today we're going to talk about exactly
how to meditate I'm going to go over
everything from where to meditate what
you should do with your body what you
should do with your mind and even how
long you should do it for so you can
start reaping some of these benefits all
of the information I'm giving you today
is taken from a book that is recommended
by just about every meditation forum on
the internet mindfulness in plain
English
where should I meditate technically you
can meditate anywhere you'd like because
it is an exercise for the mind you can
meditate sitting in a chair sitting on
the floor and even laying in bed however
there is an optimal way to meditate it's
best to avoid meditating in bed because
you tend to fall asleep meditating on
the floor with your back straight up is
actually considered to be the most
formal and beneficial way to meditate
and this is because it keeps you wide
awake and allows you to sit for long
periods of time what do I do with my
body the first thing you want to keep in
mind when meditating is your feet a lot
of well seasoned meditators will preach
about how your feet needs to be on top
of each other however for the majority
of people who are beginners is perfectly
fine to have them criss crossed on top
of each other like a pretzel your arms
are resting on your dies your hands rest
on top of each other and form a cup
shape your dumbs can touch it's up to
you what's important is that your arms
feel relaxed your back is straight and
your head is completely level your head
is not tilted upwards or downwards just
forward in terms of what to do with your
eyes you have an option of meditating
with your eyes open or with your eyes
closed however for most beginners I
would recommend you to meditate with
your eyes closed as it's easier to focus
if you do choose to meditate with your
eyes open
do not focus your eyes on an object in
front of you instead look into the
distance how long should I meditate for
now before you start your meditation
session you'll want to set an alarm this
is because time tends to feel a lot
slower when you first start meditating
so setting an alarm helps prevent a
constant need to wonder about how much
time is left in the session for
first-time meditators I'd recommend you
start with just 5 minutes on the clock
as you make meditation into a daily
practice and get more used to sitting in
the meditative position for long periods
of time you can increase the time most
people recommend meditate
between 10 to 20 minutes what to do
during meditation here's where it gets
tricky now there are many different
forms of meditation some focus on the
things around you
some involve reciting words in your mind
the one you'll be learning today is one
of the most commonly taught forms of
meditation and it's called mindfulness
breathing meditation it's very easy to
learn and it's considered to be just as
powerful and insightful as any other
form of meditation the focus of
breathing meditation is well you guessed
it on your breath first you want to make
sure that you're breathing through your
nose then all you have to do is focus
all of your attention on your breath
observe the way the air feels as it
flows through your nostrils observe the
way your breath transitions from inhale
to exhale observe that little pause
between those two actions observe every
single aspect about the way it feels
do not judge it do not criticize it
simply observe what you'll quickly
notice is that thoughts will start
appearing in your mind and will distract
you from this simple simple task what
should I cook for dinner hmm maybe I
should order takeout instead weights
trying to lose weight so I shouldn't or
should i when you notice your mind
wandering like this simply pull the
focus back to the breath this is how you
train your mindfulness muscle now most
people who meditate for the first time
will find it extremely hard to focus on
just the breath for even a couple of
seconds they'll find themselves lost and
dart quite often this is totally normal
so don't criticize yourself if it
happens which it probably will all you
have to do is simply bring your
attention back to your breathing a good
trick that I personally use to quickly
bring my focus back is to focus all of
my attention on the little bridge
between inhale and exhale that little
pause where your body transitions during
its act of breathing while meditating
try as hard as possible to avoid moving
itches and urges the fidgit will arise
throughout your meditation session this
is normal this is to be expected simply
bring your focus back to your breath and
the feeling will eventually go away and
that's all there is to it it's a very
simple exercise what's important to note
is how often you work on it and how much
time you put into it by making it a
habit you
notice that you'll be able to have your
entire focus on your breath for longer
and longer periods of time think of this
as your mindfulness muscle getting
stronger and stronger how often should I
meditate in order to really start seeing
the benefits of meditation you should
meditate on a daily basis my routine is
ten minutes a day every single day when
I wake up some people like to do it
twice a day like Arnold Schwarzenegger
who does it 20 minutes a day when he
wakes up and 20 minutes right before he
goes to bed as long as you make it into
a daily habit that is the most important
factor when will I start seeing the
benefits well first of all you have to
be doing it on a daily basis the length
of each session also plays a part on how
fast you see the benefits but ultimately
it's hard to say because it really does
differ from person to person
certain people are less mindful in
general due to the way they were brought
up so it'll take them a little bit
longer to start seeing the benefits and
my personal experience it took me about
a month of meditating every single day
before I noticed any benefit myself I
found myself in a better mood overall
and was less likely to get consumed by
certain negative emotions as I continued
the practice I noticed more and more
benefits along the line and that's it
guys meditation is very simple it's just
the act of making it into a daily habit
that is hard if you guys have any more
questions leave them in the comments
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