An easy and simple way to start meditating

Many people want to begin meditating but find it too hard to stay focused and even harder to decide themselves to do it. As with any activity in life, you need the willpower to begin and for that, I have no magic recipe. You just have to do it.

But after you’ve managed to convince yourself into actually doing it I can give you some tips as to how you can make it easier to transition out of the ordinary consciousness to a state of inner focus.

Disclaimer: All of this I have learned through experience and conversations with other practitioners, I have no formal or official training. The advice expressed here represents my personal view on meditation and is by no means the ultimate truth on the matter.

Meditation isn’t about the posture you’re in. You can do this sitting on a chair, on the floor, standing up, or lying down. What’s important is that you’re moderately comfortable and that your posture doesn’t squeeze your belly so that it doesn’t restrain the intake of air when breathing gets deep.

Being too comfortable (such as lying in bed) can lead you to fall asleep. The way I see it, that’s ok, your body probably needed it, but you should try meditating again once you wake up.

So choose any posture you like at the beginning. Close your eyes and just pay attention to your breath at first. Allow yourself to make an assessment of how it feels. Is it too fast? Too shallow? Do you feel filled with air after each breath or does it feel like you’re almost asphyxiated? You can also feel hyperventilated and like you have to release air to balance yourself out.

Once you detect how your air is flowing try and breathe a little deeper and taking slightly more time to inhale and exhale. Each time make it deeper and longer but don’t be too demanding. Raise the quality of the breath as slow as possible, there’s no hurry.

Though in many traditions they encourage a straight back and posture, I have found that this comes on its own once you’re breathing adequately. You don’t even have to force it, so don't be afraid to slouch at the beginning. The more air you have inside you, the straighter your back gets on its own. It’s like you’re one of those long modeling balloons that stretch out when pumped.

For this to happen its necessary that you guide the air down to your diaphragm. Avoid raising your shoulders and inflating your chest. Take all the air down to your belly. I think this is the trickiest part and where many people get frustrated. Singers have it easy because this is a basic breathing principle for them.

Those who have never practiced this kind of breathing might find it confusing but don’t worry too much about it. Just keep breathing deep and slow and pay close attention to where the air is going. You’ll eventually start feeling you can guide it better and be able to lead it towards your abdomen.

Once you’re breathing appropriately you will start to realize things about yourself. Focus on this. Its possible you’ll realize you’re breathing well for the first time in a very long time. You have to consider we breathe all the time and the way we do this very basic activity determines a lot of what goes on with our lives.

From here on you’re already embarked on the trip to self-knowledge. Follow your intuition, you’ll notice it is easier to listen to it. Anything else I could tell you is pointless because at this stage you will have the clarity to know where you need to go.

This is just one way to start meditating. Other people use different techniques such as fire breathing, visualization, audio-assistance, and many others. I find this to be effective because focusing on your breath is very tangible and easy to realize if you are doing it or not.

If you forget to breathe consciously this during the session, don’t sweat it… just start again as many times as necessary. Don’t frustrate yourself, if it’s not working give it a break and try again later.

Remember we have been conditioned to pay constant attention to what’s outside of us. Learning to pay attention to what goes on inside takes a lot of unlearning of our previous conditioning but it gets easier with practice.

Don’t worry about how much time you dedicate to this. What is really important is the quality of the time you dedicate to it. Practice only as long as you have enough focus to keep at it.

A little step by step list to summarize:

• Take a comfortable position.
• Make sure your belly isn’t tight or under any kind of pressure.
• Focus your attention on your breath.
• Begin to increase gradually and slowly the length and depth of your breathing.
• Try to direct the air to your abdominal area.
• Pay attention to the enhanced intuition that will come from better breathing and let it guide you from there.

I hope these tips can be helpful to you if you’re interested in starting meditation. I’ll be sharing other techniques in the future but I think this one is adequate for those who have been wanting to start but don’t know where to begin.

Keep breathing, stay present!

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