Meditation for Dummies

The Basics

Most meditations begin by sitting in a quiet place, closing the eyes, calming the mind, and focusing on the breath. But there’s more to meditating than sitting quietly and breathing.

When we meditate, we are essentially cultivating awareness and compassion; we are training the mind to stop being easily distracted and instead be more focused in the present moment.

Of course, it’s completely normal when we start to meditate for the mind to jump all over the place. The mind’s nature is to think, so it’s going to think — meditation is not about stopping thoughts.

Each time we notice we’re distracted, we build our awareness, and we bring our attention back to the breath.

The Qualities Experienced

Calmness

Focus

Compassion

Mindfulness

Step 1: Decide on a time and place that works for you.

Habits are best created when we do something "same time, same place".

However, meditate whenever feels natural to you and at a place where you feel comfortable and minimally distracted.

Step 2: Decide on an amount of time to meditate.

Particularly for beginners, starting with small, manageable chunks of time — for example, 3-, 5-, or 10-minute sessions — is key, so you can build up your practice and find your sweet spot.

Keep in mind to chose an amount of time that feels achievable, so you continue to practice daily.

Step 3: Make sure you’re sitting comfortably.

Most people assume the classic meditation position. To do this:

Sit with your legs and arms uncrossed, feet flat on the floor, and hands resting on your lap or by your side.

However, some people also choose to sit on a chair because it feels more comfortable for them. As long as you can meditate for the desired amount of time, the position is not of such importance.

Step 4: Decide whether you want the meditation to be guided or unguided.

A guided meditation is led by an experienced teacher — either in person at a meditation group or class, or via audio or video.

Guided meditation is recommended for people who are learning how to meditate.

Unguided meditation is recommended for those that are more advanced in meditation, or prefer to go at their own pace.