Simple Meditation Techniques for Beginners
One Breath
Experience your natural in-breath and out-breath just once.
Trying Again
If you can practice One Breath. Then try it again for a richer or deeper experience.
Note:
- If experiencing your breath is difficult, you may mentally say “breathing in” and “breathing out.” while experiencing breathing. Learn more: Training Wheels
- For a richer experience, maintain unbroken continuous breathing experience from the beginning of inhalation and the end of exhalation. (It is like connecting two dots, which are the beginning and the end.)
General Guideline for Beginners
- Posture: Sit tall and balanced so that your body becomes relaxed and pleasant on its own.
- Breath: Let your body breathe naturally without forcing it.
- Group: Practice with a group in addition to practicing alone.
- Review: writing down or sharing your practice experience with others. (e.g. how you did and what you learned.)
- Multiple Short Sessions: If you can not meditate for long, do a short session multiple times instead.
- Intention: know your motivation for meditation and set your intention to meditate just before meditation.
Common Mistakes
Practice incorrectly. Doing instead of being (reacting instead of responding), e.g. thinking about breath rather than being aware of it; trying to stop thoughts or to block sounds instead of being aware of them. No daily practice, unaware of obstacles, unrealistic expectations, forcing breath, just imagining, just trying to feel good, incorrect posture, having no purpose (not knowing why meditating), having no mentor or guiding teacher, making no progress, learning nothing new from meditation.