Meditation Techniques For Beginners –

People are turning to meditation techniques to reduce stress and strengthen their memory. New research shows it to be highly effective in treating depression

ABC news has been covering meditation techniques for beginners recently.

And no wonder … because research is mounting that proves meditation is as important as nutrition and regular exercise are to maintaining a healthy happy life.

In this article, ABC Nightline gives some really simple and usable tips for beginners.

Meditation Techniques For Beginners

Find some free time — at least 20 minutes — and as calm and quiet a place as you can. Meditating with interruptions from your BlackBerry or your computer doesn’t really work.

Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Some traditions use physical positions — mudras, in Sanskrit — in meditation. The most famous is sitting on the ground in the lotus position, i.e., Indian style. If you are comfortable sitting this way for longer than a few minutes, fine. If not, sit in a chair.

Don’t just do something, sit there — to quote the title of a well-known book on meditation by Sylvia Boorstein. Don’t launch immediately into what you think meditation is. Let your mind and body settle for a minute or so. Life is stressful enough; don’t make meditation stressful and rushed.

Pick something and gently center your attention on it. It can be your breathing, which works well because of its easy, natural rhythm. It can be an image, mental or physical — one can meditate with eyes open or closed, whichever works. It can be a mantra, a sound or word that you repeat in your mind or with your voice. “Om” — with most of your time resting on that nice m sound — is the most famous.

When your mind wanders, gently bring it back to the thing you picked.

When your mind wanders again, gently bring it back to the thing you picked. The mind is a wandering machine. Meditation is not having an empty mind; it’s gently quieting your mind using the technique of concentrating on one thing. Over the time you sit, you will likely notice your mind getting a bit quieter.

When your mind wanders again, gently bring it back to the thing you picked. The key word is gently. Meditation is a simple technique, but it’s also an approach, a way of being. People, especially Americans, tend to worry about doing it right. Worrying about doing it right is the one wrong way to meditate. Don’t be angry or frustrated with your mind or yourself.

Gently close your meditation when you wish or need to. The idea is relaxation and reducing stress, remember? Make it smooth, not jarring. Let the relaxation you cultivated breathe a bit before going on to the next thing in your day.

Repeat as needed. Meditation works best when it’s done regularly and over a long period. That doesn’t have to mean for hours every day. It can be once every other day for 20 minutes. Many meditators refer to their “practice.” Its benefits happen, and happen more deeply, when it’s something you do regularly for some time.

Did you find these tips useful?

I sure did!  If you are interested in a really quick and easy way to get started in meditation, check out this wonderful program of guided meditation techniques for bliss.  It’s full of meditation techniques for beginners that are fast, fun and easy.

And if you want to spread the message that meditation is good, please click the like button below to share it on Facebook.