how to meditate

There are SO many ways to meditate! After my cancer surgery, I was in an unbelievable amount of pain. I thought some books or movies would help "distract" me during this time, but I couldn't concentrate on anything. I couldn't read or even watch TV. Not only did it not help, it really irritated me. The only thing I could do was ZenTangle drawings...which is another form of meditation. (I'll cover that in another post)

About a week before surgery, I downloaded an app on my phone with a few guided meditations. At night in my hospital bed, I would put in my earbuds and listen. It did help me to relax, but I wasn't getting the full benefits because I kept thinking "this is so weird." For some reason, I was really self conscious trying to relax while someone was talking in my ear...as if they could see me, or anyone else knew what I was doing... Plus I was on heavy pain meds and didn't know what I was doing. When I came home and was alone, I was really able to relax while listening, which in turn, made me feel much better. I do wish I would have started practicing a few months BEFORE surgery.

So, if you do, for example, a Pinterest search on meditation, you will find so much info it will make your head spin! Some of it will make you think you have fallen into the realm of hippies, ... just like music, it covers a broad spectrum;-)

There are MANY ways to meditate. Mindfulness meditation, which can be done while walking or doing tasks, Guided meditation or visualization, Mantra meditation, which uses words or phrases, and many more. Yoga is also a form of meditation.
Here is something that you can try right away.  First get comfortable. You will see that many meditation instruction tells you to sit cross legged, kneel or sit in a chair with a straight back and your feet on the ground. I often kneel with a yoga block under my bottom, but that was super hard for me at first, so I started (and sometimes still do) lean back in my recliner, and that's just fine. You can even do it in bed.

Now that you're comfortable, start by closing your eyes, then concentrate on your breath. Feel it going in and out. Feel how it makes your stomach rise and fall. Notice as it becomes slower and more even. Release all the tension in your body from head to toe. One guided meditation I listened to said to imagine your body melting like wax, which really helped to release extra tension. You will have thoughts come and go, but don't try to fight them. Just let them pass by. I like to imagine them as clouds that kind of dissolve as they go by.

Too many people stress because they think they can't clear their mind, don't worry about it, that's why they call it "practice" I can't believe how much easier it is for me now than it was when I started nearly 6 months ago. If your mind wanders, just go back to your breath. Sometimes, I like to silently say a "mantra" to myself like "peace" as I breath in, and "love" as I breath out, or "Peace, be still" It could be part of a short scripture, or just "in" and "out." That way, your mind is on the thing you're doing/saying at that moment and not the dishes sitting in the sink or your job.  It might be good to set a timer starting with 5 or 10 minutes...unless it's bedtime and you want to go to sleep;-)

It's also nice to start with guided meditation, because you can just relax and let the person talking guide you through breathing, relaxing and positive visualization. Remember, your brain is very powerful. When you clear it of the unimportant stuff, your imagination can create energy that can do amazing things for both your mind and body. When your mind is stressed, your body suffers!

Here are some good places to visit for more info.
This one is an article with some great information on what's going on in your brain during meditation as well as some useful links.
Here's a guided meditation called "Healing begins in the mind" I quite like her voice and visualizations.

Some of the apps I've used are "Stop breathe and think" which is the one I used in the hospital, and "Insight Timer" here, you can choose from tons of guided meditations based on time, type and star rating.
Headspace is an app for beginners that starts with a fun animation on how to meditate, and 10 short guided meditations.
I hope these help to start you on your way.