The "Do It All"ers Guide to Start a Meditation Practice

June 28, 2021
Shanna Windle

Believe me, you are not the only one who thinks they are a "failure" at meditation 🧘‍♂️ Most people's concept of meditation is that you have to be in complete silence, with no thoughts at all, for 45 minutes....maybe even dressed in a saffron robe 👘?  While you might not have the saffron robe, you probably also don't have 45 minutes in your day for complete silence, nor a mind that would allow for emptiness for that long.  But guess what...you need none of that to start a meditation practice!

All you have to do is google the benefits of meditation to see the oodles upon oodles of research out there that a meditation practice provides.  For me to cite the research would take me the next week and a half.  I'll let you do that on your own should you be interested, my job here is to give you a few manageable tips to get your practice going.  

Meditation is essentially deliberate concentration. The more we practice and strengthen our concentration, the harder it becomes to get distracted.

It also gives your mind a chance to rest, to stand still for a while, and learn to refocus. So how do you do this? Read on...

1. Get Comfortable & Breathe

Meditation, especially just two or five minutes is not very technical. It starts with just sitting, perhaps in a chair.  Placing your feet on the ground allows peace to travel up through your body. You begin by focusing on your feet, and only your feet. Take deep breaths and concentrate on feeling your feet, feeling the floor beneath your feet.

2.  Feeling from Body

Once you are focused on your feet, slowly shift your attention from your feet up your legs and to other parts of your body. Focus on one body part at a time.  What do your legs feel like?  What do your arms feel like?  Your hands? You also shift your attention to one organ at a time.  Feel your heart beat.  Feel your lungs move air in and out.

3.  Try Not to Lose Focus

This is usually about the time your thoughts start drifting to all the things you need to do that day, or what stressful things happened earlier. Let those thoughts come and go; do not dwell on them. Acknowledge the thought and then let it drift away, each time refocusing on a part of your body. You are learning to manage your internal anxiety.

4.  What is the Priority?

We often become consumed by everything happening around us, and we let ourselves be told what to think, what to feel, and when.  We forget that we are the ones in charge of our minds. You can direct your thoughts and your mental efforts.  What needs attention, and how much? You decide. You choose what you want your mind to focus on.

The goal of meditation is to learn to focus on the present and not to dwell on what has happened or worry about what will come; you have no control over either of those. Direct your attention to being present in the moment and to the positive energy you have inside you.

Research says it's all about the frequency with which you are meditating, not the duration, so even if you only have five minutes a day, that is quite enough.  Just commit to doing it every day for 30 days and see what a difference the stillness and internal awareness makes for you.  

Enjoy the stillness my friends 👬 👫

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