4 easy steps to becoming a meditation pro
It sounds ironic, I know. 4 steps to becoming good at meditation. After all, isn’t meditation the act of doing… nothing?
Yes… and no. Meditation has become paramount in my life, a necessity that I didn’t know I needed until a few years ago. In fact, a few years ago I was the biggest hater there was.
My sister was big on it, and I remember thinking how pointless it was, what a waste of time. I told her that, too. Her response? “Well with that attitude, I’m sure it is.”
The sneaky and wonderful thing about meditation, though, is that the more time you spend doing it, the more time itself seems to stop.
Through my own practice, I’ve learned that meditation isn’t the act of doing nothing, but the act of simply being.
It’s not an empty mind, but a present mind.
It doesn’t waste time; it gives you the strategies to use your time with intention and purpose.
If you’re a novice, have fallen away from your practice, or are someone (like I was a few years ago) questioning meditation altogether, I’ve come up with 4 tips to try that will create a positive meditation experience and help you gain the confidence to practice it daily. After all, it’s a practice that’s deeply personal; meditation asks you to notice your innermost thoughts… and that shit takes confidence.
Ready? Check out these steps and become the meditation “pro” you always knew you were.
1. Start Small
If you are new to meditation or don’t feel like you have a lot of time to dedicate to it daily, starting with short meditations is the first step to building your practice. Even a one minute meditation in the morning, like the one below, can help you set your intentions for the day.
Attempting a 20 or 30-minute meditation when you’re already feeling overwhelmed is going to have your monkey mind racing the entire time.
Figure out how much time you actually have to fully commit to a meditation, and do that. Insight Timer is a wonderfully diverse, free app where you can search guided or unguided meditations by length in order to tailor your practice to fit your lifestyle.
Once you feel confident, increase your time by small increments until you get to a length that works best for you.
2. Create Space
Creating a space where you feel safe, relaxed, and calm is a must when it comes to building your meditation practice. I have a small table in the corner of my room that holds my crystals, candles, smudge sticks, and a singing bowl — all items I often use in my meditation practice.
It’s important to create a space that is comfortable and appealing to all the senses. Try adding floor or meditation pillows, your favorite-smelling candles or essential oil diffusers, and wall decor that you love to your meditation space.
Entering a space like this will immediately decrease your stress, allowing your mind to slow and focus on the present moment. Entering your meditation space should feel like taking a bath: warm, refreshing, comforting, and quiet.
3. Notice Your Thoughts
A common misconception is that meditation is about emptying your mind, abolishing all thought. Even the most skilled meditation practitioners can’t always do that. Instead, meditation is about noticing your thoughts without resistance, and simply letting them float on.
I had a hard time with this at first, but a good way to notice and release your thoughts is to continually return to your breath. When I find myself running through all the things I need to do or adding something to my grocery list in my head, I gently – and without judgement – release the thought from my mind and return to my breath. I notice when I breathe in and I notice when I breathe out. I sometimes even repeat the words “in” and “out” in my head as I breathe.
Guided meditations are often the best way to start with this, because you have someone “there” with you reminding you to return to the breath again and again.
4. Practice
This seems like a no-brainer, but practicing meditation, and often, is the best way to create meaning in it and in your life. The first time I tried meditation, I did not like it. The second time, I wasn’t such a hater. The third, I began to realize why so many people practice.
It wasn’t until I had tried meditating many times that I found meaning in it and noticed what a profound and positive effect it was having on my life.
Practice doesn’t make perfect, because meditation isn’t about being perfect. It’s about sitting with yourself, noticing – but not attaching meaning to – your thoughts, and appreciating the present moment. Practicing meditation enables you to do all those things, not just during your meditation, but during the rest of your day.
I hope with these 4 steps you’ll be boosting your own meditation practice and your confidence, stepping into your life with more presence and intention.
Try them out and let me know which tip worked best – I would love to hear from you!
