How to Meditate

Looking to Meditate?

There are lots of different meditation techniques but here is a simple and easy one based on counting the breaths.

1. Sit upright on a straight-backed chair or sit cross-legged on a cushion on the floor. Try to maintain a relaxed pose but keep the back straight and the head slightly bowed. No need for contortions - be kind to your knee joints!

2. Close your eyes, check for muscle tension throughout your body and focus on the area that is causing the tension, consciously relaxing the muscles.

3. Make sure your mouth is closed and focus on the breath entering your nostrils. Don't try to force or regulate the breath, just breathe normally. Gradually, your breathing will become steadier and more gentle but there's no need to consciously aim to achieve this. Let the natural rhythm of your breathing take charge.

4. After a few minutes, begin to make a mental note of the breaths 'one' [in breath] 'one' [out breath], 'two' [in breath] 'two' [out breath] and so on up to ten.

5. What you will find is that your mind wanders - as the mind does! Don't be put off by this, the mind is used to getting its own way and having a totally free rein. Just keep coming back to the counting and do this for ten to fifteen minutes.

6. If you prefer, don't bother counting and just concentrate on the breath as the air touches your nostrils. Make this the focus of your attention.

7. Don't try to achieve anything. Meditation is not a feat of endurance or a quest for dramatic experiences. At its most basic it's a means of relaxing both body and mind.

8. Practice this every day - morning and evening if possible - and see for yourself the benefits that develop from it.

9. As you get into the habit of meditating you might like to sit for longer periods. It will depend, to a large extent, on your other commitments.

10. Finally, this is one meditation method amongst many others. Explore other methods and find one that suits you.

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