How to Meditate

​Meditation can be done in many ways; it doesn’t need to be on a mountaintop in solitude with nothing but you and the mountain air. That would be lovely, but very impractical for most of us who have to live in modern society. The main points of mediation is to empty your mind which will decrease stress, open your mind to infinite possibilities, and allow you to be a more patient and understanding human. Of course there are different degrees of consciousness amoung humans and meditation looks different for everyone, but the thing to remember is to start somewhere. Do what feels good to you and something that’s easily obtainable everyday. What ever you choose to do, ensure that you are taking time for yourself that is uninterrupted so you can be fully present with yourself – your thoughts, your feelings, and your pain, feel gravity on your physical body.

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Meditation is the art of mindfulness, in the absence of mindlessness. Mindlessness is something we do daily when going through the motions of our daily routine. Mindfulness is embracing the current moment fully and living in every second of it, not letting the mind wander and allowing autopilot to take over. At certain times in our lives mediation might be the last thing we want to do or think we need but those are the times we need it the most. The times we are already stressed, short for time, or the days where we already feel mentally stable - they are all equally perfect for meditation. Find ways to commit to your meditation practice by perhaps making a deal that you can’t eat supper till you have meditated, what ever it is that will get it done, make YOU a priority. The times when we are sad it is so important to look within ourselves to see what is really going on, or even just giving ourselves the space to get a little emotional. The happy days are just as essential as your meditation could bring spectacular thoughts or some awesome ideas. At another time I will write about mediation and the benefits in detail, but for now I will provide some ways you can get started so you can find out the benefits for yourself. I encourage everyone to meditate every day, even for 5 minutes, with the below techniques it is so easy to fit it into a busy day.

Below I have listed some ways that I have incorporated meditation into my daily life. When meditating in any way it is likely your brain will wonder and all of a sudden you realize you have been carried off into a thought spiral, which may bring you to think about 1000 things. Don’t judge yourself, observe the thoughts and let them float by as bring your awareness to your breath, or in some cases back to what you are doing (mindfulness). If something comes up that I need to remember to do, I ask my guides to remind me once I’m done and I let it float away. It’s the same thing as putting a metaphorical pin in it – pin it on your mental bulletin board for later.

Methods of Mediation

Walking – count your steps up to two. Right foot 1, left foot 2. Or, pay attention to the sensation of walking, from the movement at your ankle to your knee to your hip to the feeling of the ground beneath your feet. Be present with walking.

Driving – focus on driving, nothing else, live completely in what you are doing. Notice the sound of the clicker the speed of the car, the proximity of the people around you. Try not to think about the stories of the people around you just acknowledge that they are there.

Transit – this is something I do quite often, sit preferably in a place where you don’t need to be interrupted and listen to soft wordless music or a guided meditation. It is important that your meditation ends before you need to get off the train or bus so you can gently take yourself out of this state before having to move. Just breathe, let go of the people around you, focus on yourself, how was your day? It’s getting better now because you’re letting it go!

At work – if you can’t get up and go to the bathroom for a private meditation session, you can sit at your desk with your feet flat on the floor and focusing on your breathing. Inhale 1 exhale 2. Again, if you prefer listen to soft music or short guided mediation. You might find this awkward if you sit in a high traffic area, but if you need a minute, take your minute of relaxation, everyone will get over it!

Cleaning – focus on exactly what you are doing, try to bring your wondering mind back to your task. This is mindfulness in its most productive art form.

Sitting meditation on a chair – you can use a mudra (hand placement) or fold your hands in your lap, feet flat on the floor and focus on your breathing. Music optional.

Traditional meditation – seated on the floor, candles lit, stones in hand. This is what we picture when we think of meditation, and you should do this once in a while because it is a ritual, and you deserve to set the mood!

Lying down, even in bed! – focus on your breathing, consciously start at your toes and work your way up your body, unwind your toes, ankles, knees and so forth. Observe how you are feeling. Inhale count 1, exhale count 2.

Working out – mindfulness. Pay attention to your muscles how are they feeling when you are working them. Multitasking!

On the toilet – you have a few minutes, might as well consciously breathe.

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Dancing - put on some soft healing music or music with NICE lyrics and move your body the way it wants to move. Dont' control it just allow it to go back to its tribal state and dance with no judgement. Observe the way you feel on the inside and the way your body is moving. Ahhhhh, beautiful mindfulness.

Get creative and find ways you can mediate! There are unlimited possibilities!

I mix and match these every day and finding the right practice took time. I had to stop listening to people who told me that unless I was meditating properly for at least 20 minutes I was wasting my time. This may hold some truth, but a little quiet time sure beats no quiet time. For most of us some days we may feel more connected than other days. Sometimes we will hit a meditative state in the first 7 minutes, others it take a while. The point is, something is better than nothing and we all have to start somewhere. If you don’t have time to dedicate an hour to mediation a day, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it. Pick an amount of time that works for you. Build from there if you want. This is all about you, your soul chose this life for you, and it knows what kind of pressures you are under. So maybe your soul only needs 5 minutes in the morning to be happier. It’s better than nothing. What I find is that if you start small, you can build yourself up easier, 10 minutes seems like nothing and soon 20 minutes for mediation is standard, but going into a practice brand new and starting at 20 minutes can be daunting. Work your way up if you want, and if you cant, at least you are doing something. For your own wellbeing, spending time in silence can do wonders for you. Give it a try! Let me know!

Peace, light & love!

Xoxo Kate