Learn How to Meditate
Daily meditation is a gamechanging practice that offers life-long benefits:
we control our stress, connect with others like never before, identify the causes of our physical and mental pain, improve our focus, and connect with oneness.
This short guide will teach you the basics to get started.
we control our stress, connect with others like never before, identify the causes of our physical and mental pain, improve our focus, and connect with oneness.
This short guide will teach you the basics to get started.
Quick intro
In mindfulness meditation, we pay attention to our breath as we inhale and exhale, noticing when the mind wanders. When thoughts arise, we practice letting them go and return our focus back to the breath.
As we pay attention to our breathing, we learn how to maintain our focus in the present moment. This is a skill that lets us gain control of our thinking patterns--particularly when they go negative--so that we can live joyfully. In time, your meditation practice will lead to conscious awareness that helps you understand the deeper nature of your being.
Step 1: How to start (for beginners)
Before we begin, I want to tell you something you'll eventually learn by experience...
"You are not your thoughts."
It's amazing this isn't taught to children in schools. I personally wasn't aware of this fact until I was 33 years old. If you still believe you are that internal chatter in your head, I'm excited for what you're about to learn over the coming weeks...
Let's begin your meditation practice with a simple awareness of the breath. Our goal here is to pay attention to each breath from its very beginning through to its completion, and repeat. Pay attention to nothing else. When you realize you're tied up in thought, notice the thought and its characteristics for just a second, and then let it go returning your full focus back to your breathing.
Basic meditation for beginners
- Sit down in a comfortable place and close your eyes.
- Focus on your breath and nothing else. Where do you feel your breath located?
- When you notice you're lost in thought, don't judge yourself and let it go. Return your focus back to the breath.
- Continue this practice for 2 minutes.
👇
How did that go? Did your mind wander into thinking in those two minutes? Did you notice how busy your mind lets itself get even when you're purposefully directing it to think about nothing?
We all have certain narratives that run through our head over and over again. For example...
When we meditate, we are actively training our mind to become aware of these and other thoughts so we can choose which ones to follow. I think we can both agree that negative thoughts are generally unproductive and lead to depression, so wouldn't it be great if we could avoid them altogether?
Let's proceed, but first, don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meditations! 👇
How did that go? Did your mind wander into thinking in those two minutes? Did you notice how busy your mind lets itself get even when you're purposefully directing it to think about nothing?
We all have certain narratives that run through our head over and over again. For example...
- "I need to do that thing for work tomorrow."
- "I shouldn't have done that thing yesterday. That was a mistake."
- "I need to achieve a goal or I'm screwed!"
- "I'm not good enough."
When we meditate, we are actively training our mind to become aware of these and other thoughts so we can choose which ones to follow. I think we can both agree that negative thoughts are generally unproductive and lead to depression, so wouldn't it be great if we could avoid them altogether?
Let's proceed, but first, don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter for weekly meditations! 👇
Get weekly insight on meditation, enlightenment and self development for driven individuals.
|
|
Step 2: Listen to these guided meditations
Now that we've established the basic fundamentals, let's move onto a few guided meditations that will help you expand your practice. Guided meditations are very helpful when we're just starting out because the instructor helps us stay focused and bring new elements to help us build awareness.
Click and listen to the guided meditation below that calls out to you most. 👇
Click and listen to the guided meditation below that calls out to you most. 👇
Lovingkindness meditationLovingkindness, or metta, focuses on the Buddhist mantra "may you be well" to wish well-being to all and develop compassion within ourselves in order to make the world better.
|
Body healing meditationBody healing guided meditation is a relaxing source of regeneration and healing for anyone with body pain or tight muscles after working out, yoga, or joint pain from aging.
|
Anti-depression meditationAnti-depression meditation encourages a calm awareness of the breath and also a detachment from the habits of rumination (overthinking associated with depression).
|
Subscribe to receive new meditations every weekGet weekly insight on meditation, enlightenment and self development for driven individuals.
|
|
Learn more about the #GetWoke community
The #GetWoke community encourages meditative living, selflessness and a sustainable lifestyle. Our mission is to help others wake up to their own true potential and create a more fulfilling life.
Learn more about our core beliefs here.
Learn more about our core beliefs here.
