Starting to practice mindfulness meditation takes some time, effort, and patience in the beginning. However, the advantages that you receive from this practice are certainly worth it.
You don’t need to practice mindfulness on an Olympic-level.
You can achieve results with as little as 10 to 20 minutes per day.
Follow these easy steps to practice mindfulness meditation:
- Start out with a quiet place. For mindfulness or any form of meditation, you can practice anywhere at anytime. However, the easiest place is a quiet one, free from any distractions.
- Some places that you may be able to practice include in your car, at home, or even at work if you have a private office atmosphere.
- Get comfortable. Many people sit in a lotus-style type of position, in which you sit cross-legged with the feet resting on the opposing thighs. This is not necessary, however.
- You can sit cross-legged with your feet resting underneath your knees. Feel free to sit in a desk chair, on the floor, or any seat where you can get comfortable for a few minutes.
- Close your eyes and take several slow breaths, focusing on inhaling and exhaling deeply. Do this several times.
- You’ll become more relaxed as your muscles and cells receive more oxygen and your mind slows down.
- Continue paying attention to the air that’s coming in and going out.
- Notice physical sensations. As you focus on the air you take in and let out, also notice the sensations throughout your body.
- Pay attention to the weight of your body in your seat, noticing whether you’re perhaps leaning further to the right or to the left. Pay attention to your body’s temperature — do you feel warm, cool, or in the middle?
- Listen to the noises around you. Just let the noises be and notice their presence.
- Whether it’s the whistling of the fan, the hum of the air conditioner or heater, or the chatter of people’s voices outside, just notice that these sounds are also present during your meditation.
- Notice when your mind wanders. It’s perfectly normal – especially for beginners – to wander off in thought, thinking about this, that, or another thing that pops into your mind.
- When your mind wanders, just quietly bring your attention and awareness back to your breath, noticing the air slowly going in and going out.
- End your mindfulness session when you’re ready. Slowly open your eyes. Stretch. What do you feel at this moment in time? Are you more relaxed, calmer, or more focused?
When you first start mindfulness meditation, you’ll most likely find it difficult, if not impossible, to keep your mind from wandering. However, as you get more practice, it becomes easier to clear your mind and focus on your breath.
The key is to practice it consistently.
“Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance of the present experience. It isn’t more complicated than that. It is opening to or receiving the present moment, pleasant or unpleasant, just as it is, without either clinging to it or rejecting it.”
– Sylvia Boorstein