home Interior items

How to practice meditation at home. Time for meditation. Where is the best place to practice meditation?

In order for all aspects of life to be streamlined, and the achievement of results to bring success, it is necessary to constantly control your peace of mind from the inside. Meditation is a great way to do this. You can learn more about how to meditate at home for beginners and why it is necessary from this material.

Learning to Meditate with Benefits

Many believe that this process is a kind of magical state, filled with a sense of calm that comes on its own. In fact, everything is not so: in order to achieve this bliss, you need to carefully prepare your body and mind and tune in.

To understand the essence of this action, first let's answer the question: what is meditation? From the point of view of Hinduism, this is a state of complete contemplation and relaxation. On the other hand, it is a process of deep reflection on something. Today, most people prefer to practice meditation in order to put their thoughts in order, balance their temperament, and relax after a day's work.

In order to meditate correctly and with understanding, it is important to know the purpose of this process - it is the acquisition of healthy thoughts, spirit, body, tranquility, balance. At its core, this process is a set of certain body positions and concentration of thoughts on relaxation. Keeping your attention on one thing or situation is already the ability to meditate correctly, but in this form it is not possible to achieve relaxation of all parts of the body.

Of course, each person has their own goal in this process, but most people start meditating in order to:

Get rid of depression.
Find inner peace.
Improve health.
Find yourself in creativity.
Develop intuitive abilities.
Clear thoughts.
Find bliss and delight.

Those who nevertheless were able to comprehend this sacrament speak of the ability to meditate correctly as a process of deep immersion in the unknown ways of the mind of the Universe. It is impossible to convey in words what a person feels when he begins to enter a state of relaxation, it must be understood by yourself.

Anyone can study the practice, but it is necessary to approach the matter with responsibility. There is nothing magical and supernatural in this, for a start you just need to carry out the technique regularly. Gradually, the body and mind will begin to demand repeated sessions on their own, realizing that the procedure is a necessary part of finding peace.

In addition to the goals pursued by people, coming to this practice, there are a number of positive aspects that a person receives with the daily application of the acquired skills of the procedure. Before you learn meditation, you should understand what it gives:

recovery of brain cells.
brain rejuvenation.
reducing the risk of heart disease.
strengthening immunity.
reduction in anxiety.
compensation for lack of sleep.
exacerbation of tactile sensations.
improved breathing
getting rid of stress.
making connections with the inner world.

You can engage in the technique at any age, both children and the elderly. The sooner you begin to comprehend the ability to meditate correctly, the sooner you will feel an improvement in the state of the body.

Tip: You can meditate both at home and in nature - it is there that the atmosphere is most conducive to calming.

Stages of preparation

While practicing this technique, you may feel that this is a complex process. Over time, when thoughts begin to sink into a meditative state, there will be no difficulties. Before you learn how to meditate, you need to properly prepare. It includes the following steps:

Decision-making. This stage partially realized when a person realized for himself that he would practice meditation. The next thing to do is to understand why it is needed. Of course, you can meditate without a goal, it will still be right, practice will give positive results, but it will be better if it makes sense. Human psychology is arranged in such a way that the best reward for him is the achievement of the task. Mentally think: what do I get when I meditate? This is what will motivate you to carry out the procedure every day.
Choice of place and time. Most yogis who have mastered the ability to meditate correctly claim that the most suitable option- a quiet and peaceful place. Therefore, many choose to exercise at home. But not always home is a place where you can relax. If possible, the technique can be carried out in nature, or in the courtyard of a private house. The best option would be a separate room. The time at which the session will take place must be the same. For example, early in the morning and before bed. If a person is constantly at home, you can practice at any convenient time.
Determination of the frequency of classes. The rules say that it is best to meditate twice a day for 10-20 minutes. This statement is not required. Each person determines the frequency of classes for himself, based on how much he needs meditation in this moment. If it is important to focus on some business now, then why not meditate: you can learn how to meditate correctly in the next section.
Final preparation. For initial lessons, it is recommended to use a timer to help keep track of time. Often, on the first dives, time flies slowly, on subsequent dives, too quickly. Slow pleasant music should help you relax and tune in the right way. Do not forget to ventilate the room if classes are held at home.

Returning home from work, being in public transport, you can also do the practice. To do this, you only need a leisurely melody or traditional tunes in headphones. It is not necessary to sit in the lotus position, as is widely shown in the illustrations. It is enough to take a comfortable position of the body, when all the muscles are as relaxed as possible.

Important: The presence of a quiet cozy place to exercise the ability to meditate correctly is not necessary. Practice can bring efficiency even if it is done in the midst of a noisy crowd.

Mastering the technique: the main principles

The main question that interests everyone standing on the path of studying meditation is how to meditate correctly? The first thing you need to learn to do is to focus your attention on the subject. For convenience, we suggest focusing on the tip of the nose. If this option is not suitable - just imagine any object and think about it.

The method that helps to master concentration faster is called the “fiery path”, it is performed as follows:

Focus on the crown and tailbone.
Imagine a small burning ball in your head.
Inhale and imagine this ball rolling down your spine.
As you exhale, imagine it rolling back up.
So it is necessary to do until the thoughts come to order.

Over time, this idea can be abandoned, because such meditation involves focusing the mind on the subject.

The next stage of meditation, which is important to master, is learning to control your thoughts. It happens that an obsessive problem, task or just an idea constantly climbs into your head. No need to try to overcome it - anyway, it will not go out of your head so easily. You can do the right thing only by thinking it through to the end.

An equally important stage is the stability of breathing in the process of learning the ability to meditate correctly. At first, it is unlikely that it will be possible to develop a rhythm of respiratory cycles, but over time it will enter the right track. The practice has made many people calm through proper breathing. It is based on these principles:

evenness;
Cyclicity;
The passage of energy along with breathing throughout the body.

In addition, the stages of meditation imply lightness of the body, retention and implementation of the theme, as well as awareness and aftereffect. The lightness of the body is associated with the correct positioning of the back, crown and chin during the process. If all the organs are in the proper position, then it will be easier to achieve results.

Topic retention - focusing attention on one subject or thought. During the implementation of the practice, one cannot deviate from this postulate. The implementation of the topic is understood as the experience that a person receives from the methodology.

Awareness is the state of a person after coming out of meditation. It is right to make sure that the thoughts and the body remain in the same frame of mind as they were when the person meditated. The aftereffect involves the sensations and actions of a person after leaving the state of immersion. People who have been engaged in seances and have gone through all their stages cease to be egocentric.

Important: In the process of meditation, a person experiences 3 states: bliss, clarity and thoughtlessness.

Before you start practicing meditation at home, you must go through all the stages of preparation described above. When the body is relaxed, thoughts are concentrated, then you can move on to practice. To begin with, it is important to choose a comfortable position. This can be either the lotus position or the position of the body, sitting on a chair, lying down or any comfortable position. The main criteria for the correct position of the body are as follows: Lotus position with emphasis on the hand

The crown stretches up;
The chin is slightly lowered;
The back is aligned, if you can’t do it yourself, you can sit near the wall;
Before you begin to meditate, turn your shoulders.

Masters who have learned to meditate correctly advise beginners to pay attention to the placement of the hands and fingers, which is called mudra. There are several options that are responsible for a certain aspect of life:

Knowledge. In the palm-up position, the thumb and forefinger form a ring, while the others are loose.
Strength. The ring is formed from the thumb, middle and ring fingers. The little finger and index finger are slightly extended forward.
Calm. The palms are directed upwards and are on the stomach, while one hand lies on the other, and the ends of the thumbs touch.
A life. The ring is formed from three fingers: thumb, ring and little fingers. The index and middle are extended in a horizontal position.

Before practicing meditation, you can experiment and choose the option that suits you. If none of them got accustomed, just place the brushes on your knees with your palms up.

Many are interested in how to do meditation on any state. For example, a person complains that he suffers from insomnia and wants to try to learn how to meditate on sleep correctly. The procedure is performed in the evening, before going to bed:

Take a comfortable position, you can do this on the bed. Disconnect from extraneous noise - for this you can listen to pleasant slow music.
Imagine a cozy place where you want to relax: the sea, mountains, forest. To improve the effect, turn on the sounds of birds singing or the sound of the sea.
Close your eyes.
Breathe deeply and rhythmically.
Emerging thoughts bypass and do not focus on them the attention of the mind.
10 minutes after the dive, gently exit the session.

After the session, complete relaxation occurs and a healthy sleep comes, in the morning a person feels cheerful and full of strength.

Beginners are wondering: how to learn how to meditate effectively in order to get a positive stable result from it. The answer will be this: you need to practice regularly. Do not quit classes, even if at first nothing comes out, try to relax as much as possible and after the first week you can feel the effect.

Meditation in Lately is gaining more and more popularity. Many are interested in how to learn to meditate just because it has become fashionable, but, nevertheless, the majority still prefers to learn meditation to relieve all kinds of stress and tension. Meditation can also help you learn to maintain spiritual balance and remain calm in any situation.

As simple as this may seem, in fact, for those who want to learn how to learn to meditate, there may be some obstacles and difficulties. But this does not mean at all that only monks who worship the great Buddha can practice this art. Anyone who wants to is quite able to find out how to learn to meditate and master this knowledge.

In fact, meditation can not only help relieve stress after a hard day's work, but also bring great benefits to a person's physical health. For example, those who first start doing this can notice a significant improvement in their health after just a few sessions, which is facilitated by a decrease in pressure and the amount of such harmful cholesterol in the blood. Moreover, this art develops creativity, strengthens the immune system and relieves bouts of unreasonable anxiety. An interesting scientifically proven fact is that such activities stimulate the production of more antibodies to influenza in the human body.

Before you begin to meditate, it is enough to study just one the simplest technique and use it daily. At the same time, one should not worry and be afraid to do something wrong, because there are no clearly defined actions. Most important rule- listen to your inner voice, your feelings and, accordingly, adjust your actions, try to change something, look for new sensations.

When answering questions from beginners about how to learn to meditate, experts recommend, first of all, mastering the simplest positions. One of the authors advises to take a comfortable position on a chair, while keeping your back straight, relaxed, and not slouching. Beginners can lean against the back of a chair or against a wall to make it easier to keep their back relaxed and straight. For some, it can be quite difficult to relax in this position. In this case, you should put a pillow on the floor and sit on it. Another author advises beginners to lie on the floor with their feet on a chair.

As a rule, before the start of the session, in order to tune in, you should turn on relaxing music for a while. There are quite a few different melodies created specifically for such activities, but in fact, the most suitable music will be the one that a certain person likes, which helps him calm down. You need to know that the meditation session itself should take place in absolute silence, so any sounds should be excluded before it starts. To begin with, the session can last about five minutes, gradually becoming longer. The main thing here is not the number of minutes or hours spent in relaxation, but the desire to really feel how tension, negativity, stress leaves the body and calmness sets in. And the indicators do not depend on any norms, but on the individual capabilities of a particular person.

In the course of the lesson, it is necessary to breathe correctly, that is, do it with your nose, calmly, your mouth should be closed. One of the most common obstacles to relaxation for beginners is the presence of many different thoughts in the head. In this case, it is recommended to focus on breathing, count each inhalation and exhalation, or follow the movements of the abdomen. If thoughts begin to interfere again, you should return to breathing again. At first, mastering it can be quite difficult, but over time, with constant practice, you can easily learn to get rid of the negative state.

Crazy pace modern life encourages many people to look for different ways to deal with enormous tension, stress and dissatisfaction with life. Meditation is one of the most accessible. How to learn meditation can be learned from many sources. The main thing is to understand that this is not a special kind of religion or some kind of mysterious rite. This is a way to relax, recharge with positive energy and achieve harmony in yourself.

Meditation can cause some fear in beginners to learn this art. But this is only at the first stages. There are a number of simple rules and techniques, the understanding of which will greatly simplify the task. If you decide that you need meditation, and are ready to start practical actions on your own, then very soon you will see the result of your efforts. It's easy, but very effective exercise on concentration and relaxation will help you delve into yourself, get rid of anxiety, internal conflicts overcome depression and bad habits. After several sessions, you will feel vitality, increase your efficiency and improve your health. Many do not realize how beneficial meditation is until they experience it for themselves.

The first step is learning to concentrate

Concentration is an essential element of meditation. The ability to focus on a particular subject or state is the key to how to meditate. Start exercising, for example, on a candle flame or on your breath, or use any other. Don't think about extraneous things. Only about what you see in front of you or feel. If you are overwhelmed by thoughts, anxieties, analysis of situations, try to disconnect from them and relax. Our brain processes information even in a dream, but your task is to direct attention to contemplation.

Breathe, feel how the air fills your lungs and passes through you, saturating you with useful trace elements. In no case do not give in to the desire to conduct a mental dialogue with yourself. You can always do this. Only peace, light, relaxed state and deep breathing. Listen to it, feel its rhythm and control it. It's easier than it looks. Do this exercise for only 5-10 minutes a day.. At the same time, nothing should distract you. Set yourself the goal of completely disengaging yourself from environment. The skill of concentration will be useful to you in everyday affairs. You will notice how much more effectively you will cope with the tasks.

Many beginners find it difficult to be completely immobile even for a short time. And this is an important requirement. Proper, comfortable body position will help you relax and get the desired effect.. It is not necessary to sit in the lotus position. You can tuck your knees under you or sit on a chair, as long as your back is flat, your chin is parallel to the floor, and keep your palms pointing up. This position will provide correct breathing and the opening of internal channels through which energy circulates.

After choosing a pose, feel if all the muscles are relaxed. If you feel any discomfort, try to accept it instead of rejecting it. This is another step towards the purification and opening of consciousness.

At first, you may feel tension in your back, but this will pass when you get used to sitting upright and when your back muscles strengthen. It is strongly not recommended to meditate lying down, otherwise you will fall into a dream, and not clear your thoughts. To achieve complete relaxation, you should also wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing.

Choose a place

How to meditate correctly in public places, among the noise and the crowd - only real aces in this matter know and are able to. Beginners should start in a place that evokes a feeling of comfort and where it is easy to relax.. A field, a forest, a lake shore or your own house is not so important. Nothing should distract you.

How to meditate at home is a common question, because it is simple, convenient, you don’t need to specially guess the time or plan a trip out of town. If you feel comfortable and safe in your room, then best place and don't look for it. In addition, at home you can use incense sticks and candles, turn on special meditation music and read mantras aloud. Important condition: no extraneous sounds.

Turn off the TV, put your phone on silent, and keep your pets out of the room. All these are irritating factors that do not contribute to concentration in any way and do not allow harmony to be achieved. Conduct a meditation session both at home and in nature - determine where you relax best.

Time and regularity

Consider how often and for how long you can meditate. Don't dive headlong into yourself. Start with just 5 minutes a day, and then gradually increase the time. You are doing this for yourself, so decide for yourself whether once a day or twice, 20 minutes or 40. Don't force yourself.

Over time, you will understand how to meditate correctly, guided by your individual needs. When you feel the positive effect, you will want to devote more time to this activity. But in order not to get carried away and go to other worlds, set an alarm for a specific time. Remember that an excellent result of any activity is possible only if it is regular. Better less, but every day.

Only a systematic approach will allow you to achieve what you want. Define for yourself best time for relaxation: morning, evening or both. In the morning you can tune in the right way and cheer up, and in the evening you can relax and calm your nerves. With the right approach, even beginners can do it.

We complete the process

It is important not only “how to learn to meditate”, but also how to get out of this state. It should be a smooth, neat process. You should gradually come to your senses, analyzing your feelings.. You do not just meditate, not for the sake of the process itself, but for a specific purpose. Think about what has changed in you, feel positive changes and thank yourself for the work done. Maintain fluidity not only in thoughts, but also in movements, so do not jump up and run to do your daily activities. Precious minutes after complete relaxation are necessary to restore mental and energy balance.

1. Correct posture is everything. Let your body relax.
2. Breathe calmly and easily.
3. Don't bother yourself. Let the process go on by itself and for as long as it takes.
4. Analyze how you feel on days with and without meditation. What is the difference?
5. Learn how to learn to meditate in a different way. New knowledge does not hurt, and new techniques will help to achieve better results.
6. Try to understand what gives you such relaxation? What new things have you learned about yourself?
7. Do not fall asleep during the session. To prevent this from happening, get enough sleep at night and keep your back in the correct position.
8. Do not meditate on an empty stomach or after a heavy meal. Hunger, thirst, and the process of digesting food can disrupt concentration, especially for beginners.
9. If you find it difficult to relax on your own, use auxiliary materials: music, incense or mantras. Visualize a place where you would be happy - this will help relieve tension.
10. Each time it will be easier for you to dive into yourself. Don't expect instant results from yourself. Only regular practice and a strong desire will bear fruit.

Meditation is an opportunity to harmonize your inner world, improve your body and achieve great success in life. As in any other business, ask yourself the question: “why?” and only then "how?". How to learn to meditate? How to meditate correctly? This is a lot of work on yourself.

By learning to truly relax, you will see how much easier it will become to make decisions and manage your life on your own!

In this article, I will talk about how to meditate properly, I will give an example of a specific meditation that you can start practicing even today and tell you about the correct posture in which your body should be during the session. Meditation is an effective relaxation and concentration exercise that frees your mind from thoughts and anxieties, calms you down and brings your thinking in order. Regular meditation improves your mood, teaches you to relax and not react to stress, helps in the fight against bad habits(and), strengthen your and character, improve your concentration, memory and. Most importantly, meditation develops in you a healthy critical ability, the ability to look at the things around you and also at yourself, soberly and impartially, freeing your perception from the veil of illusions!

Purpose of Meditation

There is no magic or magic in meditation. This is just a certain exercise, training, nothing more. The goal of meditation is not "opening the third eye" or "realizing the absolute." The goal of meditation is a healthy body and a healthy mind, calmness, harmony, balance and. Everything that is so lacking in our busy time.

Meditation is not as difficult as it seems. Moreover, I am sure that most of you have already practiced meditation, in some way, and you are even able to appreciate its effect! Surprised? Many of you, when you started counting sheep: one sheep, two sheep ... n sheep, until you fell asleep? At the same time, it was possible to imagine the curly-haired lambs themselves jumping over the fence, for example. It helped someone. Why do you think? Because you kept their attention on one thing thus stop thinking about something else. All worries and thoughts left your mind!

And the very monotony of this process calmed you and you fell asleep! You see, no tricks, everything is extremely simple. Meditation is based on a similar principle, although this is a very rough and simplistic comparison. You concentrate on the breath, on the image or on the mantra, thereby calming your mind. But there is no doubt that the effect of meditation is much wider and deeper than the effect that appears when counting sheep. This practice can give you incomparably more.

Many articles in the domestic segment of the Internet on this issue are overloaded with all sorts of esoteric terminology: "chakras", "energies", "vibrations".

I believe that such articles do not quite play into the hands of spreading this, no doubt, useful and effective practice in our country, since all these terms can cause bewilderment and skepticism among ordinary person. All this smacks of some kind of sectarianism, behind which it is impossible to discern the very essence of meditation. Well, in fact, why do you need to “open the lower chakra”, when in fact you just want to learn how to control your emotions, not to succumb to momentary impulses and mood changes, or?

I look at meditation in a completely different way. For me, this is not a religion, not a secret teaching, but quite an applied, if I may say so, discipline that helped me a lot in life, an ordinary, earthly life, and not beyond-cosmic-spiritual. She helped me cope with the shortcomings of my character, addictions, weaknesses. She allowed me to more fully reveal my potential, put me on the path of self-development, and if not for her, this site would not exist. I'm sure she can help you too. Anyone can learn meditation. There is nothing difficult in this. And even if you fail, it will still bring its effect. So let's get started. If you want to start meditating, then to start:

Make time for meditation

I would recommend meditating twice a day. In the morning for 15-20 minutes and in the evening the same amount of time. In the morning, meditation will put your mind in order, give you a boost of energy, prepare you for the beginning of the day, and in the evening it will allow you to relieve tension and fatigue, relieve annoying thoughts and worries. Try not to miss a single session. Let meditation become a daily habit.

I am sure that everyone can allocate 30-40 minutes a day. Many people complain about the lack of time and this fact can be an excuse for why they do not engage in themselves, for example, do not spend time playing sports or not meditating. Understand that you are not meditating for someone else, but, first of all, for yourself. This is an action that aims to achieve personal happiness and harmony. And this harmony is not so expensive. Only 40 minutes of your precious time! Is it a big fee?

In the same way, sports are aimed at strengthening your health, which is more important than anything else, which everyone constantly forgets and chases for the implementation of momentary, short-term goals, and not global goals, sacrificing strategy in favor of tactics. But this is at best. More often than not, those 40 minutes, which could be put to great use, will be spent on some nonsense. That is why you cannot sacrifice it in favor of something else, less essential.

But you can start with 15 minutes a day if you are a beginner. This is not difficult. I recommend subscribing my free 5 day meditation course, with which you can learn a simple technique of meditation and avoid common mistakes.

The topic of this article is not sports. But, since I'm talking about this, I will allow myself this comparison: if physical exercise is the health of your body, then meditation is the health of your mind. Many underestimate, until they themselves begin to engage in it (this was the case with me, in general, I am a materialist and it was quite difficult for me to start doing something that I associated with religion and some kind of shamanism, but personal problems forced me to try, which I am very happy now).

If you have only urgent matters, then it is better to sleep less and meditate at the same time: since 20 minutes of meditation, according to my personal feelings, replace the same amount of sleep, or even much more, as you rest and relax. If only you have very, very little time and you, moreover, sleep little, or it’s very difficult for you to sit idle for 20 minutes from the beginning, then you can try. This is a special technique taught by one of the famous masters of this practice. But I would still recommend meditating for at least 15 minutes for an adult and 5-10 minutes for a child.

Choose a place

Of course, it is better to meditate at home and in a quiet environment. Nothing should distract you. Some do not recommend practicing in the room where you sleep. Since in this case there is a greater likelihood that you will fall asleep during the session due to the fact that your brain is used to the fact that you fall asleep in this room.

But if you do not have the opportunity to choose another room for practice, then there will be nothing wrong with meditating in the bedroom. It's not critical, believe me. If for some reason you cannot find a suitable environment for meditation, then this is not a reason to abandon the practice. When I first started meditating, I lived in the suburbs and had to take the train to work every day. I practiced on the road and, despite the many distractions, I managed to somehow relax.

Even meditation in the midst of a noisy crowd can have some effect, so do not neglect it, even if you do not have a quiet place where you can be alone with yourself. Such a place, of course, is desirable, but not so necessary.

Take the right posture

It is not necessary to sit in the lotus position. The main thing is to keep your back straight and comfortable. The back should not be tilted forward or backward. The spine should form a right angle with the surface on which you are sitting. In other words, it should fit perpendicularly into your pelvis. You can sit on any chair, it is advisable not to lean on its back. Keeping your back straight is important so that you can breathe easier and the air can move through your lungs better. It is also required to maintain awareness. After all, meditation is a balance on the verge of relaxation and inner tone. Meditation is not only a relaxation technique, as many people think. It is also a method of observing your mind, a way of developing awareness. And these things require the preservation of attention, concentration. A straight back helps. If you sit up straight, then the chances that you will fall asleep during meditation are reduced. (Therefore, I do not advise lying down to meditate)

What to do if the back is very tense?

During the straight back pose, muscles can be involved that are not normally used in life. Therefore, the back can tense up. It's a matter of training. I recommend that you first sit on a chair with a straight back and do not lean it on the back of the chair. Mild discomfort is best tolerated without focusing on it. As soon as it becomes difficult to endure, gently move back and lean your back against the back of the chair, without disturbing straight position spine.

With each new session of practice, you will sit longer and longer with a straight back, without leaning it against anything, as your muscles will strengthen over time.

Relax your body

Close your eyes. Try to completely relax your body. Direct your attention to tense areas of the body. If that doesn't work for you, don't worry, leave it as it is.

Direct your attention to the breath or mantra

Close your eyes. Direct your attention to the breath or mantra. When you notice that you have begun to think about something, just calmly return your attention to the starting point(mantra, breath). Avoid attempts to interpret thoughts, emotions, sensations, desires that arise inside. Perceive these things without getting involved in them.

The paragraph above practically contains a comprehensive instruction on meditation for those who have just begun to practice it. In it, I tried to formulate as clearly as possible the essence of what I understand by meditation without any unnecessary things, so as not to complicate anything and to convey the meaning of meditation as much as possible to those who know nothing about it.

But, this instruction needs some explanation.

While you are watching your breath, you cannot think about anything at the same time (try it). Therefore, when you return your attention to the breath, thoughts will go away by themselves. But sometimes, having achieved a good concentration on the breath (mantra), you will be able to watch thoughts from the side, how they come and go, how they pass by you like clouds. And it will seem to you that you are not a participant in this process, that you remain on the sidelines.

But this doesn't happen right away. This is the next stage of concentration, which you can achieve when you achieve good concentration. In the beginning, you will most likely be constantly distracted by thoughts, and this is normal. Once you notice this, just bring your attention back to your breath. That's all that is required of you, develop concentration.

Getting rid of thoughts can be difficult, because the brain is used to constantly thinking. Getting rid of thoughts is not the goal of meditation, as many people think. Your task is simply to calmly observe your breath or concentrate on the mantra.

A modern person receives a lot of information every day: meetings, business, worries, the Internet, new experiences. And his brain does not always have time to process this information in a fast paced life. But during meditation, the brain is not busy with anything, so it begins to “digest” this information, and because of this, those thoughts and emotions come to you that you did not devote enough time to during the day. There is nothing wrong with these thoughts coming.

You don’t need to mentally scold yourself for not being able to relax or get rid of thoughts. You don't have to try too hard to influence how the meditation goes. You just calmly observe what is happening without interfering with it. Let everything go on as usual: good thoughts do not come, good thoughts come too.

Take the position of a detached observer: do not make any judgments about your thoughts. You should not compare your feelings with how you felt during another meditation or with how you think you should feel. Stay in the present moment! If your attention is distracted, then calmly, without any thought, transfer it back to the starting point.
In general, you don’t have to think: “I need to stop my thoughts”, “I need to relax”, “I can’t do it”.

If you follow these guidelines during your practice, then there will be no "right" or "wrong" experiences for you in the state of meditation. Everything that will happen to you will be “correct”, simply because it happens and nothing else can happen. Meditation is the existing order of things, the acceptance of one's own inner peace, just the way it is.

(Everyone can remember their fruitless attempts to sleep. If you try to force yourself to sleep and constantly think about it (“I need to sleep”, “I can’t sleep - how terrible”), then you will not succeed. But if you just relax and let go of the desire to fall asleep as soon as possible, then after a while you will fall asleep peacefully. The same thing happens during meditation. Let go of your desire to go deeper into meditation, get rid of thoughts, achieve some special state. Let everything happens the way it happens.)

Of course, one cannot completely compare meditation with sleep. During it, there is still a small particle of effort. This is the return of attention to the starting point. But this is effort without effort. That is, it is very light. But at the same time, it should have a soft persistence, constantly reminding you that your attention has gone to the side. You should not relax to the point where you leave absolutely everything to chance. A small part of you must be trying to maintain awareness and control of attention.

It is a very delicate balance between action and inaction, effort and lack of will, little control and no control. It's hard to explain in words. But if you try to meditate, you will understand what I am talking about.

Now, due to the large number of comments and questions, I would like to once again dwell on one thing. Even if you fail to stop the so-called “internal dialogue” and you think about something all the time during meditation, this does not mean at all that it is wasted! Anyway, the positive effect of meditation reflects on you, leave everything as it is, do not try to conform to any ideas about meditation. Can't clear your mind of thoughts? It's OK!

You can say that meditation has failed only if you have not meditated at all!

Your goal is to notice when attention begins to wander, not to get rid of thoughts.

Therefore, people who think about something all the time during practice benefit from it: they become more collected and better control their thoughts and desires, as they learn to keep attention on themselves. "I'm thinking again, nervous, angry, worried - it's time to stop." If earlier these feelings seemed to pass by you, then practice will help you to always be aware of them, and this is a very important skill. With practice, you will learn to be aware at any point in your life, not just during meditation. Your attention will stop constantly jumping from thought to thought, and your mind will become calmer. But not all at once! Don't worry if you can't concentrate!

What should you focus on while meditating?

Concentrate on the breath: you either just follow your breath, direct your inner gaze to this natural aspect of your life, feel how the air passes through your lungs and how it comes out. No need to try to control the breath. Just watch him. It must be natural. During meditation, breathing can become very slow, and it will seem to you that you are hardly breathing. Let it not scare you. This is fine.
Mentally read the mantra to yourself: you say to yourself the repeated words of the prayer in Sanskrit. I personally meditate this way (Updated 03/17/2014 - I now meditate by concentrating on the breath. I find this method better than concentrating on the mantra. Why, I will write below). For me personally, the mantra is not a sacred text, it's just a repeated phrase that helps me to keep my attention and relax. You can read about the link. It is not necessary to read the Indian mantra, you can use the prayer in any language.
Visualization techniques: you imagine different images: both abstract, like multi-colored fire (), and quite specific, for example, you can place yourself in an imaginary environment (), inside which you will feel peace and tranquility.

If you don't know which of these practices to use, then read my article, or meditate on your breath, as I do. I think it doesn't really matter which meditation you choose, as each one is based on the same principle.

Although I believe that during meditation, there should be as little information in the head as possible in order to enable you to observe. The mantra and the picture you visualize are also information. Even though the words in Sanskrit help you concentrate, they distract you a little from watching and keep your mind busy with information.

That's why I prefer to concentrate on my breathing.

What does it mean to focus on the breath?

Due to the large number of questions, I want to clarify this point. Concentrating on the breath means focusing your attention on the sensations in the body associated with the breath: the opening and closing of the lungs, the movement of the diaphragm, the expansion and contraction of the abdomen, the movement of air around the nostrils. Focusing on your breath does NOT mean imagining how the air oxygenates your cells, visualizing how it is distributed through the channels, etc. Your task is to observe what is, your sensations in the body, without adding anything to it!

The next question is what exactly to focus on? On sensations in the stomach or in the nostrils? Or should sensations be observed throughout the duration of the movement of air from the nostrils to the abdomen? All of these methods are correct. Experiment with the technique and see which areas of your breath help you focus, relax, and achieve awareness and clarity (as opposed to sleepiness). The general advice is: if your main problem is the mind, which is constantly distracted during practice, then concentrate on the abdomen. Watch how it rises and falls, what sensations are present between inhalation and exhalation. Some teachers believe that observing these sensations will "ground" your mind. But if your problem is rather sleepiness, lethargy during practice, then you better concentrate on the sensations in the nostrils. Watch how the air passes through the nostrils, what sensations are present between upper lip and nostrils, how the temperature of the air on inhalation and air on exhalation differs. Also, if the drowsiness does not go away, you can slightly open your eyes. But these kinds of concentration can work differently for different people, so check for yourself which suits you best.

And, of course, I remind you that you should not control your breathing. I know this is very difficult to do, because breathing is one thing that is very easy to control. But with practice it will start to work out. Just watch your breath, leave it as it is.

In conclusion, I would like to give a few important tips for those who want to start meditating.

Don't expect instant results! The effect of meditation does not come immediately. It took me half a year to feel the tangible effect of the practice, but it may take less time for you. Nobody can become a guru in a few sessions. Effective meditation requires patience and habit. Do not start classes if something does not work out for you or you have not achieved the expected effect. Of course, it takes time to achieve something tangible. But, nevertheless, some aspects of the effect of meditation may become noticeable immediately. But this is from person to person: everyone is different. Don't be discouraged if you don't feel anything and keep meditating! Practice will not bring great results if you do not work on yourself. Meditation is, in a sense, a tool that helps you work on yourself. One should not look at practice only as a panacea. Do not think that the effect will come to you immediately if you meditate. Analyze yourself, apply the skills gained during the practice to life, maintain awareness, try to understand what meditation has taught you and then the result will not be long in coming.
During the session, you should not strain and go out of your way to stop thinking. You should not constantly think about not thinking. Don't get hung up on what you can do. Take it easy. Let everything go by itself.
It is better not to meditate before going to bed. Try to meditate at least a few hours before going to bed. Meditation gives a charge of vivacity and strength, after which it can be difficult to fall asleep.
Notice how much better you feel on the days you meditate. Over time, you will notice that your mood becomes more upbeat after meditation, it is easier for you to concentrate, and in general you become more relaxed and confident. Compare this to days when you don't meditate. This will come with practice and will motivate you to keep practicing.
It is better not to fall asleep during the session. To do this, you need to keep your back straight. But, even if you fall asleep, then there will be nothing to worry about. According to the Himalayan meditation teacher, even sleeping during the session will be beneficial for you in terms of the meditative effect.
Do not eat heavily before and immediately after the session. This is because during and after meditation, the metabolism slows down, which prevents the digestion of food. Also, during practice, the processes of assimilation of food will prevent you from concentrating. And if you are hungry, then before you meditate, you can eat something light so that thoughts about food do not distract you.
It might get worse at first. If you suffer from depression or other mental illnesses like panic attacks () and decide to use meditation as an exercise to help you overcome these conditions, then know that this is really very efficient technique on getting out of depression, fighting nervousness (), etc.
Thanks to meditation, I got rid of panic attacks, anxiety, sensitivity and bad mood. But it is known that these ailments can intensify for a while. I had it. But it's not scary. The deterioration was short lived. And after a while it all went away. Someone says that a bad state at first may be due to the fact that the negative comes out. Like it or not, I don’t know, but the fact remains on the face and don’t let it scare you. Forewarned is forearmed.
Know about side effects practice! Read the article.

Now, perhaps, everything. Finally, I wish you success. I hope this article has helped you figure out how to meditate properly, and encouraged you to engage in this all-round beneficial practice. Don't delay and get started today.

Update 09/06/2013. Dear readers, from this day on, I stop responding to comments from the series: “I meditate for a month and I can’t concentrate, what am I doing wrong?” or “when will meditation work? Am I doing everything right?

The point of meditation is not to turn off thoughts. Thoughts will come and go - that's normal!

Meditation is not just a process during which, by some miracle, your body is restored and your mind calms down. This is also happening. But meditation is also a conscious work on oneself. You learn to control your thoughts and experiences, to observe them from the outside, without getting involved in them. And it is normal that another thought or emotion distracts you from the mantra or the observation of the breath. Your task at this time is to gently bring your attention back.

And the more often you are distracted by thoughts, the more often you notice it and the more often you divert attention from them, the better you can do it in real life. The less you identify with your emotions and the better you can stop them. Therefore, from a certain point of view, thoughts during meditation are even good.

During meditation, relax, you do not need to react in any way (with annoyance, or with the thought that it does not work out) to the appearance of thoughts. Just calmly and indifferently concentrate on the mantra or breath. Thoughts come - so be it.

If you ask me what is most important to achieve long-term results, I will answer without hesitation - internal control. It will not let emotions get the best of you, you will feel much more confident and will be able to move towards your goals by making regular efforts.

The most important tool for developing internal control is meditation. You may associate this word with esoteric practices, but this is far from being the case. Meditation is simply concentrating or concentrating on something. To master this tool, you need to know how to meditate.

I have been practicing meditation for more than two years, so I know firsthand what effect it can bring. It's really great way maintaining inner balance and developing a sense of confidence. It helps to better understand one's own motives, and also significantly improves the ability to concentrate. All this leads to increased productivity and the ability to not stop on the way to goals.

7 steps to learn how to meditate for a beginner at home

When you start practicing, you may get the feeling that meditation is a very difficult process that only Shaolin monks can do. In fact, it seems to me that it is possible to achieve perfection in this exercise only after several decades of practice, however, incorrect execution also has many benefits.

Therefore, just understand how to meditate correctly and strive for this state. And I honestly admit that I am far from ideal However, I feel a huge positive effect. You yourself will notice it if you compare the state on the days when you meditated and when you missed classes.

Step 1 - make a decision

Human psychology is arranged in such a way that he will get the best result only in those cases when he is fully aware of his actions, that is, he understands what he is striving for and how exactly to do it. Therefore, staging is very important to achieve the result, it is not in vain that they pay so much attention.

As for meditation, there is no need to set any goals, you just have to decide that you will do it. You can say it out loud or just mentally imagine that this tool will allow you to solve many problems and become a better person. It is important to realize why you are doing this - only then will a really good result be obtained.

Stage 2 - choose a place and time

After you make an informed choice, you need to set criteria. Most articles about how to learn to meditate talk about quiet and peaceful rooms. I agree with this point of view, as it is really easier to concentrate in an environment where nothing distracts you.

However, not everyone has the opportunity to be in such a room. For example, if you are a mother on maternity leave, who is constantly distracted by a child or work a lot, so there is no free time to look into a deserted place. What to do in such cases? It's simple: meditate where it will be most convenient.

In the case of a mother, this may be a place near the baby's crib, after he is put to bed and you need to wait a bit. If this is a working person, then the place of meditation can serve as public transport or even shower room.

This significantly complicates the task, so I recommend trying the classic options with a separate room for the first week, where no one distracts you. This is necessary so that you can better understand the process and be able to focus in environments where there are many distractions.

As for time, here you can focus on:

Free time;
The time when you just woke up or went to bed;
Time when you have nothing to do (public transport, unnecessary couples, etc.);
Before starting the main work (greatly helps to concentrate);
The time between pomodoros, etc.

That is, there are no specific recommendations, but if you follow the classical rules, it is best to meditate in the morning and during the daytime. Before going to bed, many do not recommend doing this because of the surge of energy associated with concentration and mental clarity. However, I'm great at falling asleep in this case too. If you wanted to understand how to meditate at home, then start with this option, and then adjust the schedule.

Stage 3 - decide on the frequency of classes

Beginners often ask the question of how often to practice. You need to understand that meditation is not a sport and there is no supercompensation period to talk about some more or less accurate predictions. Again, in the classic version, it is recommended to meditate twice a day for 10-20 minutes. Is it necessary to follow this rule? Of course not.

I recommend that you start with 5-10 minutes once a day. Believe me, even this frequency at the initial stage is enough for you to feel the result. Work out for at least a week and see for yourself. Then try to meditate twice a day, and also increase the time spent in a meditative state. You will be able to make a final decision only after practice.

Personally, I try to meditate every day, but I do it not on a schedule, but when I need to focus on something or make a decision. I also try to immerse myself in this state in the morning in order to set it up for the whole day. But, it is worth noting that even if I meditate during the day, there is not much difference. But the termination of classes says almost instantly: 1-3 days. Some kind of apathy immediately sets in, I don’t want to do anything, I put things off for later, etc. By the way, I noticed this only after 2 years of practice, so this experience is very important.

Also, many recommend exercising at the same time. Allegedly, the brain will tune in to the lesson in the selected time period. I would dispute this statement, but it makes sense from another point of view - you will develop a habit and it will be much easier for you to force yourself to meditate. If I were to write a book on how to meditate for beginners, I would also include this advice. Again, if you don't have self-discipline issues, you can ignore it.

Step 4 - Get Ready

Now let's take a closer look at the preparation process. It is important to understand how to meditate at home for beginners. You need to set a timer. It is recommended to do this in order to independently monitor the results and identify the optimal duration. During meditation, time flies differently, so after working out for half an hour, you may be surprised to find that only 10-15 minutes have passed (this was the case with me at the beginning).

Of course, you can do without a timer. However, I recommend doing this at least a month after the start of classes. When you can already understand for sure that you have achieved the effect you wanted. It is better to record and analyze the duration and results. This way you will be more motivated and you can really feel the effect.

By the way, soon there will be just an amazing article on how to do a lot of things and at the same time not feel lazy. If you don't want to miss it, subscribe to updates.

I recommend practicing in silence, but the right music can also help. What does "suitable music" mean - these are classical compositions, always without words and preferably with a calm motive. On the Internet you can find special tracks, and you can also just find traditional Asian motifs. Music is very important if you, for example, meditate while taking public transport to work or school.

I also recommend ventilating the room. The fact is that during meditation it is necessary to monitor the breath. If it is too stuffy, then the result can be negative. Fresh air will allow you to relax, cool down and breathe easier. Of course, this item is only suitable in cases where you need to understand how to meditate at home.

Stage 5 - take a pose or how to start meditating

Let's move on to practice. Take the most comfortable position. In the classic version, the lotus position is assumed (sitting on the sit bones, straighten your back, point your chin forward, and fold your legs so that your knees are on your hips). However, this is a difficult position, especially for an unprepared person, and not all places can afford such a sitting position, so I offer several alternatives:

Sitting on the feet (bend under you and sit on your heels);
Sitting on a chair with a straight back;
Standing, straightening your shoulders and straightening the plane of the chin;
Just a comfortable sitting position with a straight back;
The most important thing in the posture as part of the article on how to meditate is a straight back and a stable position.

It is very important that the posture is conscious and even. That is, choosing a position, try to stick to it for the entire time. Do not bend your back, even if everything hurts and whines (you get used to it over time), do not relax your legs, and so on. This is also important and will even help you, although you may not immediately understand it.

Yoga itself is a meditation technique. Of course, its classic presentation, and not modern variations for the lazy and especially lazy. Unlike other techniques, here the main focus is on the body and postures. That is why the effect of yoga is compared with the effect of prolonged meditation. You can try this option if you have the opportunity and desire. Most likely, I will consider this topic in more detail. If you don't want to miss it, be sure to subscribe to updates.

Stage 6 - how to meditate correctly for beginners

Now let's talk more about the technique itself. There are a huge number of them and, if desired, they are all easily found on the Internet. Within the framework of this article, I will consider only the main ones and those that are suitable for beginners. Suppose, not everyone can imagine fire in their mind and fully visualize the effect of it, but there is such a technique.

So, in the classic version of how to meditate at home, you need to follow these steps:

Close eyes;
Take a deep breath;
Clear the mind of all thoughts;
Make a slow exhalation;
Continue the breathing process, concentrating on inhalations and exhalations;
Keep your mind clear;
If any thoughts arise, they must be fixed and removed from the mind;
At first, you can say “brea-o-oh” and “you-s-breathe” to yourself, but it is better to focus purely on the process;
Pay close attention to the sensations that you have;
Watch how the stomach and ribs rise, how the mind is cleared;
To better understand how to meditate for beginners, try first counting the number of breathing numbers - this will make it easier to clear the mind;
After the timer goes off, take a few more breaths in and out and open your eyes.

Ideally, after this, you should relax and completely clear your mind. Although this is not always the case. However, even if it seems to you that nothing has worked out for you, IT DOESN'T. Even the most unsuccessful meditations bring a huge effect compared to not meditating at all.

Stage 7 - constantly improve the result

Use the breath concentration technique for at least a week before moving on to other options - concentration on the mantra, on the body or on some thought. This will allow you to better understand and understand the process. You can also:

Increase the time spent in meditation;
Increase the number of repetitions during the day;
Try to achieve the best effect;
Try to change the place for meditation;
Track results to identify the best option etc.

Remember that there is no end result that will allow you to say that you have fully mastered meditation. No, this is just a tool like the same “pomodoro”, with which you can achieve much more and become a calmer, more balanced and self-confident person.

conclusions

To understand how to meditate at home correctly, you need to make an informed choice, find a place and time to practice, decide on the frequency, prepare, take a pose, follow the process itself and analyze the results. In principle, nothing complicated, you just need to apply this technique in practice.

Remember that the absence of a visible result does not mean that it does not exist at all. Perhaps I am now speaking as some kind of esotericist, but there really is an effect. It will be especially noticed by those who cannot concentrate or pull themselves together in any way. Try, try and you will definitely succeed.

If you have any questions about how to learn to meditate at home, ask them in the comments. Perhaps I missed something and wrote incorrectly? Also tag it under this post. And don't forget to subscribe to blog updates. Bye!