How To Meditate ?

How to meditate is something that many people wonder about. People who read about meditation and meditation techniques and the benefits that many people take from it and they want to do it for themselves. Now there is a small gap between wanting to do something and being able to do something, which brings us back to our question how to meditate? How do I really do meditation? What are the different steps?

Lets take a look in greater depth about this question. The first thing that you will need is the reason, a goal, why do you want to do meditation? What is your reason for taking up meditation? Why do you really want to meditate? This is very important because your motivation, your reasoning will push you forward and help you in getting the discipline right. Because to do meditation takes discipline. You can not get results without having discipline.

So why do you want to meditate? What is your goal for your meditation? Do you just want to relax a little bit after work? Do you have some issues in your life that you want to get resolved? Do you just want to get some relief from stress? Are you really interested in meditation and spirituality in general? Really look in to your reasons as to why you want to do meditation and look in to your goals for your meditation. Because that should really be the foundation. Once you have the foundation right, you can go out and look for the best meditation technique or course for you. This will give you the motivation to build a discipline to have some good meditation.

How do you start to meditate? First of all your need a quiet and relaxing environment. So make sure that you turn off your mobile, turn off the T.V, make sure there is no disturbances when you do your meditation. Set aside some time for yourself and stick to it and make sure that other people that might live with you also know and respect us and go and take on a comfortable position. This might be either sitting on the chair, sitting on the floor, or even walking around. You might want to have some back ground music or you might prefer to have just silence.

There are different ways to meditate, and you really need to find out which one is the best for you. Some people meditate by using their breath. This would mean to follow your breath, to have a certain breath technique and really use the breath as a means to do your meditation. It is said that most universal mind fullness meditation technique is the breath. Using the breath meditation technique means to focus on your breath and to control your breath.

Another meditation technique is to focus on an object or an icon. Here you allow your mind to rest gently on an object or an icon. This could be spirituality based or religion based. For example if you come from a Christian back ground, this might be an image of Christ or The Virgin Mary. If you are a Buddhist this could be an image of Buddha, for example. This could also be a picture of a guru or a general spiritual object. You would then focus on that object or icon to get yourself in to a status of meditation.

You can also use a mantra. A Mantra literally means that which protects the mind. So reciting a mantra protects you with spiritual power. It is also said that when you chant a mantra or repeat a mantra you are charging your breath and energy with the energy of the mantra. Again choosing something which has a meaning for you in a spiritual tradition or religious tradition will help you greatly in your meditation. A mantra can be given to you by a Guru or you can take it from a certain spiritual discipline. This could be either reciting a rosary or reciting for example a Tibetan Buddhist mantra. Recite the mantra quietly to yourself with deep concentration and attention. And let your breath to Mantra and your own awareness becomes slowly one.

You can also use a guided meditation. This is a very powerful technique that focuses and directs your mind using your imagination or a story. This is a great way to focus your mind and change the state of your mind. Guided meditations are used a lot in meditation techniques. Some people like to hear a story, some people like to use their own imagination.
What ever kind of meditation you use please be aware that the benefits of meditation can be very subtle. Some times you only feel the real benefit of the meditation after the meditation or later throughout the day.

Here is an example of a guided meditation :

Breathing in I know I am breathing in.
Breathing out I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in my breath goes deeper and deeper.
Breathing out my breath goes slowly.
As I breathe in I am aware of my body, I am aware of my surroundings.
As I breathe out I relax my body more and more.
As I breathe in I calm my body down.
As I breathe in I let go of all my concerns, all my problems. I feel and letting go of many of my problems in my daily situations and as I do so I feel more and more relaxed, more and more calm. I keep enjoying this feeling of calmness and freedom in my mind for a few minutes.
As I breathe in I feel this spiritual power and calmness entering my body. And as I breathe out I feel pressure leaving my body.
Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out slowly and gently I return to the awareness of my body feeling totally refreshed, totally calm.

Practice this guided meditation twice a day or from time to time when you want. It is a great way to relax your body, to take your mind off things and to really enjoy your meditation.