Jump-Start Your Meditation Practice
A simple guide to start practising mindfulness meditation right now.
Get Comfortable:
Find somewhere quiet and sit upright as you take a few deep breaths.
You only have one objective for this session—keep your attention on the meditation object.
When you notice your attention has drifted elsewhere, redirect it back to the meditation object without getting frustrated. The periods of mind wandering will become shorter over time.
For stages 1 - 5, detailed below, count up to 10 breaths before moving on to the next stage. Remember to breathe through your nose and observe the breath without exerting any control over it.
Pay Attention:
1. Draw with your attention to everything within and around you right here and now—sights, sounds, smells, and sensations.
2. Close your eyes and draw your attention in towards your bodily sensations. Try to maintain an awareness of what’s around you, but keep the focus within.
3. Narrow your attention further to just the sensations of the breath. Pay attention to your diaphragm moving up and down, the air flowing over your lip and through your nostrils. Continue to maintain an awareness of your surroundings.
4. Finally, refine your attention further to just the sensations of breath at the nose—this is your final meditation object. Stop counting after you reach 10 breaths, but continue to observe. If your mind wanders, simply acknowledge, accept, and redirect it back to the breath.
5. End the session by expanding your awareness and gently working through the stages above in reverse, from 4 back to 1.
Start Small:
Depending on your experience, I recommend beginning with around 2 - 5 minutes of daily meditation.
It’s a big achievement if you can manage to sustain 10 - 20 minutes daily, and the best way to achieve this is by adding 1 - 2 minutes every week until you reach your target.