6 Tips for Getting Started with Meditation

I recently shared a bit about my meditation journey. Nine months later, meditation is still part of my morning routine! Having recently established this daily practice for myself, I remember what it’s like to be a beginner. It can be overwhelming, even frustrating, so I’ve rounded up some tips and tricks that have helped me to grow and sustain this practice. 
 
Today is also World Mental Health Day. Among many other practices and services – like therapy, time spent in nature, movement, and aromatherapy – meditation plays a big role in how I care for my mental health. I hope you’ll consider these practices too! 
 
Here’s how to get started with a daily meditation practice:  

1. Make time and space for your meditation practice. Prioritize this time for yourself. Set boundaries around this time for yourself. It might help to establish a consistent time of day for your meditation practice so that it becomes routine. A ritual, if you so choose. Find a physical spot in which you can sit comfortably. Quietly. Keep it clean and tidy and avoid doing other activities in this space, if you can.  
2. Start small. Set a timer for 3 minutes and sit quietly. The next day, try 4 minutes, then 5 minutes, and so on. Simply notice your breath during these few minutes. If your mind begins to wander, listen for your next breath. And the one after that. And again. You might eventually add pranayama, or intentional breathwork. You might also add mantra, or the repetition of a word or phrase. Whatever you do, start small. Do what works for you, when it works for you.
3. It’s not going to be perfect, so give yourself grace. Some days (most days, really), it’s hard to meditate. Your thoughts drift or spiral or bounce around. Your legs fall asleep. You get an itch. Some days, you feel like you spend more time bringing yourself back to the practice than you did actually in the practice. It’s okay. You’re a human with a brain that is literally wired to produce thoughts and impressions. Return to your breath or mantra. Adjust your seat. Scratch that itch. And begin again.
4. Use the technology you have available to you. It might seem counterintuitive to be plugged in to technology during meditation, but hear me out. Iyengar says the yogi uses all of the resources available to them. You might: Use your preferred music app to stream a guided meditation or play ambient music. My favorite guided meditations on Spotify are offered for free by Tara Brach, and I love Sol Rising’s The Ambient Tapes. Subscribe to a service like Yoga Glo and practice with an experienced teacher. There a plenty of other apps out there, such as Headspace and Calm, but I have the most experience with Yoga Glo. You can also track this activity in your health tracker. 
5. Check your local studio’s offerings. Most of this has been about a home meditation practice, but you might find that being in a studio setting is more conducive to this kind of work. Especially if you’re already practicing asana, or physical postures, check the studio’s schedule for meditation.
6. Get creative. There are lots of different types of meditation practices out there, so you’ll have to experiment and decide what is best for you. That said, you don’t have to sit on a meditation cushion in order to meditate. You can lie down. You can sit at a table to draw or color or make something with your hands. You can go for a solitary walk or hike. You can meditate while you’re doing the dishes or preparing food. If you’re doing it mindfully and with intention, if it’s repetitious or rhythmic, and if it allows you to breathe fully, then it’s yoga practice. 

 
I hope these tips help you to get started (or start again) with your meditation practice. Let me know how it goes for you!