How to Take Your Meditation Practice from Beginner to Intermediate
Meditation can be one of the most rewarding and beneficial practices you’ll ever take on, but it’s also one of the most difficult to master. Whether you are just beginning your meditation practice or have been at it for years, there are always new things you can learn to help deepen your practice and make it more effective. In this guide on how to take your meditation practice from beginner to intermediate, we provide tips, tricks and guidelines on how to make small changes that will help you experience a whole new level of mindfulness and peace in no time. The Steps are suggestion and recommendations, that we feel help get the energy, space, mind and body ready. It will teach your mind that those simple steps will automatically start to relax and prepare your body for the time of peace!
1) Get Started by Finding the Right Time and Place
In order to make meditation a regular habit, you have to know how and when you’re going to do it. Don’t make your sessions too long—even if you feel like you can go all day, studies show that 20 minutes is about right for a first session (and remember: It gets easier as your mind settles into a routine). Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. And don’t worry about whether or not you’ll be able to clear your mind; just let thoughts come and go without attaching yourself to them. If they don’t come at all, great! But if they do, just let them pass by without judgment or analysis. Just notice them and then bring your attention back to your breath or mantra. When you’re done with your session, congratulate yourself on a job well done! The more often you meditate, and with greater frequency, the more benefit you will receive. Start slow and build up over time to reap rewards down the road.
2) Use a planner App to set reminders
You can use a planner or a calendar app on your smartphone as a reminder for when and how you want to meditate each day. Apps such as Momentum, You can use a planner or a calendar app on your smartphone as a reminder for when and how you want to meditate each day. Apps such as Momentum, Coach.me , iOS Reminders , and Alexa are useful for starting and maintaining daily meditation practice because they allow you to easily set reminders that will go off at specific times of day. This way, it’s easy to remember to meditate even if you have a busy schedule. It’s also helpful to have an alert to remind you not only when it’s time to meditate but also what type of meditation exercise you should do. For example, if your goal is mindful breathing meditation , then an alert reminding you about mindful breathing could help keep your focus during practice.
3) The Importance of Sleep
If you don’t get enough sleep, stress hormones like cortisol increase and can cause major health problems. In particular, inflammation has been linked to weight gain around your midsection. When you aren’t well-rested, levels of Leptin—the hunger hormone—are disrupted; insufficient sleep also causes increased ghrelin levels, which makes us feel hungrier. Make sure you hit 7-8 hours a night! Do not miss sleep! Ever! Meditation Posture: It is important that you have good posture when meditating. Slouching or leaning over will make it more difficult to focus on your breath. Sitting up straight will allow energy to flow freely throughout your body while making it easier for you to concentrate on one thing at a time. Breathing Technique: While some people prefer counting breaths (1 in...2 out...3 in...4 out...) others find it more beneficial to simply follow their breath without counting. The most important aspect of breathing technique is consistency. Try both methods and see what works best for you.
4) Improve Focus By Focusing On Something Other Than Breathing
Focusing on your breath is one of the most common types of meditation—and for good reason. Focusing on your breathing can quickly lower stress, improve your focus, and make it easier for you to meditate. But if you’re looking to take your practice from beginner to intermediate, then try incorporating a mantra into your routine. A mantra acts as a focal point of attention during meditation that allows you to dive deeper into relaxation with less effort than focusing on breathing alone. (See Resources & Techniques for Mantras).
5) Give Yourself Permission to Meditate
Don’t worry about doing it wrong—it doesn’t matter if your meditation is sloppy at first. Think of meditation like any other skill: It takes time and practice before you master it. So give yourself permission to be a beginner. Just by sitting there, you’re already succeeding! And don’t let others pressure you into feeling that there’s only one right way to meditate. You might enjoy practicing in silence, while another person thrives on guided imagery or mantra-based techniques. The important thing is that you sit regularly and with an open mind—and don’t forget to breathe deeply along the way.
6) Do it in Nature – Close Your Eyes & Listen
Meditating in nature is one of my favorite ways to calm my mind. If you have a meditation practice, I encourage you to take it outdoors. In addition to being good for your heart, getting outside can re-invigorate your senses and take you away from daily worries. Simply closing your eyes and tuning into sounds around you can be meditative, so don’t underestimate how calming it can be! Find a place where you feel safe and comfortable, close your eyes, and just listen. You may notice that some sounds are louder than others or that different sounds come and go throughout your session. This natural variation can help us get out of our heads when we find ourselves thinking too much about things going on in our lives. When you get back home: After taking time to meditate in nature, sit down with a pen and paper (or fire up Evernote) to reflect on what you noticed during your session.
7) Start with Deep Breathing Exercises
Deep breathing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to get started with meditation. Many people think they’re breathing deeply enough, but they don’t realize that their breaths are actually quite shallow. By extending your inhale and exhale, you get more oxygen into your system—and it can help you relax. Here’s a simple exercise: Breathe in through your nose for four counts, then hold for four counts. Then breathe out through your mouth for eight counts; hold again for eight counts. Repeat five times or until you feel relaxed.
8) Let Go and Just Relax
All too often, new meditators simply try to clear their minds. But if you’re thinking about how badly you want your meditation session to be over or what you plan on eating when it is over, chances are high that your mind won’t actually reach a state of relaxation. Try thinking less and relaxing more—you’ll get there much faster. Once you do hit a state of mental stillness, use it as an opportunity to take stock of where you are in life right now. What changes would you like to see? What worries might be causing some tension in your body? How can you embrace these feelings instead of push them away? By allowing yourself to fully experience life as it is right now, rather than trying to escape into a fantasy world, you may discover that stress and tension aren’t as inevitable as they seem.
9) Add Some Movement When You Can
If you’re just getting started with meditation, you might find that it can be hard to focus. To remedy that, try adding some simple movement or stretching into your practice. Movement will help ground your mind in the present moment and help you connect with yourself in a very physical way. It’s a great first step for people who have never meditated before, but experts can also use movement during their practice if they are having difficulty focusing on one point of reference. Some examples include: Standing up and taking three deep breaths while holding your hands over your heart; placing both hands on top of each other, palm-to-palm; standing still while moving one foot at a time back and forth; etc. Try different movements until you find something that works for you!
10) Incorporate Mantras Into Your Practice
Once you’ve been meditating for a little while, it’s a good idea to introduce mantras into your practice. A mantra is a simple phrase that you can repeat over and over as a way of focusing your mind when you meditate. They are used in almost every type of meditation, but they are particularly helpful in quieting your monkey mind—the part of our brain that runs on instinct and constantly jumps from thought to thought. (If you don’t know what I mean by monkey mind, don’t worry—it will become clear once you start practicing.) Here are some examples. (See Resources & Techniques for Mantras).