Meditation is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety while improving focus and emotional well-being. Yet many people struggle to establish a daily meditation practice because many misconceptions are surrounding it. Here, Southland-based mindfulness teacher Russell Herbert Jack, shares five easy ways to help a beginner establish a meditation routine.
Get Comfortable
First thing’s first, you’ll want to find a comfortable and quiet space to start your meditation. A meditation cushion is ideal but if you are just getting started you can use a blanket, pillow, or anything else that will make the floor a little more comfortable for you. If you are sitting on the floor, it’s important to make sure that your hips are higher than your knees by at least four inches.
There’s nothing wrong with sitting against a wall if you need more back support. You can also sit in a chair. No matter where you sit, you just need to make sure you have a tall, straight spine. Make sure the temperature of the room is comfortable so that you are not distracted by being too hot or too cold.
Start Small
As with starting any kind of routine, you want to begin small when establishing your daily meditation routine. You can meditate for as little as 2-5 minutes per day. Set a timer or use a meditation app, such as Calm, so that you don’t feel tempted to constantly check the clock or your phone. A good practice is to wake up 5 minutes earlier than usual and do your meditation first thing after you wake up to set your intentions for the day.
Find a Buddy
Practicing with friends is a great way to help us hold ourselves accountable. As your friends, if they are interested in getting into meditation, or you can find a buddy online or at your local yoga studio. Meditating in a community will let you talk about your challenges and lean on somebody for support and motivation.
Use Classes
Meditation classes, especially when you are first starting, are an important resource. They help you to not become bored with the routine and to learn new techniques and they are also a great way to meet people so that you can find that meditation buddy. Use the internet to help you find where meditation classes take place in your area.
Try different kinds of classes to see which one you like best and which one you’d like to make a part of your meditation routine. Exposing yourself to different forms of mediation through classes is a great idea to break up your routine and keep things interesting. There’s nothing wrong with practicing a few different types of meditation to keep things new and fresh and engaging. Common types of meditation include Vipassana, Zen, and different Tibetan Buddhist lineages.
Go on A Meditation Retreat
A meditation retreat can help you to fall in love with the practice and experience all of the benefits it can provide. Retreats allow you to completely focus on meditating without speed, stress, and conflict of your normal daily life. This will enable you to be yourself without any pressure or restrictions. Therefore, you will be able to create an extremely deep experience and connection that will inspire you to go back to meditating every single day. Retreats can be expensive but with some research, you should be able to find discounts or even scholarships to attend a meditation retreat.
Mediation is extremely beneficial and can help with our daily lives in a plethora of ways. Often the hardest part is simply getting started, but following these tips will help you to easily establish your meditation routine.
About Russell Herbert Jack:
Russell Herbert Jack is a 24-year-old yoga instructor and mindfulness teacher from Southland, New Zealand. He is passionate about spirituality, the vegan lifestyle, animal rights, and living in sync with nature. Russell specializes in Vinyasa Yoga, Qigong, and guided meditations. Vinyasa yoga or flow yoga heightens consciousness by moving from one position to another seamlessly, using breath. Just like Vinyasa Yoga, Qigong has many healing properties to body, mind, and spirit.
Hi, I am Subhajit Khara a lifestyle blogger. Besides blogging, I like to play cricket and watch CR7 playing. You can reach out to me at wittythink.com
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