Meditation for beginners is not that difficult. So that you know what you should pay attention to, it makes sense to first deal with what meditation actually is and why it can be good for our health to meditate.
Meditation for Beginners: What is Meditation?
In general, meditation is often mentioned in connection with spirituality. The technique probably originated thousands of years ago in the Far East, but meditation has also been practiced in Christian countries for centuries. In general, meditation is about focusing firmly on something – for example on your own breath or thoughts. This is supposed to calm the mind. Meditation can also have a relaxing effect, reduce our stress level and improve sleep, among other things.
forms of meditation
In general, there are two different forms of meditation: The so-called active meditation and passive meditation:
- Active meditation: In this form of meditation, physical exercises are performed. This means that you not only use your mind, but also use your voice or your own strength, for example. Active meditation includes, for example, yoga and various martial arts styles, but also the recitation of mantras.
- Passive meditation (also: contemplative meditation): In passive meditation, the meditator does not move, i.e. he sits, lies or stands. This form includes, for example, Vipassana meditation. Various mindfulness exercises are also derived from this type of meditation.
Meditation for Beginners: Benefits of Meditating
There are several health benefits that can be achieved by engaging in meditation and practicing it regularly. These include:
- Better concentration: Those who meditate are always concentrating on a specific thing and observing it impartially. As a result, the mind learns to focus better and thoughts do not wander as easily.
- Relax easier: When you meditate, you just focus on yourself and forget about the outside world. Regular meditation helps to hide the stress of everyday life.
- Accept yourself: When you meditate, you can take stock of your own body. It is important that you only look at the current situation and accept it without evaluating it. Over time, you learn to listen to yourself better.
- reduce fear: Research shows that regular meditation shrinks the area in the brain responsible for stress and anxiety responses.
- Strengthen serenity: Anyone who learns to simply accept their feelings, physical sensations and thoughts as they are will quickly become more relaxed with themselves and their environment. In this way, inner unrest can be gradually reduced.
Meditation for beginners: 7 great tips for more mindfulness
To give beginners the best possible start in meditating, we reveal here seven great tips to help you get started:
1. The right place
Proper meditation for beginners involves first finding the right place to meditate. It should be a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed and where there are no distractions. You should also feel comfortable and be able to relax.
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2. Comfortable wins
In order for you to be able to focus properly when meditating, it is important that no external influences disturb you. This includes the right clothing: It should be comfortable and airy. A tight waistband is a hindrance and will distract you while meditating. Clothing made of light linen fabric, for example, is well suited. On the other hand, the right temperature is important – you should be neither too cold nor too warm.
3. Avoid distraction
When meditating, you should really take time for yourself and enjoy the quiet. It’s best to turn off your cell phone (use it for supporting music or videos, mute calls and notifications!) and inform family, roommates and co. in advance that you need time for yourself.
4. The right attitude
The standard posture when meditating is the so-called lotus position, which is similar to the cross-legged position. If this is too uncomfortable for you, you can also sit on a chair or even lie down. In general, it is important that the back is always straight. Tip: Sitting on the floor is also comfortable with a meditation cushion.
5. Start slowly
Especially for beginners: No meditation master has fallen from the sky. When you start over, you won’t be able to focus straight on meditating for hours. It is best for beginners to start with sessions that are five to ten minutes long. Tip: There are countless beginner courses with correspondingly short meditation times on video platforms such as YouTube.
6. Get involved
Especially beginners of meditation will notice that it is not so easy to just do nothing. And on the surface, that’s what meditation is all about. But doing nothing is very unusual for most people – that’s why the mind and thoughts like to wander when we actually want to concentrate on one thing. So when your mind wanders to the grocery list of the week, it’s not uncommon. Try to push the thought aside and then focus back on your breath. Over time you will learn to let go of your thoughts more easily and to consciously find peace in everyday life.
7. Come back slowly
Getting up straight after meditation and going about your daily routine again is not a good idea. Instead, you should take a few minutes to come back to reality. Slowly open your eyes, feel your body and drink a glass of water, for example. Then it’s best to stretch out again and slowly get on your feet.
Guided Meditation: Meditation exercises for beginners
You wish for more peace in everyday life and want to let go of the stress? There are various meditation exercises that are particularly suitable for beginners. Basically, before you start, it’s best to sit down and slowly breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth several times. Imagine that not only air enters your body when you breathe, but also energy at the same time. Then begin to feel your body and imagine the absorbed energy gradually penetrating every part of the body. Now you are ready for real meditation. The following exercises are suitable for beginners of meditation:
1. Breath Meditation
With conscious breathing you can positively influence body and mind: You strengthen the immune system, improve blood circulation and automatically become calmer. Thats how it works:
- For the breathing meditation, you first sit up straight and pull your chin slightly towards your throat.
- Now close the right nostril with your right thumb and concentrate on breathing through the left nostril.
- Close the left nostril with the right index finger, then open the right nostril and exhale through it.
- Then inhale deeply on the right and exhale on the left.
- Breathe deeply in through both nostrils and out through your mouth several times.
- Feel into yourself and observe what this breathing does to your body.
2. Relaxation with music
If calming music helps you relax and is generally touching, it’s great for meditating. For example, there are various playlists on YouTube that are specially designed to make meditation easier for you. Listen to the sounds and focus on what they do to you and what emotion they trigger.
In order to engage in the meditation, it can also help to sing a text to the music – this can be the correct lyrics or a freely invented language. Singing is definitely liberating. Alternatively, you can also think of your own mantra in the form of a sound and repeat it over and over again.
3. Imagination and visualization
Visualization is about using your imagination to take you to a different place in your mind. To do this, you sit in your preferred meditation position and imagine a place where you feel particularly comfortable. This can be a real place or an invented world – as long as you feel good about it.
Now imagine you are in this place – what do you see? What can you feel, hear and smell? You can let your thoughts wander freely through this place. Over time, it will become easier and easier for you to return to your place of well-being and recharge your batteries with positive energy.
You see: Meditation for beginners is not that difficult! For more beginner tips, check out the clickthrough above with illustrations by Matthew Johnstone. For even more relaxation, you can try different relaxation techniques. A break in the monastery or a meditation to fall asleep could also help you if you want to switch off.
BALLOON – MEDITATE BY APP
Speaking of mindfulness: Would you like to learn to meditate? It’s easy with the app! baloon shows you step by step. Here you can start directly with a free meditation course.