My Top 5 Meditation Tips

Observe the brain’s capacity to concentrate and build up slowly, meditating for between 5-10 minutes.

1. Create a pleasant space.

   1. It doesn’t have to be big, I’ve meditated by the side of my bed before. Remember what’s important is taking the time for YOU, not having a space filled with cushions, candles and mood lighting. Although this does sound rather lovely, for most of us this isn’t realistic.

   2. Find somewhere quiet which, if you have kids, can be tricky. I have used headphones before! Plus this can depend on what time of day you choose to meditate.

2. Stick to the same time every day.

   1. This is key! Often a morning practice works really well. If you’re the kind of person that says, ‘I’m simply not a morning person’ or ‘I’m rubbish in the mornings’, then yes, that is likely to be the case. The more we tell ourselves something, the more we believe it. Maybe try something different and see how it goes?

   2. Of course meditating daily isn’t realistic for all of us. Life happens, we’re sick, our kids are sick, we have a late night, we’re hungover. Do what you can and don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or 2. The most important thing is that you return to it.

3.  Establish a comfortable posture. 

   1. This is often sitting on a cushion/block/bolster - whatever you have that can elevate your hips above your knees. You could kneel or cross your legs however if neither of these work you can sit on a chair or lie down.

4. Start small with 5-10 minutes and build up slowly.

   1. If you’re reading this as a beginner, meditating for too long can become a source of frustration, so don’t hit it hard with a 20 minute sesh straight off the bat. Begin slowly, observe the brain’s capacity and increase over time.

   2. Practice before eating otherwise all your energy will be consumed with digesting and you may feel tired and find it harder to focus.

5. Get help! There are lots of guided meditations out there.

   1. As a beginner it is often good to use a guided meditation to assist with bringing you back when you become distracted, which will happen, a lot! Remind yourself that some days are harder to focus than others and the goal is to not stop the thoughts, simply to accept and observe without over engaging. Remember, this is why we do it and it takes time and perseverance.

   2. Find someone whose voice doesn’t annoy you so keep searching until someone hits that sweet spot. It makes all the difference!

   3. Over time you can practice slotting in doing it yourself. Simply sitting with the breath, focusing on an object or softly repeating a mantra for 5 minutes is all you need.