“Begin your meditation. Sit and quiet your mind.”
These are the instructions I read about how to begin a meditation session . Now I don’t know about you but the instructions “sit and quiet your mind” may as well read “now walk over to that bus and lift it up” Both are equally impossible for me to do. So what does a busy mind do when faced with the idea of meditation?
It is called a Meditation “Practice” for a reason.
The challenge of beginning a meditation practice is the fact that our minds are new to it. So therefore, we are not proficient at being still and quiet. Most of us who begin a meditation practice quickly change our minds and decide it’s not for us because we are not good at it. But ask yourself this…
Were you great at anything you began the very first time you ever tried it? Sure maybe there are a few of you who are naturally talented in certain areas and knew it the first time you engaged in that activity. Most of us had to develop the skills, coordination and muscular control to be proficient at a skill or talent we wanted to excel at someday. Such is the same with meditation.
Your Brain On Meditation
Your brain is a like those muscles that need to be developed for a skill. It takes regular practice and adherence to a routine to finally master any activity including meditation. Your brain is much like your leg muscles that become stronger every time you run. Just like developing muscle memory to improve your golf swing the same is true for a successful meditation practice. The more you do it the better it gets.
Meditation for dummies.
The best way to begin a meditation practice in four easy steps:
1. First commit to take the challenge.
2. Set aside 10-20 minutes in your day to “just do it” Put it on your schedule and set a reminder.
3. Get a guided meditation audio you can listen to. This helps the untrained brain to stay focused in the beginning.
4. Join or create a community of other meditators to engage in conversation with afterward. Either on line or in person talking to someone about your experience is helpful. This will also keep you accountable if you have others that are on the same journey to communicate your insights and challenges with.
Meditation is for winners!
Begin to meditate and see how it wonderfully it affects your life. I have noticed many benefits from meditation and I know it has improved my brain and enhanced my life. When I lose focus during the day I know it is time to mediate. Even for a few minutes it helps me refresh my mind so that I may concentrate on the tasks I want to finish.
I love how mediation has helped me and I hope you will try it and enjoy the awesome feeling you get when you develop a new skill. But go easy on yourself and give it time. Repetition is the mother of skill. Try the 21 day meditation challenge by Deepak Chopra. I find these sessions short and easy to do.
Feel free to share some of your meditation successes and challenges.
Namaste’ and good luck!