Meditation for beginners: How can you start and stick to it?

We’ve all heard so much about the wonderful benefits of meditation. Since most symptoms and disease have some roots in our nervous system and how resilient we are to stress, meditation offers immense power in supporting our overall healing journey.

In this deep dive article, we will go through why we might need meditation, what are the special considerations we should have when we start our meditation practice, and how can we begin with a structure if we are new to meditation.

Why do we need to have a meditation practice?

In the beginning, meditation can be an external practice, as even sitting still can be very difficult if the mind is restless. I often hear from someone that they are not the meditating kind and that they cannot sit still. If you are new to meditation, you might feel this way as well. This is fine. However, this does tell you that you need to start and build a meditation practice. If our mind were calm through all our stressors, we might not even need a meditation practice.

My suggestion is to not do too much. Often, many give up their enthusiastic start of a meditation prac-tice as they begin by trying too many techniques or for sitting for quite long. If you can begin to prac-tice, even just sitting still for 5 minutes a day, it can be a great start. Just sitting still with the eyes closed for 5 minutes can help you to move from rajas, the restless energy that is a part of modern day, to sattva, the energy of balance and purity.

Even that 5 minutes will yield results gradually. As sattva, or inner balance increases, your own spirit will ask for longer and deeper practices. Cultivation of sattva supports all levels of healing, including body and mind. You might see the benefits of meditation as improved clarity, better energy, better resilience to stress, or improvement in physiological symptoms. These will motivate you to do more.

What are the special considerations before we begin a meditation practice?

It is ideal if we create a space and atmosphere that helps us build our meditation practice. Having a specific space is a great way to encourage the mind to be regular. Being regular with time is also of im-portance. Here are some ways to do this.

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1. Have a space in your home that is draft free and feels safe. While being outdoors can seem nice for a meditation practice, if there is a draft, it will be disturbing for a beginner. Air is related to vata dosha, whose element is air and space. Vata gets aggravated in a space where there is air and wind, and one of the purposes of meditation is to calm down the nervous system, which is all to do with calming vata.

2. Choose a spot which is not used for anything else. If the space you choose is used for restless ac-tivities, the energy that it holds will be one of activity. By keeping the space exclusively for prayer or meditation, we keep reminding the mind that it is a space related to calmness.

3. Have a meditation mat so that the floor is not cold to sit on. Vata has a quality of being cold, and to counter it, we need warmth.

4. Have a cushion or a prop such as a yoga brick, so that you can elevate the hip slightly above the level of the knees. This takes pressure off the spine and increases comfort. If you need a back rest, you can stay close to the wall and hold your spine erect.

5. Do not be averse to using props so that you are comfortable. You might hear from someone that meditation is about sitting erect on your own, in a perfect posture. I came across a woman who had been told this, and was forcing herself into a lotus pose, feeling pain in her knees through-out her meditation practice, and injuring her knees in the process. It is unnecessary to hurt yourself this way. Being so averse to using something that improves your experience is linked to ahamkara, or ego.

How can you start a good meditation practice?

When you begin your practice, think about a time when all was well with you. Recall that feeling of purity and sweetness, and this will be helpful in keeping your practice going. There are many techniques to begin, and these include focusing on the breath, watching thoughts, working with a mantra, having a prayer or visualising images. It is ideal that you do not keep varying them. This is akin to start-ing a new well every day. Choose one which feels comfortable to you and stay with it so that you can dive deeper over time. By using any one of these, we can train our mind to come to a focused point. I will take you through one simple way to start.

1. Use an essential oil or incense that connect with your divine side. The aroma you choose should also stay constant, so that it trains your mind to expect your meditation. The reason we use the sense of smell is to connect with the limbic brain through the olfactory nerve, and this helps us to calm down an overactivated stress response.

2. Close your eyes and sit with your spine comfortably erect. Give yourself a minute to make your-self comfortable all over, and observe your breath.

3. Your breathing might be rapid to start with. Remind yourself that the key to calming down the overactive nervous system is to have your exhalation as close to double the time of your inhala-tion. This is the physiological sign of improved resilience. Do not get stressed if your breath is short. It will improve over time.

4. Feel yourself chanting a mantra within your mind, in sync with your breath. The universal man-tra used alongside the breath is So Hum. Feel yourself chanting So very slowly as you inhale, and feeling as if you are taking in the universal energy. Feel yourself chanting Hum with the exhale, as if you are letting go of negative emotions or the ego. Do this for 5 minutes. Notice your breath slowing down.

5. When you feel you need to move, give yourself a moment to take a relaxed breath, gently cup your palms over your eyes, and slowly open your eyes.

If you find that you can only do 5 minutes a day, commit to the 5 minutes for the next 40 days. Be regu-lar in timing and observe how you feel at the end of the 40 days. If you feel that your spirit is calling for more at the end of the 40 days, increase your time. It is always better to gradually increase time and be consistent with the same time, rather than being overenthusiastic on one day and not practicing the next. You’ll be quite surprised how you transform in body and mind when you build meditation into your life!