We all know that meditation is great for you, but how do you meditate? In this article I want to give you some suggestions of what you need in order to set-up a successful meditation practice, and I will also teach you how to meditate. These peripheral parts of a meditation practice should not be ignored, as one of the most important aspects in order to reap the rich rewards of meditation is consistency, and these suggestions below are the key ingredients for setting up a long-term, consistent practice.

1. Meditation Space:

First you need to set aside a space in your home for meditation. Having such a space will help you create the right environment to succeed in meditation. The space should be clean and if possible, used exclusively for meditation only. This way, once you enter this space, automatically your body and mind will tune in and settle down, allowing for you to travel deep within during your meditation session.

2. Meditation Time:

One of the most important keys in order to have a consistent practice, is to set a regular time for daily meditation. As best as possible, you should try to meditate at this time. Setting up such a time will go a long way in helping you integrate meditation into your daily life. One final note with regard to setting a regular time for meditation, is that if this can be set to early in the morning, that is preferable. During the early hours, the mind is fresh and the air it purer, both of which are helpful to meditation.

3. Meditation Tools:

You should also not be shy to use some helpful meditation tools which will ultimately help you sit better and longer. Tools such as proper attire which does not constrict blood flow and meditation cushions which take the strain off the back and knees are important parts of a daily practice and you should use them to help you in learning and mastering this wonderful spiritual art.

In addition, if you are planning to do breathing exercises or yoga as well, it is ok to use music to help motivate you during these physical practices.

During meditation though, I don’t suggest using music, so that you can develop the art of watching the mind and thoughts, which is key to advanced meditation practice.

Finally, also feel free to use a picture, incense or other such devices which inspire and help you get into the meditative mood. Meditation is a long term practice, so you will certainly run into phases where you will need some extra inspiration to keep going strong.

How to Meditate:

Once you have your space, time and tools in place, it is time to actually meditate. So let us learn how to meditate now. For this, take a nice tall posture, keeping your spine straight. You can place your hands on your knees, or place them in your lap, then follow the instructions below which will teach you a fundamental and very effective meditation technique.

* Once you take your posture, close your eyes and then remain absolutely still.

* Next bring your awareness to your breathing and begin to count your breaths from 1 to 10, with each inhalation and exhalation incrementing the count. Once you get to 10, come back to 1 and start over. So you would do 5 completes breaths to get from 1 to 10. What is important here is that you actually pay close attention to the actual sensation of the breath. It is a very physical practice, and you should concentrate of feeling the breath, as opposed to just thinking about it. So you should be aware of the depth, texture, temperature, etc of the actual air as it passes through your nostrils.

* If your mind wonders during this time, simply see your thought, let it go and return to your count. Thoughts will arise, but endeavor not to get caught in the story line, instead just see them and let them go and return your attention to your breathing.

* If you do get lost in your thinking, then again, simply see the thoughts that carried you away, let them go and return to 1, and start over. Don’t judge yourself harshly if you so get lost in thinking, it happens to everybody. In time your concentration will grow and your mind will calm down much faster, thus allowing you insight into the true nature of reality which lies beyond thoughts and duality.