17 Meditation Tips For Beginners

There is a lot of information about meditation on this site already, including articles about the benefits of this practice, different types of meditation, myths and mistakes, and more.

But most people who want to learn how to meditate simply want to know how to get started, and that’s what this article is about.

Eight Tips To Get You Started

When you first start out practising meditation, you may feel overwhelmed with all the instructions in your mind: calm your mind, watch your breathing, keep your back straight.

But practising meditation should not be stressful – that’s actually the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

So, here are the top eight tips to help take the pressure off and allow your practice to unfold naturally.

1. Start With Quick 5-Minute Sessions

   There’s nothing that says you must start your practice with a long, 20-minute (or more) session.

   When you are first starting out on your path, it can be overwhelming to try to sustain a more extended session – it may even feel brutal.

   So begin with a five-minute session, and when you are ready for more, you can move your sessions up to ten minutes, and gradually increase as and when you want to.

2. Stretch First

   Before you start your meditation session, take some time to stretch or do some yoga.

   This will allow you to prepare your body for sitting in a single position for a potentially long time.

   Even taking the time to roll your neck and stretch your back beforehand can help with your comfort level.

3. Set Your Timer

   Setting a timer for your meditation session will keep you from having to check your clock regularly, which removes a huge distraction from your practice and allows you to relax and enjoy the experience.

   It should go without saying that the time should be a silent one (i.e. not one that makes a ticking sound). While you could use the timer built into your smartphone, I would recommend not doing that (unless you can disable every other notification), but buying a digital kitchen-type timer instead.

4. Remove Distractions

   Turn off your cell phone, or better yet, leave it in another room, because you don’t want to have any distractions in your space as you meditate.

   The best place to meditate is a room that has a door that you can close – and if you decide you wish to continue your meditation practice as a regular habit, you might like to create your own, personal meditation room.

5. Don’t Try Too Hard

   Meditation, when done correctly, should be soothing, relaxing, and effortless, because it’s nothing more than observation.

   There should be no effort involved, only observing your breathing with your conscious awareness.

   So, don’t work too hard at it.

6. Create A Daily Practice

   Meditating at the same time every day will allow you to develop a habit that becomes easier to accomplish – because if you don’t build your practice into your daily routine, you’ll find yourself forgetting.

   Some people like to do it almost as soon as they get up in the morning while others prefer to do it shortly before bedtime – but you can, of course, choose to do it whenever you want, including first and last thing each day.

7. Get Relaxed Before You Start

   You want to be sure to wear comfortable clothing and be in a relaxing environment.

   Make sure your space is comfortable and take a few deliberate, deep breaths before you start.

8. Try Different Types Of Meditation

   There are many different techniques that you can try, from mindfulness meditation to mantra meditation, so try out several different types to see which one best suits your needs.

   And that brings us neatly to the next section…

The 5 Best Meditation Techniques For Beginners

Meditation is something that many of us want to do well to gain the benefits associated with the practice.

Unfortunately, the constant mind chatter can make it frustrating to sit down and meditate for even a few minutes.

So, if you are starting out with your meditation practice, here are five great techniques that can get you started on the path to mindfulness.

1. Breathing Meditation

   This is one of the best techniques if you are just starting out in your meditation practice. It is an ancient and powerful technique that is extremely effective.

   By just paying attention to your breathing, you give your mind a point of focus in a relaxed way.

   To start this technique, get yourself in a comfortable position, then close your eyes and slowly begin to observe your breathing.

   Pay attention to how it feels as you breathe in and out – and if you find your mind starting to wander, just bring your focus back to your breathing.

2. Mindfulness Meditation

   In mindfulness meditation you become fully present in the moment by paying attention to the sensations in your body.

   Start the practice by focusing on your breathing, then allow yourself to become aware of the other sensations running throughout your body. You don’t want to analyze or judge the experience – you simply want to observe.

   If you’re already a member of Self Help Nirvana, you can find a report about mindfulness in the Members’ Library, otherwise you can request your free copy of that report here.

3. Mantra Meditation

   By repeating a sacred word, like “aum” or a meaningful phrase, you can bring your mind into a state of tranquility.

   With this technique, you can either repeat the mantra out loud or repeat it to yourself silently.

4. Walking Meditation

   If you don’t think that you can sit still for an extended period, you can try the walking meditation technique, which can be done anywhere because you simply have to focus on your body as it moves.

   Focus on how your arms swing, how your legs are lifted and extended, and how your feet rise and touch back down on the ground.

   And again, if your mind starts to wander, bring your focus back to the movement of your body.

   You’ll find more information about walking meditation here.

5. Empty Minded Meditation

   Empty-minded meditation allows you to be aware without having to have a specific focus.

   To practise this technique, sit quietly in a comfortable place, close your eyes, and let your thoughts freely float in and out of your mind.

   Observe each thought as they enter your mind without any attachment or judgment.

These five meditation techniques are simple enough that you can start your practice today, or enhance an existing one.

And if you want to check out even more techniques, you’ll find ten styles detailed here, and then there is Boketto, and even musical meditation, but read the following section first, as that will give you a few tips on which methods are the easiest to get going with.

The Four Best Meditation Postures For Beginners

Meditation is meant to bring you clarity and relaxation but unfortunately, for many beginners of the practice, sitting for long periods can get downright uncomfortable, leading to an ineffective session.

While the standard lotus or cross-legged position (as portrayed in the image at the top of this article) is the most popular position used in meditation, some alternative positions are suitable for beginners or anybody who suffers from back pain.

1. The Astronaut

   The Astronaut posture is essentially an inverted sitting position – rather than resting your back against a chair, you lie on the floor with a chair supporting your legs.

   To give your head and neck some extra support, place a pillow under your head, and place your hands on the floor beside you and begin your session.

2. The Corpse

   The Corpse position is extremely gentle on the back and is useful for people who have a problem keeping in an upright meditation position. It is also suited for guided meditation and pure light visualization.

   To get into this pose, simply lie down on your back, on either a bed or the floor or maybe a yoga mat.

   Rest your hands beside you with your palms facing upward, place your feet shoulder-width apart, removing your socks and shoes, and if needed, place a pillow under your head to support your neck.

3. The Prayer

   This is an alternate pose to the traditional kneeling position, because it can get extremely uncomfortable kneeling, unsupported with your rear resting on the back of your heels for an extended period.

   Instead, you can use a kneeling bench with a padded, sloping top. The kneeling bench tilts your back forward slightly, taking the pressure off your lower spine when you assume the position.

   And to keep your knees from feeling the pain, place a cushion or zabuton between the bench and your knees to make it even more comfy and to prevent bruising.

4. The Sleeping Buddha

   Like the Corpse pose, the Sleeping Buddha is suitable for beginners, as well as those with back and joint pain.

   To get into this position, lie your side on a flat, horizontal surface. Place one hand under your cheek for a little bit of support, then rest your other hand lightly on the side of your body.

   Bend both your legs slightly, resting them on top of one another. And remember to place a pillow between your knees and thighs to prevent your upper leg from rotating forward.

Conclusion

The key thing, once you decide you want to begin meditating, is simply to get started.

You may find it difficult at first, of course – but isn’t that the case with learning anything new?

For example, you’ll find your mind wandering, but that’s OK, provided you immediately redirect your attention to your breath or mantra, or whatever you’re using to focus on.

You may find yourself distracted (e.g. by other people, by your phone or computer or television), in which case you can try to find a more suitable environment, turn off any devices you don’t need (there are very few messages or notifications or emails that won’t wait five or ten minutes), and, if necessary, ask those around you (e.g. family) to respect your meditation time.

And as I say above, start small and build up – it’s better to do five minutes a day every day then ten minutes one day and then nothing for three more days.

On that note, I would highly recommend the book Mini Habits by Stephen Guise, which is all about how it’s more beneficial to create tiny little habits that are easy to do regularly.

Finally, don’t forget to check out my other articles about meditation.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Meditation Bench
2. Meditation For Beginners
3. Mini Habits
4. Yoga Mat
5. Zabuton