Meditation isn’t usually as simple as closing your eyes, clearing your mind and then basking in the silence for several minutes. If only it was, right? It’s only natural that you go to sit with your eyes closed and those pesky thoughts start to put in, and out of your mind and before long you’re caught up with whether you’re answered your emails, what you’re having for dinner and what’s on TV.
This can be frustrating, to say the least. However, while it takes practice to get in touch with meditation and to find your focus, there are several things you can do in the meantime to help you relax and stop getting stressed out with your practices, ensuring that it remains a beneficial thing to do.
#1 – Have No Expectations
If you’re a beginner or have been practising for a short amount of time, it’s easy to build up expectations of what mediation is going to be like. For example, you might feel like as soon as you close your eyes, your mind is going to go blank and you’ll be thinking of nothing.
However, when this doesn’t happen, this is where the frustrations start. Remember, mediation is not about trying to take control or master your mind. Instead, it’s coming into the present moment to realise how your mind and body work. If you’re meditating and your mind bursts into thought, this is what you’re focusing on, so you’re giving yourself the time to acknowledge these thoughts and accept them.
Have no expectations
#2 – Shorten Your Practices
You might have read somewhere online, or have been told, that the longer you meditate, the more benefits you’ll get from it. From personal experience, this is true. However, if you’re getting frustrated with your practice and thinking ‘yes, I need to be meditating half an hour every day’, this is only going to make you frustrated.
You can still feel the benefits from a ten-minute session a five-minute session, even a one-minute session. Only mediate for the time that you feel comfortable meditating for.
#3 – It’s All in the Breathing
The breathing aspect of your meditation practice is by far the most important. It’s the tool that keeps you alive, and it can work as an anchor for your mind into the present moment. Use every single inhale and exhale as a tool to focus your mind and to keep you calm and relaxed.
If you start feeling stressed out or frustrated, take a nice long deep breath and keep going until you feel calm again. If you feel like you’re forcing it, just try again later in the day!
#4 – Try Group Sessions
Mediation is a very personal thing but trying to form the habit and keep up with your practices on your own can be a struggle, especially if you’re new to the whole concept. Luckily, there are group sessions available in gyms and classes all over the world, and there’s bound to be one in your local area.
If you’re having trouble with yourself, attending one of these group sessions where you can connect with others and ask questions to an experienced meditator may provide all the help you need.
#5 – Try Meditation Walking
If sitting still in silence isn’t your thing, and you find you’re finding that you’re restless and can’t concentrate, it’s always worth remembering that you don’t have to. You could instead try meditation walking.
This is where you simply take yourself on a walk, preferably out in a quiet and natural setting, where you can leave your devices and gadgets at home and just be alone with yourself for a while. Even finding your present moment anchor in the rhythm and sounds of your feet could be all you need.