Meditation involves the development of an inner awareness, preferably bringing the body and mind into harmony and expanding personal insight. It also contributes to an overall sense of well-being and improves physical and spiritual health. Personal effort is the answer when one asks how to meditate properly.
Create a welcoming, calming space for meditation. It is best to use the same space for meditation in order to forge a mental link between the physical place and the experience of meditation. Some prefer meditating on the floor in order to feel more grounded. Others may require a cushion or even to sit on a chair. The right answer for a meditative space is an area where you can physically relax with minimal outside influences. Whether sitting or stretched out allow your body to be comfortable.
Clear your area of all possible distractions. This means turning off your cell phone, shutting off the television, and closing windows so passing traffic doesn’t interrupt you. Closing off distractions may mean that you must tell others in the home that you are in need of private time and that they must remain quiet. While the ideal situation is an empty house, this is sometimes impossible; enforcing boundaries is the best approach.
Focus on lighting when you prepare your space. Natural light is wonderful, but in some positions natural light may distract you even with closed eyes. Similarly, overly bright artificial lights are disruptive. Seek out these sneaky distractions before meditation.
Once your space is properly prepared, take your desired position and close your eyes.
Begin breathing deeply, focusing on the cyclical feeling of air entering and leaving your body.
Empty your mind. This sounds simple and yet takes practice. The daily worries we carry mentally and physically weight us down and often refuse to leave when we want to relax. The deep breathing will help retrain your focus to meditation and away from those worries, though it might take a while until the practice becomes regular.
From this point meditation can become more subjective and personally tailored to you. Some religions have their own meditative guides that involve gripping prayer beads and reciting special texts. If this is your orientation, then work with these meditative practices.
A more general way to meditate is to reach a state where you are only somewhat aware of your physical surroundings. This means that you are instead focused on bringing your body and mind into harmony. You can utilize visualizations that calm you, such as wandering through a field or sitting next to a waterfall and listening to the rhythm of the water.
Your own preferences will determine how long a meditation session will last. Attempt to bring yourself out of it with a soothing spoken message to yourself as a signal. Open your eyes and focus on deep breathing for a few minutes before getting up.
The hallmark of proper meditation is genuine daily commitment. If you put effort into meditating repeatedly and wholeheartedly you will see results.
Get more help with how to meditate properly with this help for meditation beginners and discover the best meditation method for you.