A militant monk, cloaked in an orange robe, purched crossed legged on a mountain, may cross your mind when first hearing about the idea of meditation.

But this is a method that anyone can practise. Just like yourself I was unsure how to begin and what exactly to do.

There’s a lot of information out there that has overcomplicated such a simple practise and it may appear slightly overwhelming to begin with.

Luckily, we don’t need anything to start practicing. Just bring along an open mind and we can begin!

Find a place where you will not be disturbed

Meditation can be successful wherever and whenever. Whilst walking, eating your dinner or brushing your teeth. By being fully aware of the present moment you are practising meditation.

When beginning your practise it is advised to find a quiet area. Somewhere in which you won’t be distracted. If you are unable to do so, you can drown out the background noise by listening to some hz music.

Being in a quiet location is beneficial as you will be able to stay focussed on the task at hand, meditation. You will find it is easier to connect with your own thoughts. Rather than being distracted by dogs barking in the distance, traffic going by or your noisy next door neighbour.

There is no time limit

With a sturn face, no emotions, sitting upright, unphased by life passing by. The monk sits without a timer, fully immersed in his inner world.

But they had to begin somewhere aswell. Practise makes perfect. You do not have to sit hours on end battling your inner thoughts. As with anything in life, it takes time to master new skills.

So with meditation you should take the same principle. Begin with a few minutes each day. Gradually increasing the time as you feel yourself improving. At first you will only be able to focus for a short period of time. The mind is like a muscle and will get stronger the more repetitions you put in.

Focus on physical sensations

When you sit down to begin the mind will soon begin racing. Thinking about what you need to do later or what went wrong earlier.

This is inevitable…

A practise to sooth these experiences is to simply focus on your physical sensations.

To alleviate the problem of an overactive mind you need to give your mind something else to focus on. Moving your awareness towards your physical sensations allows your busy mind to detox and calm down.

Start by feeling the area in which you are sitting or lying on. Then begin to notice parts of your body. This is called a bodyscan. Beginning at the top of your head, move your awareness down your body, reaching your toes.

After just a short period of time you will notice your thoughts begin to slow down. Due to your awareness being present on physical sensations rather than worrying about what your internal dialougue is spewing out.

Watch your thoughts! Don’t try and stop them

Sitting alone by yourself can be unusual to begin with. We’re so often distracted by other activities we normally don’t pay attention to our own mind.

Thoughts will begin to arrise.

Your initial response may be to try and stop or fight them off. This is normal so dont panic! However, resistance towards them will only create more thoughts. What you resist, persits.

Our job is to simply be aware of the thoughts. Watch them, as if you’re watching clouds floating in the sky. A cloud may appear and slowly drift away, being replaced by another cloud, so on and so on. But the sky, or mind, never changes.

You can’t stop your thoughts, but you can become aware that they are just thoughts and that they cannot harm you.

In and out. Return back to your breath

There will come a time when an idea or thought has caught your attention and you may become attatched to it. You may even completely forget that you are practising meditation.

This is a good thing. You have become aware that you are thinking.

What should you do after that?

Let the thought go. Remind yourself that it is but a thought and the chances are another one will come after this one. A tool to help you return back to the present moment is your breath.

Breath in meditation is the anchor to the present moment. As silly as it may sound, you cannot breath a past breath nore can you breath a future breath. The ever present now is expressed through your present inhale and exhale.

Feel the cold air rush through your nostrils, down into your lungs. Feel your stomach and ribcage expand. On the exhale notice the falling sensation as you breath out the air. Inhaling peace and relaxation, exhaling the stress and worry.

This may sound tedious. You can try to break this up by counting the inhales and exhales or choosing a personal affirmation.

“I breath in peace. I exhale stress”.

Conclusion

Practise makes perfect. With anything new it will take time to see progress. After repetition, dedication and commitment to the process you will begin to see improvements. It all starts now!

Find yourself a quiet place to begin the practise. Away from any distractions you cannot physically change.

Quiet the mind by focussing on physical sensations. When a thought arrises, realise it is just a thought. Return to the present moment with your breath and let the pestering thoughts pass by like a flowing river.

The change in your life starts from within. Mastering the internal mind will benefit your external world in a multitude of different ways!