Mediation is tough for a lot of people. Our minds are always moving and busying themselves with work, relationships, and other personal matters. The idea of shutting off your mind and just focusing on one thing can seem like an impossible task. Most people don’t start with a strong meditation practice, only to give up after a few days or months. Meditation is timeless and has been around since the beginning of time. It’s not an overnight process, but we can find better ways to meditate quicker and build good meditation habits through trial and error. That’s why we’ve compiled tips you can use in your own life to mine your mind for better meditation habits.
Meditation is a great way to help you relax and unwind, but it can be not easy to maintain a regular practice. Here are eight ways to prime your mind for better meditation practice.
- Try a Guided Meditation
There are many different types of guided meditations available online and on apps. These include both free and paid options. Guided meditations are designed for beginners, so they’re ideal if this is your first time trying out the practice.
Guided meditations usually last anywhere from five minutes up to an hour and involve listening to an audio recording while focusing on specific aspects such as breathing or body sensations. The voice on the recording guides you through the meditation session and helps you stay focused.
Meditation apps can help. They offer pre-recorded meditations that focus on particular topics — like stress relief, mindfulness, or gratitude and are designed for both beginners and experienced practitioners.
- Make it Part of Your Schedule
One of the best ways to make sure you meditate is to schedule it into your day just like any other appointment or activity. When you know that at 3:30 p.m., you’re going to meditate for 20 minutes, it’s easier than trying to remember at the last minute when you’re stressed out or distracted by other things going on in your life.
Suppose you forget about your meditation session or have trouble focusing on your breathing or mantra during meditation. Set the alarm or timer for your session so that you don’t have to rely on yourself to remember when it’s time to do so. Stop meditating and open your eyes again. Having an actual clock with hands will help keep things simple and easy. You don’t have to worry about setting anything up ahead of time or wondering if your phone battery will die before your session ends.
- Focus On Your Breathing
Let them go and focus back on your breath when thoughts come up. Don’t judge yourself if you find it hard to focus on your breath — it takes practice! Focus on just one thing at a time: breath in and out, count each breath or visualize yourself being calm and relaxed.
Sometimes when we get stressed or anxious, we forget to breathe properly — we hold our breath or take shallow breaths instead of deep ones. Remembering to breathe deeply can help us relax more easily and quickly get back into our meditation practice when we’re feeling stressed out later in the day or week!
- Set Up the Right Environment
The best way to get started with meditation is by setting the right environment for your practice. But it can be hard to stay focused if you don’t have the right environment. Here are some tips for creating the right atmosphere for meditation:
- Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted for at least 15 minutes. If you live in an apartment building or city, find an unused room in your house and shut the door, or go outside if you live in a rural area where there aren’t many people around at night.
- Sit on the floor or a cushion instead of on a chair; this will keep your spine straight while sitting still for long periods without getting uncomfortable.
- Please turn off all electronics before starting your session so that it’s easier to focus on your breathing instead of getting distracted by notifications on your phone screen.
- Clear Your Mind
Silent meditation is necessary after a hard day to release the negative energy. It’s also good a way to prepare for tasks ahead like a game at bitcoin mobile casino sites. Meditation is all about emptying your mind of thoughts, so the best way to start is by clearing away anything that could potentially distract you from your focus point — whether that be an object or a word. Meditation apps offer guided sessions that will help you clear away distractions and get started with clearing your mind.
- Focus On One Thing at a Time
How often do we go from one thing to another without taking time to appreciate what’s happening at any given moment? Meditation forces us to take this approach by focusing on one thing at a time to achieve mindfulness. Whether focusing on the breath or keeping our eyes closed, practicing this focus will make us more aware of what’s happening around us in life.
- Be Patient With Yourself
The most important thing is to be patient with yourself. When you first start meditating, it will take time for your mind to settle down and be still. You might feel like you’re failing because you can’t clear your mind completely or stay focused on one thought for more than a few seconds at a time. You might even find yourself getting frustrated when the thoughts come back and interrupt your practice time! But don’t give up just yet! Keep practicing, and eventually, things will get easier as your mind gets used to being still and quiet.
- Start Small
Meditation is a practice that requires patience and persistence, so don’t expect to master it overnight. If you’re new to meditation, start by practicing for just five minutes a day. If this is too much, do two minutes in the morning and two minutes at night. Gradually increase your time as your practice deepens.
Keep Practicing!
Meditation isn’t difficult to achieve. You have to be willing to make it a priority and dedicate time to it every day. It will take a bit of time to form new habits, which means consistency is important for your success. But once you find a rhythm and make meditation a regular part of your life, you’ll likely notice the positive effects on your overall health and work. So go ahead, give meditation a try. The benefits are worth the effort!
