1. Make sure you know what you want from your practice. For starters, take a look at why you’re practicing meditation. Many novices hope meditation will help them manage the ups and downs of every day life. If that’s your aim, you can do so by developing mindful awareness through the practice of meditation. What is mindful awareness you might ask? Very simply it is paying attention to what’s happening in, to and around you in a lively way – with kindness and compassion for self and others.
2. Don’t take it too seriously. Mindfulness in every day life is not a religion so better not to approach it as one. Don’t take it too seriously and try to keep your sense of humor. Many of the machinations of our minds are hilarious when looked at from this perspective. Which leads me to #3.
3. No such thing as success or failure. Don’t judge yourself as a success or failure at meditation – there’s no such thing. Remember your answer to #1 – your aim is not to park yourself on a meditation cushion until you reach an exalted mental state - your aim is take the mindful awareness that you develop on the cushion out in to your every day life
4. Keep it Simple. If you can commit to meditating 30 to 45 minutes a day and stick with it that’s fantastic. But many find this to be an unrealistic goal. I encourage novices to commit to practicing twice a day, for a few minutes at a time, for a period of days. Maybe you’re comfortable committing to 7 minutes in the morning and 7 minutes in the evening for 7 consecutive days. Maybe 4 minutes a day, twice a day, for 40 consecutive days. It doesn’t matter which regimen you choose, what matters is that you choose one that you can manage in your daily life and stick with it
5. Find a buddy. If possible enlist someone to join you in this experiment. You don’t need to practice in the same room, at the same time, as your buddy but it’s helpful to check in with someone else when you start out so you have a sounding board and can help each other stay on track.
6. Have some fun. Before sitting down to meditate spend a few minutes doing a simple physical and/or playful activity that you enjoy. You might try jumping jacks, stretching, sipping a cup of tea, or playing music and singing or dancing along. It’s tough to meditate if your mind is busy with planning, organizing or analyzing. But playing first, before you meditate, can help you transition from a more analytical mindset into a more relaxed and playful one.
7. When in doubt count. Our highly-developed thinking minds serve us well for the most part. But for those new to meditation thinking has a way of becoming very, very loud making it difficult if not impossible to hear what you are feeling. Meditators for millennia have used counting breaths as a way to focus and quiet a noisy thinking mind. There are many ways to count breaths, but here’s a simple one for you to try: Relax your body on the inhale, and on the exhale hold the number 1 in your mind for the entire out-breath. Repeat this sequence with the next two breaths, holding the number 2 in your mind on the second exhale and the number 3 in your mind on the third. Keep counting three breaths in this way until your mind quiets and you can rest in the sensation of breathing in and out without counting.
8. Take it off the cushion and into your life. Lastly, let’s revisit #1 again – why mediate in the first place? If your aim is for mindful awareness to help you better manage life’s ups and downs make sure you take what you’re learning off the cushion and into your daily life. Take some time during the workday to get in touch with your sensory experience. Once a day do something mindfully where you’re aware of all of your senses while you do it – whether it’s opening a door, putting on your socks, or drinking a warm cup of coffee. Take the time to feel (not think about but feel) the touch of the doorknob against the palm of your hand, or the soles of your feet against the floor with each step, or the smell of your morning coffee. My guess is you’ll be surprised by the power of this simple practice. Crossposted from Huffington Post.
