How to Meditate Mindfulness

In a world of distractions and haste, it is challenging for anyone to be adequately mindful. Mindfulness is one of the keys to success, whether you are aspiring for professional excellence or inner peace. The more rushed you are in your approaches, the more you live in relentless pursuit of anything material or elusive, the more unaware you are of your innate self and the surroundings, the more challenging it would be for you to meditate to hone mindfulness.

Meditation can benefit any and sundry. It doesn’t matter how old you are, what you do, what kind of lifestyle you lead and what kind of personality you have. Meditation is for everyone. And the best part is you don’t need many things to start. Meditation has several benefits and one of them is increased mindfulness. Let us explore how you can begin to meditate to hone mindfulness.

A Stepwise Guide

• Read as much as you can about meditation. Get books authored by credible experts. Get audio books or videos. You may not want to delve into the details of meditation at great length but it has never harmed anyone to know a bit more than what is needed.

• Now, to begin meditation you would have to start with a place. You can choose a park, the living room or a yoga studio if you want. It doesn’t matter which place you choose, what matters is if it is appropriate for meditation and if you are comfortable. You can meditate in your living room provided it is calm, doesn’t have any distractions and is comfortable for you. Normally, it is recommended that you pick a place that has adequate ventilation.

• You must improve your posture. There are many guides to learn the correct posture. It is not the same for everyone. You may be very comfortable in a cross legged position. Someone may be comfortable with legs tucked beneath the thighs and hips. Choose a posture that you are most comfortable with and don’t bend your back. You must be upright, face forward, eyes slightly downward but chin up and chest should be as broadened as possible. Choose a mat or a bench that you would be comfortable with. Comfort is the key here. If you are fidgety, you cannot meditate. You may also consider walking meditation. It works well for many.

• Once you are in the posture at your chosen place, start to breathe normally and focus on every breath. Steer your mind to focus on the inhaled air and the gush of exhaled air. Feel this in your nose, respiratory tracts or in your lungs. Focus on the chest being puffed up if you want. But you should focus on some part of this breathing or the entire breathing cycle and nothing else. Switch off your mind from everything else in the world. In a few minutes, which could be seconds for some, you will feel calm, relaxed and you will have a strange but pleasant sensation in your entire body.

• Meditate every day for at least ten minutes. Ideally, it should be half an hour. Meditation is a great way to unwind, relax and reduce stress. It calms your mind, reduces your blood pressure and can also regulate any pain that you may have. But at the least you would experience enhanced mindfulness. You should ensure that you are by yourself during meditation. If you are in a studio and meditating with others, make sure no one distracts you. Do not meditate with anyone who is not meditating along with you or with equal dedication. Interference, intervention and distraction will not work for you.

• Distraction is of some help, however, when you have mastered meditation to an extent. When you can easily switch to your meditate state, which is usually after months of practice, you would not be distracted by ambient sound or any kind of human, natural and artificial interferences. But when you get started, such elements will affect your mindfulness.

The Key to Success

Mindfulness is not an inward process. It is an outward process. You do not shut off the entire world and then try to enhance your consciousness. You start inside, you begin to feel your being and different senses, how and what you feel, including your emotions. Once you are fully mindful of your innate self and being in the present, you will naturally be shut off from the worldly distractions. If you take a contrary approach, of trying to shut off the world and then trying to look inward, you would invariably fail. Let your consciousness and subconscious allow you to focus on yourself instead of prioritizing what is out there or around you. This simple approach will help you to succeed at meditating to enhance mindfulness.