The practice of meditation can seem awkward for some and difficult for many others. The concept of just sitting in silence in an age where you are surrounded in noise seems alien. Meditation helps to dampen this noise, calm your thoughts, and organize your feelings in a relaxed and solitary manner. But for those new to the practice knowing how to get the most out of it can be confusing. To ease you into your journey, here are 5 steps you can take to improve your meditation.
Use a guide
In the age of the smartphone, there are so many apps you can use, both free and paid, that give you a guided meditation to use every day. By following these guided sessions you surrender yourself to the process until you are confident enough with how to meditate by yourself. Such apps allow you to set time limits, sessions per week, background noise, and more. All very good for someone new who needs a push in the right direction.
Don’t hold onto thoughts so tightly
When many people start out with their meditation they seem to have the habit of conjuring up the train of thought they want to focus on. Don’t get into that habit. Instead, keep a loose grip on your train of thought and allow them to flow naturally from one tangent to the next. Holding onto your thoughts tightly defeats the purpose of meditation, which is to calm your mind and relax your thinking. Having such a tight grip is counterproductive.
Schedule your session
Make it a habit to schedule your meditation around the same time every day. This gets you into a good habit of doing it, regardless of what is happening in your life or the wider world around you. You don’t have to be on the dot with your time every day, but saying something along the lines of “I will meditate before bed every night” is a good start. Again, utilise your smartphone. Set alarms through the day and use your meditation app from before to get yourself settled and ready to go.
Recording your meditation session
Record your thoughts and sessions using a meditation journal. Get into the habit of recording your meditations sessions and when you have them. Recording anything is a great way to see progress and seeing how much your meditation is improving over time is a fantastic confidence booster.
Look after yourself elsewhere
Meditation is great for the mind. But keeping your body healthy is a surefire way to improve your meditation drastically. The confidence and stress relief you get from healthy eating and regular exercise will allow you to focus more clearly on your thoughts during your meditation sessions. Your health is a sum of its parts, and your body and mind are the 2 key components. Look after both equally.
Conclusion
Meditation is a key exercise for keeping your mental fog in check and for organizing and clearing your thoughts. Practice often and practice with focus and you can achieve great results quickly.
