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worshippingbones · 3 months

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Meditation

A friendly starter guide from your local hippie ✿

So, you want to learn meditation, but have generally no idea where to start? Glad ya found me.

Meditation is one of the simplest practices to fall into, and likely one of the most beneficial ones for overall health. There are thousands of different ways, reasons, methods of meditation, which is why I will be sharing what helped me most to begin my journey.

(In this post, I will keep things very basic. Very straightforward, so that anyone beginning can understand.)

What is meditation?

Meditation is the practice of mindfulness, or focusing your mind on a particular object, activity, sound, or thought. It carries the benefits of training your attention span, seeking deeper within yourself, achieving mental/emotional stability, heightening creativity, etc. And, even better, it’s easy!

What do people get wrong about meditation?

Many believe the only way to achieve meditation is through sitting and chanting (the classic lotus position). When in reality, it’s just as easy to meditate even while walking! However, to keep things simple, I’m only going to be discussing the method of laying/sitting. Laying works best for me, so that will be my personal step-by-step guide detailed.

So…how do you do it?

What works best for me may be different than what works for you, but this is the method I go about.

First, I set an intention. (Eg: What do I want to achieve with this session? Am I going for clarity, creativity, etc.?)

I ensure I’m in a comfortable position. (I find it easiest to be lying or sitting, however you can relax!)

Focus my attention on one repetitive sound. (It’s possible to achieve meditation through repetitive chants, audio, activity, or even just staring at an object; I just happen to use audio.)

I begin breathing slowly through my nose (Some like to exhale out of their mouths for calming effects, whichever relaxes you).

With each breath, I begin relaxing further and going limp from my toes to my head. (Eg: One breath relaxes the tips of my toes, one breath relaxes my foot. One breath relaxes my ankles, one breath relaxes my calves. All the way up the legs, abdomen, up the arms, ending at the head. Include the face.) At this point, I typically reach mental clarity. But it may take a few times to feel completely clear. You should feel yourself sink deep into whatever you are laying/sitting on. Allow the absorption of your body.

Focus on that one repetitive thing you’ve been (in my case) listening to the whole time. Let it consume your thoughts and be the only thing in your mind.

Congrats, you’re meditating! Now, from here, you contain your relaxed state and slowly let your mind “wander.” I only allow my brain to process one thought at a time in this state, that way it doesn’t cloud up and I lose focus.

That’s it?

That was the absolute bare basics that I could come up with for any beginner. My mother, who has integrated meditation in her lifestyle for over twenty years now, also provided some of the tips. Where did you think I got it from? Lol.

Anyway, that was a very quick step-by-step from my own personal experience. I tried my hardest to keep it simple but informative, and use laymen’s terms to the best of my ability. Thanks for reading, and best of luck in all that you do. Love to you all. ✿