My morning routine involves me sipping on some warm lemon water, doing a spot of yoga and finishing up with a short meditation. I also meditate if I'm feel particularly stressed or anxious. Meditation has become a huge part of my life, but it wasn't long ago that I felt like I just couldn't do it. And I think that is why a lot of people quit meditating, or never start to being with: that feeling of I can't. But hope is not lost! You can!
The first step-- which isn't required but is definitely helpful-- is to pick a time and a place to meditate each day. The sun shines into my bedroom in the mornings, so that is when and where I like to meditate to begin my day. But you can meditate anywhere! You can even meditate in your car-- as long as you're not driving it, of course. Sometimes, though, a set time and space will help you stick to your meditation goals.
The second step-- which, again, isn't necessary but has helped me tremendously-- is to find some soft music or even a guided meditation to listen to. I occasionally use the Calm app, which provides several free guided meditations that range from two minutes to ten minutes to longer than that. It also has several background noises to choose from, such as rain or birds, and soft music that plays in the background as well. Sometimes I will play some soft music on Spotify and, other times, I will just listen to the birds outside.
A guided meditation will talk you through the rest of the process. I find that if your mind wanders, a guided meditation helps center your thoughts and make meditation easier. YouTube is also a great resource for guided meditations-- and the best part is that many focus on specific things, such as stress or insomnia or even chakra cleansing.
If you don't have a guide to listen to, then the next step is to find a comfortable sitting position and focus on your breathing. This sounds a lot easier than it is. You will wriggle and your mind will stray-- and that's okay! Let the thoughts come into your mind, acknowledge them, and let them go. Meditate for as little or as long as you want; it's all about a journey.
The wriggling and intrusive thoughts are all part of the reason why you should meditate. For me, the purpose of meditation is to stay in the present moment. Often we are found looking to the past-- what could we have done better? what did we do wrong-- or worrying about the future. Meditation is a chance to be mindful in the present moment, to let all of those thoughts and worries go and remember that each second is a new one. My past does not define me and I am in charge of my future.
There are two things that really help when my thoughts get the better of me during meditation. The first is to picture the thoughts leaving my body. I do this in three ways: I will picture the thoughts flowing out with an exhale; I will picture a shelf in my mind where I put my thoughts and say I will get to that later; or I will picture the subject of my thoughts written on a piece of paper, crumple it up, and throw it out of my head. The second thing I do is focus solely on my breathing. Listen to it, count it... Whatever you need to do to keep focused on the present moment.
The main thing is that if you feel called to meditate, try it out. You won't be perfect-- probably ever-- but keep up the practice and see if and how it benefits you. If you try it and realize it is totally not for you, that's okay. Don't force it upon yourself.
Happy Meditating!
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