9 Tips To Help You Meditate Successfully
The benefits of meditation are many, including an improved quality of life and greater general well-being. It has therefore become a practice that health professionals highly recommend. If you want to make it a part of your life, read the following tips that will help you meditate successfully and enjoy its effects.
Broadly speaking, meditation is the training of the mind to reach a state of peace and tranquility. This ability is not something we can do immediately because it requires patience and fortitude. Once we have achieved it, we can feel true happiness as a product of inner peace.
If you want to take this workout and make the most of the results, here are some tips that will help you meditate and make meditation a habit.
Tips to meditate successfully
1. Make it easy
Before you start, make sure you are wearing comfortable clothing (preferably loose clothing). Also, do not use accessories that can be annoying, such as watches or bracelets. Finally, try to be barefoot.
2. Choose a suitable time
Pick a time when you know you are free from responsibilities and interruptions. Make this time for meditation and try to make it part of your routine. An important feature of this activity is continuity. If you want deep and lasting change, regular meditation is best.
If you meditate sporadically, you risk reverting to old habits or falling prey to negative emotions, without the ability to turn to meditation as a source of support.
3. Find a quiet place
When you start with this exercise, it is best to meditate in a quiet place without interruptions. Determine which part of your house is best suited for this activity. You can also go to a place that gives you peace of mind. The aim is to facilitate self-observation and involvement in the activity.
4. Sit Correctly
Physical posture is a very important aspect of meditation, as it influences the state of mind. Ideally, keep your back straight while relaxing your shoulders and arms. You should strive for a balance between relaxation and stiffness.
This means that you should avoid a position that is too relaxed, as you risk becoming drowsy. Also, don’t be too tense, as this will lead to a state of mental agitation.
Meditation guides usually provide detailed information about the pose, with step-by-step instructions for positioning each part of your body. The most popular poses are:
- Sitting cross-legged.
- In a chair with your feet on the floor
- On a pillow.
- The idea is to choose the one that gives you the most comfort and fits your needs.
5. Do Some Warm Up Exercises
One of the tips that will help you meditate is to warm up beforehand. This will help you feel more comfortable during meditation. You can do some yoga poses or stretches for your neck, arms and back. This will help your circulation and relax your body.
6. Concentrate on an object to help you meditate
One way to encourage concentration and mental calm is to focus on an object. This could be the rhythm of your breathing, your own physical sensations, or a previously seen image.
Ideally, let your mind be aware of that object and, in the case of distraction, refocus on it as soon as you find yourself distracted.
7. Visualize
Another way to work with the mind while meditating is to visualize everything. For example colours, yourself in a different place, a path, a deity. This mental exercise is ideal for those with an active imagination and who like to daydream.
8. Accept the thoughts that come and go
The purpose of meditation is not to alter or suppress thoughts, sensations, and feelings. Rather, this activity is aimed at learning and living with it. In other words, acceptance leads to a sense of well-being and tranquility.
It is for this reason that during meditation you should observe your thoughts, without stopping. Look at your feelings without getting carried away and passively observe any mental, sensory, physiological or behavioral content. In other words, without criticizing or drawing conclusions.
That said, as these mental contents surface, the ideal is to observe, accept and release them. The way forward is to refocus on that object or the visualization you had in mind.
9. Gradually increase meditation time to help you meditate successfully
Ideally, you should meditate for short periods at first and increase the time of activity as you progress. For example, you can start with short sessions and then gradually increase the time (up to 30 minutes per day or more). This makes it easier to establish and adjust your routine.
Additional recommendations to help you meditate successfully
The above tips will definitely help you meditate successfully. If you keep that in mind, you’ll probably get into the habit without any major problems. We also recommend the following:
- Provide a guide: Ideally, you should have a teacher who is experienced and knowledgeable in the art of meditation. If you cannot reach such a person, you can also resort to books or texts that are made to instruct and guide people in this experience.
- Be persistent: meditate constantly, daily. However, it is not always easy, as resistance often occurs, both externally (work, homework, travel) and internally (fatigue, lack of courage). We recommend overcoming all these obstacles and always trying to keep up with the exercise.
- Meditate independently of your state of mind: the continuity of the meditation should not depend on your state of mind at the time. It doesn’t matter if the practice is enjoyable or not, what matters is that you are persistent.
- Don’t set goals and milestones: It’s normal to want to see the benefits of meditation as soon as possible, but impatience is discouraged. Hurry and meditation go in opposite directions. If you want a deep transformation, you have to take the time.
