How to get started with meditation
Image by Sage Friedman
As an active person, the practice of meditation is not something that comes easily to me. I tend to find my flow in exercise and activity. However neuroscience points to the physical and psychological benefits of quietening the mind in gentler ways than tackling a 6b route on the climbing wall and so I maintain an on/off relationship with meditation.
Admittedly last year, it was decidedly more off than on, so at the beginning of January I committed to a free Morning Meditation Challenge on Insight Timer to re-establish a habit that I know is beneficial but is often put aside in favour of more active pursuits (like hanging out washing!) . With short, daily 10 minute guided meditations from people such as Ariana Huffington, Alexandra Elle, Wim Hof and Jack Kornfield, this challenge has reconnected me with a powerful daily practice and allowed me to try ways of meditating that I wouldn’t have explored otherwise.
Committing to a challenge works for me as a way of bringing about change or introducing new behaviours but a structured approach is not for everyone, so here are a couple of suggestions to get you started with meditation in just a few minutes at any time of day.
Decide to spend just 2 minutes sitting in stillness instead of hurrying past every-time you find yourself in your favourite spot in your home. Sit on the bench, chair, windowsill, floor or bed and get still. Focus your mind on observing your breath or watching the second hand of a clock or watch.
Close your eyes and tune into a noise you can hear right now, a sink draining, a clock ticking, a car passing the window, the gentle hum from your laptop and then follow the sound until you can’t hear it any more or until you chose to shift your attention to something else.