The Beginners Guide to Meditation

Meditation is Easy

Meditation has been shown to quiet the mind, relax the body, reduce blood pressure and re-focus your concentration.
Try it now!
Sit comfortably (hopefully in a quiet, uninterrupted space). Do your Breathing Exercise, taking three deep, full breaths, letting the last one out with a “sigh.”  Let your eyes close, and bring your attention to your breath, simply observe the breath as it goes in and out, if your mind starts to wander to other thoughts, gently bring your attention back to the breath. This is called Mindfulness Meditation, and can be done for as short as one minute or up to 20 min. If you want to add a Mantra (sound) to the meditation, you can repeat silently in your mind the Sound of Breath, “So Hum.” With each inhale think “So” and with each exhale “Hum.” Continue for 5-20 min. and see how calm, centered, and focused the Meditation leaves you feeling.

Once you decide to end your meditation, let go of following the breath or the mantra and just sit quietly for a few moments, letting your mind wander as it will. You might end by thinking of 3-5 things you are grateful for in the present moment. Then return to your activity. Meditation gives you deep rest. Be gentle with yourself. No judgement. Just ease into practicing. Every meditation may feel different.