Your choice of meditation techniques depend not only on your experience and skill in meditation, but also on your willingness to learn. For those who are just starting out, the best way to start is by doing the most common method of meditation: simply concentrating.
Concentration meditation techniques are of different types, but what’s often involved is a focus on a single point. Whether it’s watching your breath or repeating a mantra or listening to the waves of the ocean, focusing the mind on one thing is harder than it looks.
The technique is to simply let go. Instead of letting the mind wander elsewhere, refocus your concentration on one thing.
Another technique is mindfulness meditation, where the person allows wandering thoughts to drift through, without allowing yourself to judge your own thoughts. All that you need to do is let them move through yourself.
How to meditate: Simple meditation for beginners
This meditation exercise is an excellent introduction to meditation techniques.
1. Sit or lie comfortably. You may even want to invest in a meditation chair.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Make no effort to control the breath; simply breathe naturally.
4. Focus your attention on the breath and on how the body moves with each inhalation and exhalation. Notice the movement of your body as you breathe. Observe your chest, shoulders, rib cage and belly. Make no effort to control your breath; simply focus your attention. If your mind wanders, simply return your focus back to your breath. Maintain this meditation practice for 2–3 minutes to start, and then try it for longer periods. (More here)
There are many other forms of meditation, ranging from walking meditation to cultivation of passion. What ultimately matters is that you stick to a method that you are comfortable with, and from then you begin to reap the various benefits of meditation.
Aside from a lower heart rate and an improved body circulation, there are also studies that state that meditation also improves one’s immune function. With all that you stand to gain, there’s every reason for you to take meditation seriously.
