Learn How to meditate to relax your mind & transform your health

Using mental strength, through meditation, to restore or improve mental and physical health is simpler than you probably think. There are simple steps and techniques you can use if you want to learn how to meditate properly. But the question is why and how to mediate?

When we are stressed, we are like a mountain surrounded by clouds; we cannot see clearly. Meditation is like letting the wind clears the sky and reveal its beautiful blue on your world.

Integrating meditation into your daily hygiene practices is more important than the conventional medicine would let you to believe. Daily meditation is providing the mind the daily care it needs to function properly the same way you take care of your body daily: a shower to purify it, some gymnastics to strengthen it, some rest to reenergize it…

7 Simple Ideas on “How to meditate techniques”       

1 – Find the right time

in life there is a bad and a good time for everything. When it comes to meditating, It depends on what you are looking for. For instance, you can meditate in the morning to start the day in a better frame; night to get rid of accumulated mental tensions and have restful night sleep; or noon to recharge its “batteries“.

When you understand the process you can meditate anywhere (in the subway, at the office, on the beach…) and anytime (while eating, cooking, having sex^?), as soon as you feel the need to. The ideal is to choose a time and a specified duration and stick to it. Do not shorten your sessions if they prove painful, do not extend when more pleasant. Being consistency is part of the learning process.

2. Chose the right environment

An expert can manage to meditate anywhere, even in a hostile environment. It is not the case for a beginner. In fact, choosing the wrong place which exposes you to obstacles can cause you to give up from the beginning. That is, from the beginning choose a harmonious location. Always meditate in the same place, preferably in a quiet room, sit facing a wall. In general, try to avoid anything that might distract your eyes or power your thoughts.

If possible, you can create a soothing atmosphere, installing carpet, lighting a candle or by listening to soft and appropriate music. Choose loose, comfortable clothes that you use in each meditation session, and do not forget to take off your shoes.

When using background music, it is better to listen to instrumentals which do not have words which can distract you.

3 – Relax before each Session

Before entering into meditation, it is very important to have a relaxation time. This is even more important you just start learning how to meditate. It is quick and simple. For instance, you can lie on your back, stretch, yawn, smile… Eyes closed, breathe through your nose, calmly, deeply. Relax your belly, let it swell by breathing in, and release the air gently. Become aware of your weight on the floor as well as the body parts that support you: heels, calves, buttocks, shoulder blades, back of the head, elbows, palms… Let your joints and tissues relax.

Once you feel deep in the meditation, you will feel as if you are floating, or “getting lost in an empty world”.  When you first start learning how to meditate, you will surely be at war with your own thinking. You may notice that your attention tends to focus on some objects: negative thoughts, bodily sensations, surrounding noise or sounds, emotions, memories (bad most of the time), etc.  This is normal the mind is conditioned to focus on negativity and past conditioning or events.

4 – Choose your comfortable posture            

 There are many positions you can adopt; but let’s consider the lotus position. Sitting on a firm round cushion, cross your legs, keeping your knees on the ground, the left foot on the right thigh and vice versa, and the soles (the bottom of the feet) slightly skyward. You don’t need to misshape you body if you lack flexibility. Just remember that the posture has to allow you to feel comfortable physically and mentally.

You can also opt for the half-lotus position, one leg is flat on the calf of the other.

You can also kneel on a small pillow, or sit on a chair without lean back, feet flat on the ground or floor. In all cases, be sure to keep your back straight by lightly arching the kidneys to deploy your spine and release the solar plexus. Tuck your chin slightly, release shoulders.

After a moment, you can feel crispations. The discomfort often goes away by itself, as the muscles relax. If it persists, you may need to change position.

5 – Adjust your eyes

You can leave your eyes half-closed or completely closed.  The idea is to close the eyelids sufficiently to bring attention to the interior, while staying connected to the world around you. For starters, if your eyes are constantly hijacked by an object or light, it is better to close them. If, however, you are experiencing drowsiness, open them wide to regain your vigilance.

6 – Concentrate on your breath

This is one of the things you need to do your best to be good at if you are learning how to mediate. Breathing is, after the posture, the second pillar of meditation. The technique of “anapana”, in-and-out breathing, recommends focusing on the “door of the nostrils,” the triangular area that extends from the nose to the upper lip. It is simply to be aware of your breathing, letting be what it is. Try to get lost in your breath. Released in the abdomen, the breath vigorously hunting tension and brings a sense of harmony.

This exercise of concentration on breathing helps to fight against the dispersion of thoughts. Not only it helps soothe the mind but also teaches it how to collect, grow strong.

7 – Purify your mind

Even if you know how to mediate like Buddha, if your mind is not clean it will be pointless. Your work on the body, through posture and breathing, aims to discipline it to better concentrate on the mind. So you need to know the nature of your mind, and most importantly, have control over what you feed it.

To find the true nature of the mind, you need to let your thoughts emerge without forcing them or retain them, without condemning or approving them. Be content to observe the development of the scene as if were images of a movie appearing and disappearing. Accept the pain, anger, fear or shame. Try to learn from them, invoking the antidote to what makes you suffer. This is very important when learning how to meditate.

If this exercise is a little too advanced for you, focus again on your breathing until your mind is ready to continue.