Simple guide to Meditation

The act of meditating is simply sitting down and being aware of the present moment. It is not getting caught up in the stories of our lives and simply sitting back and watching our thoughts as they pass by. Meditating quiets the mind, but not in the way that you would think. Meditation doesn't involve sitting and thinking about nothing, but merely watching everything LIVE as it happens.

Here is a simple meditation technique.

1. Get a timer

Having a timer allows you to stay calm without worrying how long you have been meditating. The timer on your phone works just fine. Set it to a predetermined amount of time. 10 minutes is a good time to start with, but try to progressively make your sessions longer and longer. I am currently adding 10 minutes to my sessions per month.

2. Environment and how to sit

• Sit in a quiet area, preferably alone.

• It doesn't matter how you sit. I would recommend sitting in a chair to start because it it the easiest position. Then maybe after a couple weeks start sitting cross legged positions, and finally move on to a half or full lotus when you are flexible enough.

• The straighter the spine the better, but one thing that I've learned is that you don't want to be tense when trying to sit with a straight back.

3. Close your eyes and don't move

Close your eyes, and don't put any effort into it. This sounds hard to do, but people try to not think about it while the goal of meditation is to put no effort into doing anything. Don't get caught up in thought or story. Just simply let the thoughts come and go. Analogy: Be an atmosphere, watching the clouds of thought and emotion pass one by one.  This technique is a very simple way to start meditation. It is a great technique to start with and you can do it for however long you want. There are also some more complex methods of meditation. Be aware: Complicating meditation is just your mind procrastinating it, because your mind doesn't want to sit still.

Meditation has countless benefit, some of which I will name below. Just realize that these benefit don't come instantly. Some can take months and years to achieve but they are definitely worth it.

A few Benefits:

• Develop strong emotional control

• Achieve Unconditional happiness

• Overcome negative habits/addictions

• Unhook from stimulation

• Attain creativity and productivity

• Loss of ego and pettiness

• Develop laser like focus

Common Pitfalls:

Pitfall: Thinking that your mind can't focus and you can't meditate well.

Answer: Everyone's mind can focus. Meditation trains your mind to focus so you won't be good at it when you start.

Pitfall: "My mind isn't calm"

Answer: This is just how the mind works. This is why you meditate in the first place. You mind will wander off so don't expect it to be calm and peaceful for the entire amount of time.

Know that your mind is going to chatter/wander and when you refocus it, this is when you gain the most. Everything that happens while meditating, the emotions, thoughts etc., are normal.  Just don't judge yourself because you don't have as much control over your thoughts as you think you do.