate the fragrance of the incense with a positive and calm mind.

To successfully sit and Meditate depends completely on the mental state of the of the person sitting. Incense and candles facilitate Meditation. Incense should be used while Meditating and should be of a special type to be used only during Meditation practices.

Listening to music or a Mantra while you sit can be beneficial if used properly and if the correct music is used. Not all music is conducive for Meditation, with that said the available music is quite vast. We suggest using music that is meant to be used with Mediation.

The use of a Meditation bell can also be used as a way to condition the mind when the bell is used. For some people the use of a Meditation bell is symbolic. A Meditation bell is also be a good way to bring a person out of Meditation, especially during a class.