Short Guide to Meditation

First of all, why would you want to practice meditation?

Well, there are plenty of benefits. The most important ones are quieting the mind, increasing your focus by controlling scattered thoughts and learning to be in the moment and fully appreciate the NOW. Many of us mentally live in the past or worry about the future and constantly imagine situations that never really occur. All of this wastes our physical energy, makes us more easily tired and stressed out. This is why we should all try to spend at least 5 minutes a day meditating. 15 minutes would be even better :)

When is the best time to meditate?

Early in the morning, immediatelly after waking up, or in the evening before sleep. The darker the room you are in, the easier it is to focus and not get distracted. But really, whenever you get a chance to be alone and close your eyes is good enough. You can even do it while travelling on a bus.

What position should I be in?

Usually people meditate in a crosslegged position on a small cushion, but if your hips don't allow it, you can sit on your heels or in a chair. It is important to keep your spine straight and shoulders relaxed. The hands can be clasped together in your lap or rested on the knees.

So how exactly do I meditate?

First of all, ditch all the expectations of any possible result you may want to achieve. There is no goal. It is the art of observing. You start out by completely relaxing the body, that is your first focus. When the body is comfortable and relaxed, put your focus on one thing, usually your breath. Observe your inhales and exhales, and observe any thoughts that may come in without really registering them, just let them go. Don't attach yourself to thoughts, act as if you are observing a screen of images that are constantly changing, or imagine a surface of water where every thought makes a ripple, and you want to keep it as still as possible.
Besides breath, you can focus on heartbeat, third eye, sounds, emptiness, chakras, etc. But choose one thing only for your current meditation. Don't shift your focus from one thing to the next, if you chose breath, than do just that and don't suddenly shift to listening to heartbeat.
Oftentimes it can be difficult to meditate, but just trying to do it already brings you benefits. Soon you will learn to catch your thoughts quicker in the outside world and not react too quickly to certain situations you may find yourself in.
You may even get a mystical experience of Samadhi, in which you experience union with Everything.

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