The definitive guide to start meditating (and all you get out of it)

(First of all, this is an article written by a person who meditates, with a very strong desire to help others going through the same amazing experience that I had to apply the daily practice of meditation. I have no intention to dictate . rules You'll read suggestions to learn a little more about it, raise their level of self-knowledge, and enjoy more of your life;)

You may have heard about the benefits of meditation. Maybe even doctors, psychologists, specialists, etc. It has been proven by science that the habit of meditation improves the health of those who are willing to learn this simple practice and make it a habit.

If you are like I was, I am for years saying "I want to learn to meditate," "I will one day that Buddhist center near here", "this hour will watch calmly those videos on Youtube that your friend who meditates He recommended ".

But that day never comes.

And you keep irritating beyond measure in some situations of life, still feel anxious moments, passes through sleepless nights, and will return the full bag of working life, and the problems that persist in tormenting you.

WHERE I'M FROM
You know you're getting to know me now, I will summarize my 41 years of life in a few lines.

I had my first job in software programming area, at age 17, and spent years involved in it, to the point, in 2004, becoming one of the first business partners who hired me.

But most of the time I let life take me and did not take care of my career as it should. I reached the point of feeling that might do something stupid, and sought the help of a psychologist.

This was the step that has helped me to be curious to learn more about, self-knowledge.

I started there to experience courses, practices and techniques, and many of them helped me get here today as a coach that helps people to perform professionally, 4 writer e-books, digital entrepreneur and lecturing to more than 1,000 people in great entrepreneurship event in the south.

One of the practices that helped me was meditation.

The type of meditation I speak in this article comes from the philosophy of "mindfulness" ("mindfulness"), increasingly famous. There are other types, but I believe that this is the simplest way to start meditating.

It worked for me, but may be another type of meditation works best with you. Ideally you inquire and try several to find out what fits best in your lifestyle.

There are people who meditate standing, walking, dancing, lying ... The more you explore it, the easier it is to find out which style that best suits you and that helps you more.

PRACTICE ESSENTIAL FOR OUR FUTURE

Scientists have been comparing meditation today with healthy eating in the 80s and 90s, and the practice of running in the street in the 60s and 70s.

Outsiders do not understand very well.

"You run? What for? "Was what was heard.
"You do not drink soda? Only eat salad? "I was what was heard.

And today it all became "normal".

The same seems to happen with meditation.

Those who now meditate are pioneering something that will be essential in the future.

Very probably here a very short time, meditate is as common as eating healthy food or run through the streets of your neighborhood.

WHY I CREATED THIS GUIDE

One of the most important and liberating things I have learned in recent years is that you do not need to be on top of the world to pass a learning experience to people. You just need to know a bit more than at least ONE other person who needs help on a subject.

This guide here is not pros advanced practitioners who have the facility to meditate, or already achieve levels of consciousness that not imagine I get.

This guide is for you who, like me a few years ago, already has the KNOWLEDGE that meditation is good, want to meditate, but do not know how to start PRACTICE, and know that if you start, you can take a step towards a significant change in life.

WHAT YOU GET WITH MEDITATION
The benefits do not always appear on the first day, but with time you feel calmer, less distracted, and better organizing the ideas.

In the long term, meditation makes you more efficient to solve problems, brings serenity in times of stress, focus, self-control, among other advantages.

Each practitioner can draw different benefits of meditation. To some, it serves to prepare the mind for a busy day. Others meditate before bed to calm and help get a good night's sleep. And there are still people who meditate during the day, at various times, in shorter periods of time.

Indeed, this is the idea. You stay in the most permanent possible state of full attention to what goes through your mind.

But let's calmly.

"If you have time to breathe, you have time to meditate"

YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES OF YOUR DAY TRYING TO MEDITATION?

With me, it started with only two minutes in silence, eyes closed, listening to my breath and trying to accept the fact that I had no control of the things that went through my head in those two minutes (we'll talk about that later).

At that time, I learned a little bit of yoga, and the end of class, when we meditated, was the part that I liked. I ended up stopping the classes and did not continue the practice

I gave several excuses for myself to not try to meditate. That would be boring ... could not clear the mind, not concentrate ... Today I regard this "waste of time" as a learning experience. I remember how I was wrong when not meditating, and how no one suggested I meditate, to reduce my anxiety. Until I had to do therapy.

You can also meditate. To start, you need only two minutes to spare.

If you do not have two minutes available in his day, so it must be time to review your schedule.

FORMULA TO START MEDITATION

And so:

Part 2 minutes of your day, preferably alone and without distractions. Use a timer, such as your smartphone.

Sit in a chair. Keep your straight, but relaxed back.

Close your eyes, or keep the focus on a point in front, just below your eyes.

Breathe normally. Feel the air going in and out of the lungs.

Your mind will shake and random thoughts appear. Note this happens, do not despair (it is normal), and then gradually to feel your breath.

Okay, that's all.

WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED TO START

You do not need to sit in the lotus position with legs crossed, or join the thumb with the index as the photos you see there.

Find a position where you are sitting comfortably with your back straight. The hands you can leave rested on the legs.

You do not need a chair or specific pad (although the more experienced use a zafu).

You do not need to recite a mantra. Just be silent and attentive to your breathing.

You do not need a meditation teacher to start. It's great, but if you do not have money or time to hire some, Get it yourself, with what you have now.

You do not need to know to empty the mind. Perhaps no one gets it. Attention to air in and out of you, and do not fight the thoughts that will appear.

START SLOWLY TO FEW

Beginning to meditate, do not expect to reach unexplained levels of consciousness in the early days. Do not expect to spend the day without stress.

On the other hand, those minutes were meditating a break in the madness that your life can become, and you will feel more calm and lucid. It is easier to know what to do in certain situations.

If you meditate 2 minutes today, two tomorrow and so on, after a few days you will realize how rewarding it is to create this new habit.

When you feel at ease, increases to 5 minutes daily. The beginning is always a bit difficult, but it is more natural as time goes by; Do not worry.

Recently I returned to meditate every morning, and it is remarkable the difference that the practice brings to my life. So I decided to write this article for you, and call it "definitive."

I can assure you from personal experience, and spend years fighting the anxiety, dissatisfaction and stress that these first few minutes of meditation make a big difference and can change your life in a very positive way.

YOU STILL HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDITATION? COME ON:

1 - Why meditate?
To live more present in the moment, without getting lost in concerns.

Meditating helps to change other habits. You get to understand better the thoughts coming and how they can affect you.

Meditation is not necessarily synonymous with "de-stress" or "find peace". Meditate specifically thinking about it only brings frustration and even more stress. It is a practice, then improves with time.

2 - How do I start? What do I need?
Sits and meditates. Place the butt on the pad and will :)

It need not be time consuming or uncomfortable. Just a place where you feel good for a few minutes. I stride in the back room for twenty minutes every day after breakfast, sit in a regular chair, and send see.

3 - How much time I need?
A few minutes a day are worth. Set aside a minimum time of your daily routine to meditate, even if it is 2 or 5 minutes.

Start with 2 minutes, and on other days, if you feel that gives, increase the time. Or decrease. You can even meditate for one minute.

"Ah, but I do not have time for this "

If you can not separate two minutes of your day to work on a habit that will only bring you benefits without requiring nothing but a bit of concentration, then rethink your life. We are all busy and have priorities. Interestingly meditate especially when you are busy, as meditation can help you exactly those moments.

Create the habit is more important than the outcome or the practice time, at least initially. In the long term, the idea is to meditate daily, so avoid meditate more than comfortable time for you.

4 - But what do I do? Where should I focus on while meditating?
There are several options. You can use a count. An inspiring, two exhaling ... Three inspiring four exhaling ... Arriving at ten back pro one. Watch the belly of movement as you breathe.

If you think will help you, recite a mantra, or put a background music that you relax. Try to have positive thoughts. Vary your focus from time to time; weekly if possible.

Start paying attention to a part of the body (nose or nostril, for example) and gradually go to the other, each feeling. Focus even in internal organs (lungs, ears, etc.). In the future you can focus on more than one place at the same time, or the sounds around you.

5 - I try to meditate, but I think it's wrong. I've seen other people and I do different.
There is no wrong way to meditate. Wrong is not meditate :)

Each has its way. Just sit back, watch the body itself, especially the breath, and do not affect with the reveries of the mind. Thoughts come. Stay calm, keep your focus, and try not to let your mind master you. This improves with time.

6 - Have I tried to meditate and could not empty the mind.
This happens even with everyone, especially with those just starting out. But the goal is to empty the mind, and rather to pay attention to only one thing. Keep the focus on breathing or a point ahead.

Notice the thoughts come, watch and let go. So you avoid stress. This improvement also comes only with practice.

7 - I am ashamed to meditate close to those who do not meditate.
Get up early and meditate in bed, in the bathtub in the bathroom (that's right: if there is no other place for you to meditate, even go there, sit on the side of the sink of the floor, close your eyes and go) ... The place does not matter.

You can even invite these people to meditate with you, for them to see how it is. Maybe you do not get a meditation partner and improve even more?

8 - I do not know meditate alone. I am lost and do not know if it's right.
Just like when I started! Doing yoga with a good teacher helped a lot. Part of meditation was what I liked.

"I ALREADY MEDITATE ... AS I CAN IMPROVE PRACTICE?"

Practicing :)

Still I give my first steps. At the moment, I have been meditating 10 minutes a day and want to evolve: return to meditate for 20 days as I did. So let's together. Below share with you some lessons I learned.

You can also participate in sessions in Buddhist centers to see how, without any commitment.

1 - "I meditated and did not feel anything!" - Forget the expectations. It is essential to start. Each meditates in a way, and what works for me may not work for you. Each time you meditate, the feeling will be different. Do not expect a specific feeling after meditation, to avoid frustrations. open mind to meditate and accept how you will feel at the end. Over time, it will be worth.

2 - "My head does not rest!" - If your mind is shaken, do not despair. It is normal, and the more you bother worse. Let the thoughts come, observe them and, calmly, again focusing on the breath. When the mind is stirring again, repeat the procedure. You'll be good at it.

3 - "Two minutes is too much (or little)" - again, do not force. Do not worry about it now if you are getting. The important thing is to create the habit, regardless of time. If it is just for you, try increasing one minute. If two minutes is too much, try to meditate for just one then.

4 - "I can not concentrate!" - The sound can come from children in the room, the neighbor, the kitchen, the cars on the street. His clothing bother. That itch back again. All this is part of meditation. Notice all these distractions, do not panic and try to focus on the breath. If you need to scratch your back, scratch. If you need to close the door, get up, close and go back to meditation. And feel the air you breathe ... coming out ...

5 - "I forgot to meditate today!" - Perfectly understandable. In the busy life we ​​all have, it is normal to forget things. When this is so, allow yourself to oblivion, do not be blaming yourself, and get ready for this not to happen again. Put a reminder in your field of view when you wake up. I get out of bed, and soon after breakfast already going little room to meditate. After established the habit, there's no way I forget to meditate. Persist in practice in the early days so that the habit will be imprinted in your brain.

6 - "I'm not meditating right!" - It does not exist. Meditate is right. Each has its way. If you sat down and became aware of your breathing, you are already halfway there. If you can go back to the breath when the mind is shaken, even better.

Bit by bit you get there. I started with two minutes and jumped immediately to five because two seemed little to me. Once you get meditating for seven days in a row, raised to seven minutes a day, I came to meditate twenty, and now I meditate for ten minutes every day.

It starts with a low pitch (one or two minutes a day meditating), and so habits are formed. It is easier to create a habit to start devoting just a few minutes daily.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN STOPPED FOR MEDITATION

For a while, I could meditate for 20 minutes daily for several months, every day. But then I had to remove my wisdom teeth, did other surgeries, I had to stay home, the routine of life was changing, and I sadly ended up making me stop the practice.

It made me ill for a few reasons. One was that, after having stopped, I missed meditation, but could not find the time or the opportunity to practice it.

Before I meditated before leaving home for work, but unconsciously I started making excuses not to meditate. "If I meditate, I'll be late," or "not today, I'm very tired," and so on. Consequently the habit was dying.

Another thing that hurt me was that I felt have inspired some people, who praised my old texts, and were excited to start meditating. It's hard to admit it, but one thing led to another. I do not meditate because they made me feel. Then I remembered what I had written, I felt bad for having encouraged something that I myself was not practicing, and there is I do not even meditated.

One day fortunately the penny dropped and I realized where I was going wrong.

HOW I CAME BACK A MEDITATION (DEFINITELY)
I needed to adjust my attitude, my routine, and what was around to recover the habit - not only this, but also the writing habits and do physical exercises, I had also abandoned. I needed to actually adapt to a new reality, to return to practice what they had already done so well to me.

GET USED TO THE SEEKING SMALL HABITS PRODUCTIVE

Making small adjustments in our daily routine, we return to do what makes us happy, and throw in the trash the excuses, which only serve to make us dropped onto the couch, distracted with phone in hand.

Before meditating it was "something I was experiencing." Now clearly realize that meditation is really "something I do."

I'm more at ease to say that, yes, it does very well and that everyone should try, even if only once.

Start this practice a few years ago I opened several doors in the mind and the physical world.

For those who fight against anxiety often as I think it is highly recommended.

FOR MEDITATION, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A BUDDHIST MONK

You want to learn to meditate? Just want to be curious about your own mind.

No one will ever be able to control 100% of the mind, but the more we meditate, the more we understand how it works, and run less risk of surrender to the anxiety monster that troubles so many people these days.

If we ourselves do not have that curiosity and will to control our mind, who will control us?

Let's stay just wandering around and ranging from humor to every interaction with the world? Be happy only when circumstances leave? Better ourselves under this control, so that our happiness does not depend on external factors.

Anyone can meditate and enjoy the benefits.

I hope you try and get.