4 meditation tips for beginners from the experts
Meditation is a simple mindful practice that can reduce stress levels, improve sleep quality and help a person find more joy in life. There are many different types of meditation but essentially they all involve focusing on the breath to bring the body into a state of relaxation while bringing the mind into the present moment.
We spoke to meditation experts Charlotte Collins of X-Hail and Beeja Meditation founder Will Williams to bring you their top meditation tips for beginners.
Build meditation into your routine
To be able to maintain a regular meditation practice, it's important to make it easy for yourself by building it into your daily routine.
"Make it a part of the life you already have," Charlotte told us. The meditation teacher and mum often finds herself meditating in the evening while she's waiting for her young son to fall asleep, or parked in the car if she has arrived early for an appointment.
"People don't need to know you're meditating either," Charlotte said: "You can just have your headphones in or just be looking down. If you don't want to close your eyes you don't have to, you can just look at a point on the floor. Build meditation into the life you've already got, find those moments where there's space for it."
Will always recommends meditating before your day normally starts and, if possible, advises avoiding using your phone before you meditate, even if it's just for a short practice.
Start with a few minutes of your chosen meditation practice, whether that be a guided meditation or a walking meditation, and build up the length of your practice as you wish.
Try an afternoon practice
When you feel yourself slumping at around 3.30pm in the afternoon, both Charlotte and Will suggested trying an afternoon meditation for a natural boost of energy, instead of your usual coffee and a snack.
"Rather than turning to a caffeine or sugar hit in the afternoon slump, see if you can resort to a meditation hit instead. You'll be amazed, it will put you back in the game... and you won't get that sugar or caffeine crash two hours later," Will said.
Will explained most people have a certain level of adrenal fatigue, where things like stress can cause our adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol.
"The way we compensate for this is by turning to caffeinated products to boost our energy... but that's not a very sustainable approach and will ultimately end in burnout," Will said.
Instead, Will and Charlotte both suggest swapping your afternoon coffee for a short meditation practice to reset and refresh the mind for the rest of the day.
Explore different methods
When you first start meditation and throughout your meditation journey, it's important to enjoy your practice and explore different techniques to find which one you like the most.
At X-Hail Charlotte uses acoustic chart music during meditation to make her students more comfortable and help them relax quicker, while Will teaches a mantra-based meditation practice to his students.
You might find you enjoy guided meditations most or maybe you'll end up loving meditating alone to some calming music. There's no right or wrong way to practice, so have fun with it.
Move your body
Incorporating movement into your practice, or moving your body before you meditate can really help to deepen your meditation experience.
"It only takes three really deep breathes to switch your body's relaxation response on (the response that neutralises the fight or flight response), so to do that you've got to breath through your nose, allowing your stomach to expand, dropping the diaphragm down, pulling more oxygen into the lungs and then you release that breath slow and steady through the mouth for as long as you can, aiming to exhale for twice as long as the inhale. This will make your meditation practice much easier and deeper," Charlotte instructed.
Charlotte also told us it's important to move the body before meditation. "If you're sat at your desk you can stand up and have a little stretch or move your head side to side. This movement can really help you get into the right headspace to do meditation because the tension in the body is always reflected in the mind."
Remember, meditation is all about being kind to yourself and you will never be able to switch off your mind completely. The first step to quietening the chatter of your mind is to notice your thoughts during practice and then return to focusing on your breath. You can think of your thoughts like clouds passing through the sky, let them come and go, and then return to your breath.
"It's ok, you're human," Charlotte told us: "Meditation is a journey, you're going to travel backward and forward with your focus during practice, and your thoughts are always going to exist."
Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
In need of some positivity or not able to make it to the shops? Enjoy Good Housekeeping delivered directly to your door every month! Subscribe to Good Housekeeping magazine now.
You Might Also Like
