Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Choosing an environment
• Part 2 of 3: Starting meditation
• Tips

Mindfulness meditation is a great way to improve your focus, reduce stress and boost your creativity. Learning how to meditate mindfully takes time and practice, but you can teach yourself how to do it. You can also learn how to incorporate mindfulness techniques into everyday life, such as when you are eating, walking, or just doing your other daily tasks.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Choosing an environment

1. Select a location. Think about a place where you will not be disturbed or have other distractions. This can be a quiet place in your house or somewhere outside next to a tree. Choose a place that feels peaceful and where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
   • If you plan on making it a habit, consider creating a place just for your meditation. You can place inspiring or calming items on a special table, such as flowers or pictures of beautiful places. Soften the light by placing candles.
2. Make sure you are comfortable. You may be immobile for several minutes, and for this reason it is important to sit comfortably. Make sure the room is neither too hot nor too cold. Consider putting on a blanket or keeping it nearby in case your body temperature drops. Also pack some cushion to make sitting even more pleasant.
   • Wear comfortable clothes that won't get in your way or distract you.
3. Take some time. You can start with no more than 10 minutes to meditate, and gradually expand that. Don't start meditating for an hour right away, as this will likely be too much for you. Instead, opt for small increases in time that you stick to, and you can extend it if you want.
   • If necessary, set an alarm so that you are not tempted to check the time while meditating. In any case, make sure that the alarm clock that signals the "end of the meditation" is more gentle than a shrill alarm tone. Find an alarm sound that sounds like calming wind chimes or soft piano music.
4. Try different positions. While many people associate meditation with sitting in the lotus position (with the legs crossed), there is no one way to meditate. You can sit, stand, walk, or lie on the floor. Try out a number of different positions, with or without pillows, and find out what feels most natural to you. There is no "wrong" way to meditate.
   • Although lying down is very pleasant, you should make sure that you do not fall asleep! It is very common to start meditating and drift off to dreamland.

Part 2 of 3: Starting meditation

1. Calm your mind. It may take you a while to get in and you can start disconnecting from all the things that are going on in your life. Especially if you had a stressful day, you can start thinking about what happened that day or about things that should happen in the future. You may feel your emotions stir. This is all fine. Notice that your mind is dancing and let it dance for a while while you relax.
   • Keep in mind that it's okay to feel a little strange about meditating. Just take a moment to recognize the feelings you have, and then turn your attention to your physical posture. Try to get as comfortable a position as you can.
2. Take a few deep breaths. Focus on your breath, notice your inhalation and exhalation of each breath. Feel each breath flow into and out of your body, filling your lungs and then released through your throat and mouth. Start lengthening and deepening each breath. Deep breathing aids in calming and relaxing the mind and body.
   • Observing your breath is an exercise in mindfulness in itself. You can continue to observe your breathing during the meditation.
3. Realize that you are not your thoughts. As you meditate, remind yourself that you have control over which thoughts and emotions you wish to consider. If you notice thoughts and feelings that you don't want to consider right now, let them go and choose not to focus on them.
   • This insight can help you realize that you can change negative thoughts and let them go.
   • Don't worry when you notice the flow of thoughts. Practice letting go of these mental experiences without judging.
4. Return to your breath. Any time you are distracted by sounds, thoughts, or whatever, return to observing your in-breaths and out-breaths. Whenever you experience unpleasant thoughts and emotions, turn your attention back to the breath.
   • When you focus on the breath, focus on neutrality. If thoughts come to your mind while you are right on your breath, make sure that you continue not to judge your thoughts, including how you meditate. Judging will only negatively affect your meditative session. Understand that it is common for people to get distracted or have thoughts about the day.
   • Remember that meditation is not an achievement.
5. Focus on the present. One of the goals of mindfulness is to help you focus on the moment. It's easy for your mind to jump to the future or back to the past, but your body is always in the present moment. This is why mindfulness exercises target the body. If you find that your mind often wanders, return to your body, and especially to your breathing. Just try to focus on the present moment. EXPERT TIP

   Eat mindfully. Mindful eating can aid in weight loss by slowing you down and making you really enjoy your food. You can practice mindful eating with a piece of fruit, such as an apple.

   • Hold and look at the apple, observing its shape, structure, or any markings on the skin.
   • Feel the apple in your hands, or maybe against your lips.
   • Hold the fruit closer to your face and smell it a few times. Notice if your body responds, such as making your mouth water or getting the desire to taste it.
   • Finally, take a bite of the apple, notice how it tastes, how it feels and whether it is pleasant to chew.
6. Practice mindful walking. You can also meditate while walking. Take a walk and as you do this, pay attention to what it feels like to walk, how it feels for your muscles to move, flex, and stretch. Make slower movements so you can focus on your movements and the feeling of your feet hitting and moving away from the ground.
   • A barefoot walking meditation can enhance the experience and allow you to sense many more things, such as the structure and temperature of the ground.
7. Focus on sensations. You can practice mindfulness meditation that focuses on these sensations if you are experiencing pain or want to get more in touch with your body. This skill can help reduce pain and tension in the body. Choose a part of your body to focus on, either internal or external. Are the sensations pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral? You may notice that there is "a pleasant feeling now" or "it hurts there now". Observe how body and mind interact with these feelings.
   • A similar method that applies to both the first and second body-oriented foundations is a form of body scanning. This involves scanning your body up and down to examine and release sensations before moving on to another part of the body, or viewing energy flows.
   • Rather than filtering out much of what is happening around you, you can open up to any perception. Open your eyes and take in your surroundings, pay attention to movement, colors or objects that stand out. Are there any smells that catch your eye? Look for distinctive noises, perhaps the hum of electricity, outside traffic noises, or birds singing.
8. Turn daily tasks into meditation. You can make a meditation of anything if you do it with mindfulness. You can brush your teeth carefully by tasting the toothpaste, feeling the bristles of your toothbrush and the movement of your hand. Take a shower and notice all the ways you can take care of your body while you shower. Even driving to work can become a meditation: notice how the car feels, the way your body molds to the seat, and observe the thoughts and feelings you experience when you are in a traffic jam, experiencing desired or unwanted outcomes .
   • When you practice mindfulness, remember that the most important thing is to be present in the present. Return to your breath and observe your thoughts and feelings without following or judging them further.

Tips

• Listen to relaxing music, nature sounds, or "white noise" to help practice mindfulness, especially when you are just starting out.
• Take one step at a time. Try not to be aware of too many things at the same time, just what you see when you see it, and add things as soon as you notice them. Let go of these things as they change. You can improve your awareness.
• This exercise can be used in addition to body awareness in any position for the best experience and opportunity to study these frames of reference.