The Beginners Guide to Meditation

Tips and tools 

Tip 1: Remove all of those pre-conceived ideas that the only way to mediate is Bhuddist style or that meditation is for Buddhist monks. This is not true. Buddhism is ONE of the doors or options for a mediation routine.

Tip 2: start slow, with an open mind. Tool 1: Start with a baseline: Set a one minute timer, get yourself in comfortable position and count how many breaths can you do in a minute. Next, set the timer for one minute a second time and count your breaths, trying now a more relaxed type of breathing. Noticed how your breath changed? Notice how you started to feel more relaxed? What else did you notice?

Tip 3: use breath as a supportive element, your mind will go where it needs to go. Tool 2: Now set a 3 minute timer, seat comfortably and focus on your breath.

Tip 3: Principles of meditation. Meditation is a place of acceptance, whatch for judgments e.g. “I can’t stop my mind” “I am not doing this right”. Mindfulness is a form of self love, you are giving yourself time, space, presence to allow your mind and your body to “talk” to you. Keep an open mind, your mind and body will guide you through the process and not the other way around. Observe, ask, learn, stay mindful.

Tip 4. Explore. You can try a yoga pose or a yoga flow (movement). You can explore breathwork (e.g. Tool 3, box breathing inhale in four counts, hold for 4, exhale in four counts, hold for four or Tool 4: full body breathing. Imagine you are a balloon and inhale as if you are inflating your entire body, from the crown of your head, to the tip of your fingers and toes). You can include sensory stimuli (a candle burning, music or sounds, touch, flavors, scents).

Tip 5. We are all wired differently and meditation can be used for different goals: calming the mind. relaxation but also to energize, to prime for an active day, focus, clarity, self awareness, mood management, even trauma release. By exploring different ways to include meditation, it becomes easier to build a routine and focus the routine on specific purpose.

Tip 6. Join my trainings to experience meditation in a group setting. It’s quite the experience. From silent meditation, to sound baths, indoors v outdoors, it’s quite an experience to become a consistent meditator! It’s life changing