Find a quiet comfortable space to sit or lay down. This space could be your bedroom, a quiet room at your office, your car, etc.
The goal is to minimize distractions that can pull your attention away from the meditation. This could mean lighting a candle, turning your phone off or putting it on do not disturb, taking off your shoes, putting on comfy pants, etc - do what you need.
Take time to set an intention or ask a question. This will give your meditation a sense of focus. Some examples of intentions and questions are listed below.
Example Intentions: invite gratitude, quiet the chatter in the mind, release stress
Example Questions: How am I feeling in this moment? What is important to me right now?
You can also take this time to ask a higher power for help. Keep it simple. 'I need help.' 'Please give me strength, grace, clarity, etc.'
Choose your style of meditation: Silent or Guided
Silent meditations can be done in complete silence or with some noise that doesn’t hold your attention. I like nature sounds like rushing water or campfires. The Silent Watcher YouTube channel has great videos for this. You can also listen to music without words or with words in languages you don’t understand. This way you are not wrapped up in what the words mean to you and can drop into the meditation experience.
Guided meditations are great for those who want a voice to focus on. There is an abundance of guided meditations to choose from on YouTube. The Honest Guys YouTube channel helped me out when I was getting started. There are many free and paid apps that offer guided meditations as well. Insight timer is an app I used when I was getting started. I still use it for free and love that there is a diverse group of teachers to choose from. Headspace is another great app for beginners. I love that the courses allow me to choose between a male or female voice.
Essentially your meditation practice is for you. Use this time to take what you need. If you fidget, lose focus, get caught up in thoughts - give yourself some grace. It will take time to release old habits and build new ones. Through consistent practice over time you will fidget less, you will be able to drop in and quiet your mind more easily.
It's a process. Take your time.
With love,
Kai
