Beginning Meditation - Tips for Better Meditation

By Vishal | No Comments

To continue with the practice or habit of meditation, it is important to develop and nurture the desire to meditate. This desire can be kindled best by the process of meditation itself. For instance, you may want to devote some of your conscious meditation to the appreciation of the benefits of meditation to you, those around you, and the world at large. Or you may find that by focused meditation, a desire to continue it and not “break” the meditation session begins to show - this is itself a symptom that the process is self-perpetuating. The mind begins to look forward to meditation, and the body begins to rely upon it for health benefits, just as the spiritual self feels more satisfied via the process of regular meditation practice.

Here are some tips for better meditation:

Try to meditate at the same time of day each time, so that you begin to get a sense of regularity as a part of your meditation. If this is done steadily, you will get to the point that your mind will automatically enter into a meditation state at that time of day, with no conscious effort on your part.
Create an environment suitable for your practice of meditation, by making a sacred and intimate space and place for meditation. Sometimes you may want to focus your attention and energy during meditation in a special way, for example to meditate on healing a sick friend or to remember a special anniversary or event. At those times, you can incorporate pictures or other memory-enchancers into your meditation “shrine”.
Don’t meditate right after a meal. Wait for at least 2 hours after a meal as meditation will interfere with the digestive process. Therefore the best time to meditate is early in the morning and in the evening before your dinner.
Don’t try to ward off thoughts. Instead, focus your mind on something, like your breath. Once you focus attentively on your breath or an object, thoughts will automatically vanish. Your mind starts wandering only when it does not have an object to focus on.
If your mind is very agitated and you can’t seem to get it back on track, try singing or chant Aum loudly for 5-10 minutes. Within minutes your mind will become calm. Singing in itself is a form of meditation.
Think about meditation before going to sleep at night, or meditate before going to sleep, for a little while. This can sometimes help the mind to continue the meditation process while you are asleep, and this is conducive to better rest and also to improved clarity of mind when you wake up.
Similarly, if possible, meditate at the start of the day, so that the process will tend to continue through the day’s events.
Never bother yourself with worrying about your meditation. There is no right or wrong way to do it, and if we worry about meditation, we accomplish the opposite of the meditation goal and purpose. Just relax and be in the moment.
Try different kinds of meditation to discover the method that strikes a chord with you. If you meditate with chanting and mantras, add a different kind of meditation to your schedule at another meditation time, by doing walking silent meditation or visualization meditation. If you do only silent meditation, try experimenting with meditation on sounds.