Starting a Meditation Practice

Ten things to observe before starting 

1. Meditate because you want to out of kindness to yourself.

2. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else. Learn at your own pace. Be patient at first. You wouldn’t go to a gym and expect to get fit after one session.

3. Sit regularly . Once a day for about 20-30 minutes is a good start. Find a quiet comfortable place where you won’t be disturbed. It’s best not to lie down because it’s easy to fall asleep.

Your body can balance effortlessly if you find the sweet spot. Imagine your spine’s like a kid’s building blocks, balancing one on top of the other.

4. Try to sit still. But if you find yourself fidgeting don’t worry about it.

5. Sit without expecting a result. Have an intention if you wish, but not a goal. Just welcome the experience that presents itself.

6. Trust in what you’re doing. Let go of doubt and caution. Surrender to what ever happens.

7. Don’t criticise or beat yourself up if it doesn’t go as you wanted it to.

8. Forgive yourself and the tendency to want to control yourself. It’s just your human experience. There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ sittings. There are quiet sittings and there are active sittings. Allow the restlessness and mind chatter to arise. Observe it, notice the emotion, just as a cloud gently floats across the sky, watch it gently float away. “Control away’ what arises.

9. If you ‘fall off the wagon’ so to speak, it doesn’t matter. You can always start again at any time.

10. Have fun and smile:)

Next – my 9 step mediation process