Meditation is a fantastic way to get in touch with your inner self, work through problems that you may have in your day to day life and find a greater sense of peace and harmony in the world.
The practise of meditation is open to anybody, of any ability and background and although you can just sit straight down and start meditating there are certain things that you can do before you get started to help you make the most of the experience.
For all students of meditation then here are seven excellent things that you can do before you get started!
Prepare a Mediation Space. Before you even begin to meditate it’s a good idea to create a space where you feel comfortable and can free yourself from the distractions of the daily world. Select a comfortable cushion for the floor, light some incense and put on some soft lighting. Creating a lovely space to meditate will improve your session and give yourself the space to relax.
Supercharge your motivation. After you have decided to meditate, spend some time considering what motivated you to do so in the first palace. Keeping this thought present in your mind will help you to remain focused. You may have chosen to take up meditative practises to bring about a greater sense of peace in your life, to help deal with stress or to seek moksha, the ultimate enlightenment. Whatever your original reasons and motivation remember not to judge yourself but to merely be aware of the facts on the ground.
Set yourself goals. Before you sit to meditate you are welcome to set yourself some goals, for instance to remain in meditation for 10 minutes. However, don’t fall into the trap of judging yourself or being overly strict on yourself because this can lead to feelings of disappointment and self deception. In the early days your goal can be something as simple as not daydreaming or allowing your mind to drift while you are mediating.
Use a Timer. When you are getting used to mediating then you can make use of a timer or stopwatch. This will mean that while you are mediating you won’t have to worry about the time at all and can just focus on your inner world. If you have to stop at a certain point allow the timer to let you know so that you don’t have to continuously look nervously at your watch during your mediation session. If you don’t have a timer then you can use your mobile phone to keep track of your session for you! If you are practicing japa meditation you can use a set of mala beads to keep track of your mantras.
Avoid Ambitions and Expectations. Not only will you be setting yourself for failure but you will also be at risk of clouding your mind with temporal thoughts. This doesn’t mean that you can’t set goals but it does mean that you should try to avoid clinging on to these goals too tightly and instead ‘go with the flow’ and allow your meditation to play out the way it will!
Be Diligent in your practice and Commit. Making the firm decision in your mind to commit to your meditative practice will sure up your resolve and give you a huge reserve of inner strength that you can draw upon during your meditation.
Be clear about your intentions. Once you have consciously made your own intentions manifest to yourself you will be well positioned to make the most of your meditation sessions. As well as helping to guide you your own personal intentions can even be a good subject for contemplative thought while you meditate!
Finally, select a comfortable and relaxed posture for your meditation.
Once you have prepared the meditation space, fixed your intentions and committed to your session, then you should choose a comfortable posture that you can maintain for a period of time.
Make use of any props, cushions or supports that you might need to make you feel comfortable, safe and secure.
Try to keep your back and neck straight with your legs crossed while sitting on the ground. If crossing your legs is not easy for you then you can sit in any way that is suitable for your needs.
Close your eyes, relax and begin to meditate!
Meditation is a very useful tool to improve your life, clear your mind and give you more clarity in your daily life. Creating a routine for your mediation sessions will help you get the most from this wonderful and ancient practise.
