Top 3 Meditation Tips If You’re New to Meditation

Are you new to meditation? If so, perhaps you’re looking for meditation tips because you can’t find a good jumping-off point. As meditation’s slowly lost the stigma as an "out-there" practice for hippies and religious devotees, meditation's benefits have been studied and touted as important for mental health self-care. Perhaps you’ve become aware of these benefits of meditation, but feel frustrated after trying it a few times. These three meditation tips will help get you off to a great start. 

Meditation Tip #1: Sitting Isn’t Required

Those new to meditation sometimes feel overwhelmed by the thought of sitting in one position for a long period of time (or even a few short minutes). Popular media has represented meditation in only one form: seated meditation. However, dozens of other positions allow for meditation with the same benefits. Doing what works for your body is important because if you start in a painful body position, your mind will have to work much harder to relax, and you won’t enjoy meditation. 

Meditation Tip #2: Stillness Isn’t Required

If meditation is new for you, sitting still might be a daunting idea. However, still meditations are only one type. Try out a moving meditation. You can take a walk through your neighborhood and focus on your breath: breathe in for four steps, out for four steps. Yoga is also a moving meditation, with a focus on linking breath to movement, generally ending in a still meditation lying on your back.

Meditation Tip #3: Don’t Compare Yourself

I’ve learned that almost nobody is good at meditation. Some people may be more practiced and able to meditate for long periods of time, but even those people often find meditation challenging. Its benefits are worth that struggle, certainly, but controlling the mind is a daunting task. Comparing how long you can meditate for, whether you are able to use the same posture as another practitioner, or any other facets of your meditation practice can lead you to frustration.

Instead, take a personalized view: what are your meditation goals? What benefits are you seeking? Then, try various styles of meditation until you find one or two that work for you. See if you prefer guided meditation or silent, moving or still, seated or prone (or any other position), group experiences or solo meditation. 

Note that even comparing yourself to a past meditation day can be harmful; perhaps your first few days went well, but today has been a struggle. That doesn’t mean your meditation practice is going backward. Meditation isn’t a linear progression; that’s why it’s called a practice. Give yourself space to learn and space to fail on your way to finding the right type of meditation for you. Instead of looking for progress, look for small incremental changes in your daily life and your comfort level when approaching meditation. Soon, you won’t be new to meditation at all, and you’ll be the one providing meditation tips to others.