Easy Meditation Tips and Techniques For Beginners: Mindfulness at Home
Learn how to practice mindfulness and healing meditation at home. An easy guide with basic tips and techniques that benefit beginners and help you make your everyday of your life better and happier.
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Want to learn meditation from the comfort of your own home but you do not know where to start?
Well, I can share with you how I had started meditation, and you can take it forward from there.
My Tips For You To Get Started:
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Find a time of the day when you are relaxed - when you do not have a lot going on in your mind. Your mind will never be free of thoughts. So, choose a moment when you think you can sit in a relaxed position for a short while without experiencing an urge to get up and do something else.
Find a comfortable place to sit down, be it on your bed, chair, sofa or on the floor.
You may cross your legs or sit in any way that you feel comfortable – as long as your spine is straight. By straight, I mean ‘comfortably straight’ and not too strained. Relax your shoulders. Do a check to ensure that your entire body is relaxed. You may take a back rest in the beginning to ensure your back is comfortably straight. Try not to rest your head.
Keep your chin parallel to the floor and please ensure that it does not droop down.
Place your hands on your thighs with your palms facing upwards (relaxed.)
Now close your eyes and raise your gaze gently (with your eyes still closed) as if you were looking at the area between your eyebrows. Again, no need to strain your eyes too hard.
Just observe your breathing. Observe your body inhaling and exhaling. Do not try to control your breathing. Just gently observe its movement. Feel your belly expand with every inhalation and contract with every exhalation. This will ensure you are relaxed. Yes, your mind may interrupt and bring in various thoughts. That’s ok. Be aware that this is happening and push those thoughts aside gently and continue observing your breath.
Sit in this position for as long as you can. And when you wish to stop, gently open your eyes. That’s it.
See, it is easy.
The next time you want to meditate, let’s take it one step further:
Simple Daydreaming Meditation:
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Find a comfortable place.
Sit with your spine erect.
Rest your hands on your thighs, palms facing upwards.
Close your eyes.
Just relax and observe your breath. Take a deep breath in, hold it for 2 seconds and then breathe out. Feel all your muscles relax as you breathe out. Do this 3 times.
Next, imagine that you are in your favourite place. It can be at the beach or on the mountains, or a vast green field, anywhere that is your ‘happy place’. See and feel the details of that place: the soft fresh grass beneath your feet, or the soft clean golden sand. Listen to a waterfall nearby, the waves of the ocean by the shore or hear the chirping of some birds. Look around you and observe your surroundings.
Imagine that you are doing your favourite activity there. It could be painting, or writing, or dancing, singing or playing with your pet or with your favourite person. You may also just choose to BE present there doing nothing. Look at your surroundings and take the freshness of that place in.
Enjoy being here, feeling relaxed, happy and at peace. Nothing can disturb you here. You are safe and free to do whatever your heart desires here. Feel loved, blessed and protected.
Once you would like to leave, just slowly imagine that you are walking away from that spot. Allow yourself to feel your body, wriggle your toes and move your fingers, and then gently open your eyes with a smile on your face.
You can revisit this happy place you have created for yourself, whenever you feel like it. It’s always there for you when you’re feeling overwhelmed and want to leave reality for a few minutes. Just close your eyes and go back there.
Tip: You may record all the points mentioned above on your cell phone and play it as you are meditating as if it was a guided meditation.
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You may also choose any one of the meditations that I have suggested below:
More Easy Meditations:
Here is are 3 very short beginner’s meditations by Saadia that I found and loved. I am sure you will enjoy it as a beginner. Click below to check them out.
You may also check out this short Guided Meditation for Beginners with Dr. Deepak Chopra by just observing your breath. It is easy and for 3 minutes only: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CozPpadMho
The video shows you how to sit and guides you at every step. It even has affirmations at the end. The meditation is very relaxing and energetic.
There is an ocean full of guided meditations online. You can select one of your choice by listening to the music and voice and see if it resonates with you. If you are not comfortable and want to stop it for any reason, please do so and choose another video that makes you feel light. By ‘makes you feel light’, I mean that it makes you want to try it out and brings a smile within. That’s how I had started.
So, you may begin by searching for ‘guided mediation to relax’, or ‘meditation for beginners’, etc. and explore your options. Start with the short meditations that are for 5 or 10 minutes. They generally ask you to sit straight and relax your muscles. There are some meditations that allow you to lie down as well if you choose to, while meditating. The risk is that you may fall asleep during the meditation, hahaha!
Here are some links that you can try:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Q_YCkK0mk - a peaceful mind in 5 minutes meditation. Hope you like it. Affirmations help your mind to focus initially or else your mind may not allow you to sit in one place peacefully.
Another meditation that you can check out is Isha Kriya by Sadhguru. Sadguru is a yogi, a mystic, poet, an author and a visionary humanitarian. He is a spiritual master with a difference. I enjoy watching him. Here is a short meditation for everyday practice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwQkfoKxRvo&vl=en
In the beginning of the video Sadhguru briefly talks about Isha Kriya and its importance. Next there are some slides with explanation and an illustration for better understanding of this meditation. The meditation actually starts from the count 4:08.
When you say ‘I am not this body’ and ‘I am not even the body’ the aim is to make you aware that you (your soul that resides in this body) is much more than just a mere body/ mind. By repeating these lines, your mind stops jumping around from thought to thought like a monkey does. It helps you keep your focus. Next by repeating the sound AUM (OM), you experience the enhanced vibration within. Sadhguru ends it with a song/ prayer (I am not sure) that he sings. I personally love his voice. You can check out more by clicking on the link below.
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I have just shared meditation for beginners by a few well-known experts in their field. There are lots more online that you can research and go for. I wish you happiness, joy and peace within.
Namaste!
Love and Light.