How to meditate properly? How to concentrate on breathing? Where do I even start?

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5 Answers

  1. First, you need to choose a time and place for meditation. The body should be relaxed during meditation, so it is necessary to warm up the neck, shoulders, arms, lower back, legs.

    The best time to meditate under modern living conditions is early in the morning.Мед You should meditate daily, preferably at the same time. The duration depends on your level of concentration. For beginners, a 5-10-minute practice is also suitable. Then it takes 30/60 minutes, or even several hours. The environment should be calm to protect the mind from external stimuli. But you should not cover your ears.�

    Choose a comfortable pose. Your back must be straight for proper breathing. It is very important that you feel comfortable during meditation, so try to find the most comfortable position for yourself. Traditionally, meditation is practiced sitting on the floor (mat) in the lotus position, or in the half-lotus position. If your legs, hips, and lower back are not very flexible, then the lotus position can cause your lower back to arch back, making it difficult for your torso to balance. To do this, put a pillow under you and choose a position in which you can easily keep your balance and you are able to sit straight and straight.

    The most basic and versatile meditation technique of all, breathing meditation, is a great way to start practicing. Choose a point above your navel and focus your mind on it. Pay attention to the way your chest rises and falls as you breathe. Don't do any conscious actions to change the pace of your breathing, just breathe freely. If your main problem is the mind, which is constantly distracted during practice, then concentrate on the abdominal area. Observe how it rises and falls, what sensations are present between inhaling and exhaling. Some teachers believe that seeing these very sensations “grounds” your mind. But if your problem is more likely drowsiness, lethargy during practice, then you should concentrate on the sensations in the nostrils.

    In the beginning, you will probably be constantly distracted by thoughts, and this is normal. Your task at this time is to gently shift your attention back.�

    Try to focus only on your breathing. Don't “think” about your breath and don't give it any evaluation (for example, that the last breath was shorter than the previous one, and so on), just try to be “aware” of the breath. When you notice that you have started to think about something, just calmly return your attention to the starting point.

    It is very easy to lose track of time during meditation. So choose a quiet timer to count down the time. If the timer is very sharp, you may be distracted by waiting for the signal.

    Meditation that is practiced for a long time will show excellent results and is worth continuing. Benefits include: increased mindfulness and mindfulness, reduced feelings of stress, a calmer and more relaxed mood, improved memory and concentration, and increased gray matter (brain cells) in different areas of your brain.

  2. There are several basic techniques of meditation

    Concentrate on your breathing. The most basic and versatile meditation technique of all — breathing meditation-is a great place to start. Choose a point above your navel and focus your mind on it. Pay attention to the way your chest rises and falls as you breathe. Don't make a conscious effort to change the pace of your breathing, just breathe freely.

    • Try to focus on the breath and only on it. Don't think about your breath and don't give it any evaluation (for example, that the last breath was shorter than the previous one, and so on), just try to be aware of the breath.

    Use different visual images to focus on your breath. For example, imagine a coin placed above your navel, which rises and falls as you breathe; imagine a buoy floating in the ocean, swaying on the waves according to your breath; imagine a lotus flower located in your stomach, the petals of which open with each of your breaths.

    • Don't worry if your mind starts wandering: you are a beginner, and as with all exercises, success in meditation requires practice. Just try to focus your mind on the breath and stop thinking about everything else.

    Repeat the mantra. Mantra meditation is another popular form of meditation that involves repeating a mantra (sound, word, or phrase) time after time, until you can calm your mind and enter a meditative state. The mantra can be anything of your choice, but it should be easy to remember.

    • Good mantras for beginners include words like “alone”, “peace”,” calm”,” relaxed”,”silence”.
    • If you want to use more traditional mantras, then you can say the word “om”, which symbolizes omnipresent consciousness, or the phrase” sat, chit, ananda”, which means”existence, awareness, blessing”.
    • While meditating, repeat the mantra to yourself over and over again, allowing the word or phrase to enter your mind. Don't worry if your mind gets distracted, just focus again and keep repeating the mantra.
    • When you reach a deeper level of awareness, you may no longer need to repeat the mantra.

    Do you know? In Sanskrit, the word “mantra” means ” instrument of the mind.” A mantra is a tool that creates vibrations in your mind that allow you to disconnect from your thoughts and enter a deeper state of awareness.

    Try to focus on a simple visual object. Like a mantra, you can use a simple visual object to fill your mind with it and achieve deeper awareness. This is a form of open-eye meditation that many find easier.

    • The visual object can be anything. It is especially pleasant to look at the candle flame. Other objects may include crystals, flowers, or images of divine creatures such as the Buddha.
    • Place the object at eye level so that you don't have to strain your head and neck. Just keep looking at the object until your peripheral vision clears and the object completely fills your vision.
    • When you are fully focused on the subject, you will feel a deep sense of calm.

    Practice visualization if you prefer an “internal” focus. Visualization is another popular meditation technique. Its essence is to imagine a peaceful place in your imagination and explore it until your mind sinks into a state of complete calm. It can be any place you like. However, it should not repeat a completely real location. Let it be unique and exist only for you.

    • The place you visualize can be a warm sandy beach, a flower meadow, a quiet forest, or even a cozy living room with a blazing fireplace. Whatever you choose, let this place be your refuge.
    • Once you've mentally entered your hideout, start exploring it. You don't need to “create” the setting or environment, they are already there. Just relax, and the details will appear in your mind's eye.
    • Pay attention to the lights, sounds, and smells of your surroundings. Feel the fresh breeze on your face or the warmth of the fire warming your body. Enjoy the space for as long as you want, allowing it to expand organically and become more real. When you're ready to leave your seat, take a few deep breaths and then open your eyes.
    • The next time you practice visual meditation, you can either go back to the same place or create a new one.

    Consistently focus on your body. This means focusing on each part of the body in turn and consciously relaxing it. First, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and start concentrating on your breathing, then move your focus from one part of your body to another. Listen to your feelings.

    • You may find it convenient to start from the bottom and work your way up. For example, focus on the sensations in your toes. Make a conscious effort to relax any tense muscles and release any tension or pressure. When your toes are completely relaxed, move to your feet and repeat the relaxation process.
    • Continue along your entire body, moving up from your feet to the top of your head. Give each part as much time as you want.
    • When you have finished relaxing each part of your body individually, focus on the whole body and enjoy the feeling of calm and relaxation that you have achieved. Focus on your breathing for a few minutes before you finish your meditation.

    Try a meditation that focuses on the heart chakra. The heart chakra is one of the seven chakras, or energy centers, located in the body. The heart chakra is located in the center of the chest and is associated with love, compassion, peace, and acceptance. Heart chakra meditation involves immersing yourself in these feelings and sending them out from within to the world around you. First, sit in a comfortable position and focus on the sensations of your breathing.

    • When you relax, imagine a stream of green light emanating from your heart. Imagine how this light fills you with a feeling of pure, radiant love.
    • Imagine that love and light illuminate your entire body from within. Then let that radiance come out into the world around you.
    • Just sit for a while and feel the positive energy inside and around you. When you're done, gradually focus back on your body and breathing. Gently move your fingers and toes, your arms and legs themselves, and then open your eyes.

    Try on-the-go meditation to combine relaxation and physical activity. Walking meditation is an alternative form of meditation that involves watching your feet move and becoming aware of your body's connection to the ground. If you are planning long sessions of sitting meditation, it is a good idea to interrupt them with walking meditation sessions.

    • Choose a quiet place to meditate with minimal distractions. The space should not be very large, but it should be enough for at least seven steps in a straight line before you have to turn around. If possible, remove your shoes.
    • Keep your head held high, looking straight ahead, and put your hands together in front of you. Take a slow, deliberate step with your right foot. Forget about the sensations in the foot and try to concentrate on the movement itself. After you have taken the first step, stop for a moment before the second. Move your feet one by one in turn.
    • When you reach the end of your path, stop completely with your feet together. Then turn back on your right leg. Continue walking in the opposite direction with slow, measured movements, just like the first time.
    • When practicing walking meditation, try to focus only on the movements of your feet, similar to how you focus on raising and lowering your chest during breathing meditation. Try to free your mind and become aware of the connection between your feet and the ground beneath them.

  3. Perhaps the most correct attitude to meditation is the attitude to daily practice. Let it happen somehow. Treat it as a game and give up expectations of some cosmic-karmic things and feelings.

    Get some privacy in a quiet place, sit down in a comfortable position. Try to focus your attention on the breath (at the beginning, you may need to say inhale – exhale, inhale – exhale to yourself).

    Start with 5 minutes a day (maybe even this time will be difficult to sit down and this is normal).

    Further feelings.

    When you come to understand how it works, the desire to increase the time itself will come.

    I'm on Yandex Zen

  4. It is good to start by choosing a quiet place, set aside a few minutes (5-10 minutes) and focus on your in-breaths and out-breaths, as well as the physical sensations caused by breathing. Do not wait for any special sensations and effects, repeat the exercise daily. It is advisable to read one of the popular books about meditation (for example, ” 10 minutes a day…” Andy Paddicombe or How to Turn On Mindfulness by Rohan Ganatileik). You can also try using the HeadSpace app in Russian for Android, which provides recommendations for beginners and audio meditations in the form of step-by-step instructions. HeadSpace audio meditations in Russian are also available on the site. The key to success is to think of learning meditation as a new skill – roller skating, skiing, or cycling. Do not try to “shine” from the first time, calmly repeat again and again – and then success is inevitable! It is impossible to read the instructions 5 times, repeat the exercise 20 times, and not learn. The power of постоян is in constancy. You can only fail to learn if you stop trying.

  5. If you speak English, then there is a good course on meditation, which deals with both theory and various preconceived opinions, and gives practical exercises. Plus, there is a forum where you can ask your questions.�http://www.coursera.org

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