Deep Zen Meditation by Holothink
Many people are aware of the benefits of meditation and have decided that a sense of calmness and inner peace is something they would greatly benefit from having in their life. Yet many people do not understand how to meditate, or complicate the process by trying too hard. The end result is that they frustrate the process and often give up assuming that it could never work for them. This is unfortunate as meditation offers so many benefits if you learn to do it properly. Here is a simple process for beginner’s that wish to learn to meditate:
Find yourself a quiet place where you are unlikely to be disturbed – you may wish to turn off the ringer on your phone! Set an alarm for the amount of time that you wish to meditate for – at least five minutes – if you have volume control on your alarm then you will want to set it as quietly as you can. The aim is for the alarm just to gently notify you of the end of your session, not to give you a huge shock. So if you do not have a quiet alarm then perhaps do without. Sit down comfortably in an upright position, straighten your back and face forward. You may either choose to sit cross legged on the floor or in a comfortable chair that will support a straightened back.
Get into the now by closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths while relaxing your body as much as you can. For the beginner at this stage it helps for them to have something specific to focus on as an anchor. So choose a word or expression that has a special meaning for you. Either something good that you believe in or something that makes you feel empowered.
Start breathing in through your nose, unless you have a blocked a nose in which case you can use your mouth. And to keep your attention and focus centered, repeat the word or expression that you have chosen quietly,by whisper or mime, or simply repeat it in your mind. You may drift off into thinking about other things which is why you have this anchor. So try to stay alert so that you can immediately catch yourself when your thoughts drift and bring your attention back to your anchor.
Keep the meditation session going until your alarm rings or after you feel that the time that you set for yourself has expired. Notice how you feel.
Afterwards, if anything felt tricky or difficult, that is okay, keep practicing until it gets easier and the benefits come more readily. Meditation is not picked up and grasped after one session, it is a skill that you learn through regular repetition. And the benefits fantastic.
