Have you ever tried to meditate but wonder if you’re doing it correctly? Or maybe you want to learn to meditate but have no idea where to begin.
Here are 3 important tips that will help you in your meditation practice.
Tip 1 - Show up for yourself.
Meditation is about being still, being quiet, and being with yourself. It's not about achieving a certain state of mind or judging your experience as good or bad. Whether your mind is busy or calm, the most important thing is that you're taking the time to sit and be present.
This is the very important act of showing up for yourself. When you carve out that space in your day to sit quietly, you're honoring yourself and your well-being. So, don't worry about whether your meditation session is perfect or not because there's no such thing as a perfect or bad meditation.
Sometimes our minds are more active than other times, and that's okay, and actually to be expected. We all have both busy days and moments of quiet. The key is to keep showing up, keep making time for yourself, and keep allowing yourself to be present in the moment.
Tip 2 - Relationship to Your Thoughts
A common misconception about meditation is that it's about having no thoughts. Many of us think we're doing it wrong because our minds are busy and active. But in reality having an active mind is actually an important part of the meditation process. Meditation isn't about emptying your mind of thoughts; it's about noticing your thoughts and managing your relationship with them.
When you meditate, the goal is not to eliminate thoughts but to practice being still with your thoughts. It’s the practice of observing them. This process helps to unwind and release the busy mind. Through meditation, you can learn to choose which thoughts to give attention to and which ones to let go. It's not about suppressing your thoughts but releasing your attachment to our thoughts. Through a regular practice of stillness you can gain clarity and control of what often seems out of control.
Tip 3 - Use an Anchor
Since it’s natural to have thoughts during meditation, it’s necessary to know what to do with all the thoughts that come to your mind. Instead trying to empy the mind of thoughts, replace the random thoughts with a specific thought, an anchor.
An anchor can be variety of things. It can be your breath. While still and quiet you watch the breath without trying to control it, you just simply observe your breath. You can also use a mantra as your anchor. A mantra is like an affirmation. It’s a word or phrase that you repeat over and over again. An anchor can even be the voice of someone else that’s guiding you through a meditation like you might find on an app or in a live meditation experience. The key is to let the random thoughts come and go easily without effort and instead focus your attention on your chosen anchor.
This practice helps to quiet the mind and brings a sense of peace and calm. This practice also develops the skill of focusing your mind where you want it to go rather than the other way around.
Now it’s your turn to actually implement these tips in your next meditation practice. Make time for yourself and show up to meditate. Acknowledge the activity in your mind rather than trying to empty the mind. And focus your attention on an anchor like your breath.
Yoga on the mat is essentially a moving meditation. The postures become your anchor. If you’d like to try a free class with me, click here.