Meditation 101

The thing about meditation is… you become more and more you.

David Lynch

Over the last couple of years, meditation has become a lot more mainstream. Previously a technique you just heard about monks practicing- it’s recently worked its way into sports psychology, career coaching, and everything in between. Meditating has been scientifically proven to promote emotional and physical health, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance self-awareness, help with pain management, improve sleep, and improve attention and focus. The effects can be felt in as little as 5 minutes of practice each day. This may sound like an infomercial you’d see at 3 am for a magical pill that solves all your problems, but this really does work.

Many of you may think the goal of meditation is to develop an utterly empty and transcendent mind. This is the same misconception that I had myself. The purpose of this practice is not to stop your mind from thinking or wandering, although this is a side effect. Rather, when your mind drifts from your point of focus whether it’s a candle, your breathing, or a feeling/sensation in the body, you simply notice that it has strayed and without judgment bring it back to your focal point.

Let me say that again: the point of meditation is to bring your attention back, again and again and again, when it wanders. It is not to expect your mind to instantly hold its focus on one thing the entire time, though with practice you’ll see that you will be able to stay centered longer and longer.

Here is an overview view of some basic techniques as well as some of my favorites to practice:

1) Focusing on Your Breath:

This is one of the most common meditation techniques and is easy to practice in any situation you’re in. Take a seat on a chair or cushion with your back straight. Feel as if there is a string attached to the top of your head gently liting you up. Rest your hands on your knees or gently in your lap. You can either close your eyes or keep them open and focus on a point a few feet in front of you. Take a few deep breaths, expanding your stomach with each one rather than breathing into your chest. Feel yourself relax with each breath. Now with each in-breath count 1 and with each out-breath count 2. Once you reach 10, begin again at 1 with your next breath. Your mind way wander but work to bring it back to the count without judgment, starting at 1 each time it does. Start by doing this for 5 minutes and with time you can expand this to 10, 15, or even 30 minutes. You can also take a few centering breaths throughout the day whenever you feel tense.

2) Body Scan:

This technique is exactly what it sounds like. Take a seat with your eyes closed again as I discussed in the last paragraph or you can do this lying down. You’ll start with the top of your head and slowly work your way down. The first time you do this, don’t worry about relaxing any tension, simply pay attention to the sensations you feel. Bring attention to your scalp, is it dull or throbbing? Do you have a headache or is it calm and relaxed? Feel the muscles in your face and jaw, an area we commonly hold a lot of stress. Is it tight or loose? Tense or relaxed? Work your way down your neck and shoulders asking these same questions. As you keep working lower down your arms, chest, and abdomen there might be areas that you don’t feel yet but with practice, you will. Continue down to your thighs, calves, and feet. With each area, spend at least a few moments feeling into any sensations.

Now as you go through your body a second time, pause in any areas that you find tension. Just bringing your attention to them may already have released some stress but if not, simply breathe into them. Feel as though you are breathing in and out of that part of your body. With practice, you’ll be able to notice these areas and work out the tension in a matter of moments.

3) Walking Meditation:

This is one of my favorites as I’m someone who likes to move. This is also a great technique to try if you have a lot of energy and sitting is too difficult. Start by walking slowly, or as my sister described me when I do this, “Imagine you’re 107 years old, now walk even slower.” The slower you walk, the more sensations you’ll likely feel. Again, feel as if there is a string attached to the top of your head, lifting it gently into a perfect posture. The point of this meditation will be to focus your attention on specific senses of the body, enhancing their abilities and helping you appreciate your surroundings even more

Begin by paying attention to your lower body and the movement of your muscles and joints. Is there any tension or pain? What areas are relaxed and feel like they move on their own? Try to feel all 10 of your toes. Then shift your attention to the subtle movements in your lower body like your weight shifting between your feet or the sway of your hips. Now expand your attention to your entire body. Feel the motion of your arms and chest as well as any other sensations you may have.

After a few minutes of that, shift your attention to the sounds you hear. Listen to the symphony of noise happening around you: the crunch of leaves beneath your feet, cars whooshing by, a siren in the distance, birds chirping, leaves above you rustling in the wind. Paint a picture of your surroundings using only your ears. You’ll soon begin to hear noises that you may not have before.

Then once again shift your attention, this time to your sight. What colors do you see around you? Are they bright or dull? What buildings, nature, or shapes do you see? Notice the people, animals or cars passing by you. What emotions are they showing? Appreciate all that you see.

Now take a moment to notice tactile sensations. Is the ground hard or soft beneath your feet? Are your clothes comfortable? Is the sun hitting your face or is there a cold breeze brushing against it?

Finally, focus your attention on all of these sensations. As you do, certain ones may pop out at you more. If you see something that grabs your attention, quietly in your mind say “seeing… seeing… seeing” or if it is something you hear say “hearing… hearing… hearing.” You’ll notice one sense may be stronger than the others. At the end of this practice, feel extreme gratitude for the great fortune you have to be able to experience these senses as some are not so lucky.

Overall, some of these meditation practices will be more powerful to you than others and sometimes it may depend entirely on the situation/mood you’re in. Again, the main point of all of this is to bring your attention back to whatever point of focus you’ve decided on and when it wanders, bring it right back without judgment. There is no end goal of this. It is simply a practice like brushing your teeth or getting dressed only this will allow you to live life in the present moment with far more love and appreciation for what is happening in it no matter if it is good or bad. The days it feels toughest are the days you should practice the most and soon your mindfulness and presence in those moments will become more consistent. Keep working at it and most importantly, enjoy the process. You only get one chance at this life so why not live it to the fullest!