Meditation: How to Get Started

Hey everyone. I'm going to be doing a little meditation series to help get the word out about some of the benefits on mediation, and why you should meditate daily. This post will be a "how to" on getting started with meditation. I will be including a link below as a reference that you could click on to learn more. Lets get to it...

https://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/stress-management/how-to-get-started-with-meditation1.htm

"Calmness is the ideal state in which we should receive all life's experiences," writes Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952), founder of the Self-Realization Fellowship, in the book Inner Peace. Yogananda is regarded as one of the great spiritual teachers melding East and West. Through meditation, he writes, "one can cultivate a wonderful inner quiet that will melt away stress and nervousness."

Meditation is the perfect antidote for the constant intrusion of technology in our lives. In fact, recent research has shown that meditating twice per day for about 20 minutes can actually reduce blockages in your blood vessels, significantly lowering the risk of sudden death by heart attack or stroke. However, in order to start meditating, you must first walk away from all of your technology and distractions...and yes this includes Steemit. And this especially means your smart phone. We are living in a world of distractions and constant notifications. To start, you have to turn off all of the distractions in your life and dedicate time to only yourself.

Tips to Getting Started on Meditating:

Where should I meditate?
This is very subjective and ultimately, it is up to you. You can set up a little meditating area in your home, you can pick a place outside and enjoy mother nature like a park, by the ocean, a backyard, or anywhere you feel comfortable and away from distractions.

Should I close my eyes?
You can do both...eyes open or closed. If you decide to close your eyes, just try not to fall asleep. The goal isn't sleep, but rather "relaxed alertness." If you decide to keep your eyes open, you want to keep them open in a "soft" way. This means that you do not focus on any particular object. You want to keep your senses open and again, aim for "relaxed alertness."

How long should I meditate?
You may hear people recommend meditating two times per day for 20 minutes each session. However, it's not how long you meditate; it's whether the practice "brings you to a certain state of mindfulness and presence, where you are a little open and able to connect with your heart essence," writes Sogyal Rinpoche in the "Tibetan Book of Living and Dying."

In the beginning, aim for short sessions of 4-5 minutes, and then break for 1 minute. It could be a good habit, to try starting around the same time each day to help get you used to meditating. David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B., a Benedictine monk and author, recommends rising 15 minutes earlier than usual to give your day a "contemplative dimension." Without these precious moments, he says, "your whole day can slip away into a mad chase, but with them your entire day can be imbued with meaning and joy."

Well that is all for now. This is just part 1 of a few more Meditation posts to come daily. I thank you for stopping by, and if you have any beginner tips for meditating. please leave comment. See you soon...