After enduring long hours at work, the stress of money, worn patience, and the compounding of every other stressful event imaginable, it seems that a breakdown is inevitable. Finally, after calming down enough, you may realize that you need something in your life to help you settle your fried nerves. If you are looking for a break, even if it is only for a brief moment, then meditation might be right for you.
Often when we think of meditation, we visualize a person sitting nearly Indian-style, with their fingers loosely touching, floating in the air, and living a state of total bliss. Unfortunately this is a myth. While the vision that we often conjure up in our heads when we think of someone meditating seems off the wall, meditation itself doesn’t have to be a foreign concept. Meditation offers a variety of health benefits and the reduction of stress. But, if you’re new to meditation you may be wondering where to start. I have gathered a variety of free meditation techniques for beginners that are simple and effective.
What is meditation?
The easiest and most simplest definition of meditation comes from Wikipedia, which states that meditation “is a discipline in which the mind is focused on an object of thought or awareness.” Basically when you are meditating, you aren’t focusing on the current stresses in your life, but simply yourself, as a happy and fulfilled individual. Meditation helps your mind reconnect with your soul, your heart, and your body, making you more aware of yourself and who you truly are.
Is meditation for me?
Meditation is perfect for all people of all races, colors, and creeds. Some people use meditation as a source of stress relief and others may use it for different reasons, such as manifestation, or even to relax and become more aware of our personal being.
What will I need to start meditation?
Before starting your meditation session, you will need a nice quiet space. Make sure that it is somewhere that you feel completely comfortable and relaxed in. It should be somewhere that is free from distractions and loud noises. Contrary to popular belief, you are going to want to have a bright room with light, not darkness.
Meditation Techniques for Beginners
Meditation can be quite overwhelming, especially if you are new to all of this and have no clue on where to begin. There are a number of free meditation techniques that will help you focus and gradually work your way to longer and more successful meditation techniques. To start off, there are two very important free meditation techniques that will really assist with stress and tension relief. These two free meditation techniques will also help open the doors to bigger and greater meditation techniques, allowing you to master your breathing and maintain focus.
Breathing Meditation
The point of meditation is really to become one with your being. You want to be void of all thoughts and worries and stress. The best way to achieve this is by using the breathing meditation technique. You can use this free meditation technique anywhere and either while sitting or walking. The goal is to focus on your breathing and only your breathing. Let me warn you though, this is not as easy as it sounds. You may find that often your mind will wander and you may have a hard time counting to ten with every breath, but try not to get frustrated. This is very common and this breathing meditation will be a great exercise towards preparing you for different meditation techniques.
If you are sitting, make sure to close your eyes. Now, you are going to want to monitor your breathing. Just be aware of your breathing in and your breathing out. While you are doing this, do not try and control your breathing, just let it come naturally. Take a few moments to get to know how you breathe. Feel each breath through your entire body. As you feel comfortable, you are going to start counting each breath. Your cycle is going to go a little something like this “breathing in one…breathing out two…breathing in three…breathing out four…so on and so forth” Again, if your mind starts to wonder, then that is okay. Start over again with number one. Your mind is going to be wandering all over the place and there are going to be things popping into your head that you may have forgotten. Just recognize that you are doing this and start over again with your breathing. Set goals for yourself that are attainable, like counting to 10, and then 20, and then 30. This is difficult and especially when you are just starting out with meditation. You can’t master it all in one day, which is why this exercise is really recommended before you really start getting deeper into meditation.
Object Meditation
Sometimes you may be better able to concentration while staring at an object. This is especially a great free meditation technique for those who are visual learners or thinkers. The best thing to use when trying object meditation is a candle, but you can use any object that you would like to help you focus and concentrate.
When you start off with this free meditation technique, you are going to begin just as you did with your breathing meditation technique. You are going to want to sit with your eyes closed and you are going to become aware of exactly how you are breathing. Again, it is important that you do not control your breathing, but just become aware of how you are breathing, the deepness of it and so forth. Once you become comfortable with your breathing and you are aware of how you are breathing, you are all ready to begin with your object meditation.
You can now open your eyes and stare at the object that you have chosen. Continue your breathing and try to stay focused on that. If you become aware that you are staring at your object or if your mind is starting to wonder elsewhere, then refocus back onto your breathing and begin to stare at your object again. The general misconception is that you are staring at whatever object you have selected and are thinking about that object. The truth is, you are just using the object as a focus point. Sometimes people just need to look at something that is not moving or is that stationary and they are able to recoup their thoughts or relieve stress. This is the concept that we are going for here with object meditation.
Here the object is serving as something that we can use to clear our mind, something that we can look at and focus on our breathing and nothing else that is going on or any thoughts that are entering our minds. Again, this is a technique that takes some time to really master. It is important that you do not get discouraged if you find yourself wandering away from the object or if you become bombarded with thoughts. It is all normal and a process that we all endure when beginning meditation.
While there are a variety of different free meditation techniques, these two are crucial in helping the beginner become more aware of their body, thus making meditation sessions more pleasurable and fulfilling. Once you are able to master the basics of breathing and freeing your mind of outside thoughts, you will be able to move on and delve into different types of meditation techniques.
Sources
Wikipedia Meditation
