Getting Started! Beginning Meditation Practices

4 -7- 8  Breathing
This is a great breathing exercise if you are just starting with meditation but feel overwhelmed. This is a breathing exercise you can do just about anywhere and it can help steady your heart rate. That in turn calms the body and the mind. It’s also excellent if you struggle with falling asleep at night or have anxiety. Also, because it requires you to count your breaths, your focus will be on the counting, instead of the wandering mind. 

• Take a deep breath, breathing in through your nostrils for a count of 4. As you inhale, push your belly out, letting it fill with air. 
• ​Hold your breath for a count of 7. 
• Exhale through your mouth for a count of 8. Let your belly fall as you breathe out. 

Tip - If the counts are too long, you can modify, such as 3-6-7. The main goal is to inhale through your nose, hold for a longer count and exhale through your mouth for an even longer count. Work on letting the belly rise and fall with the inhale and exhale. 

Walking Meditations
This is a good mindfulness exercise if you have a lot of energy and sitting meditations are too much. A walking meditation is simply taking a walking but mindfully. Often when we walk our minds are wandering. When we are in a walking meditation, we try to be fully present in the experience. We do this by using our five senses. 

• Take a walk outside. Try to walk for at least five minutes.
• Tune into your five senses. Ask yourself - 
  • How do your feet feel on the ground? Do you feel the wind on your face? 
  • What are the sights you are seeing? Can you name the specific colors you are seeing? 
  • What are the sounds around you? Are there quieter sounds in the background you are able to hear? 
  • If you happen to be eating or you are carrying a beverage, what does it taste like? 
  • Can you feel the breath as you inhale and exhale? 
• Like with any of the meditation practices, if your mind begins to wander, gently bring your focus back to the breath and to your five senses. ​

​Mindful Activity
Engaging a mindful activity is another great exercise if you are new to meditation and mindfulness.  Just like with walking, when we are doing a mindless task it becomes just that: mindless. With a mindful activity, we want to become fully present in the experience. This means keeping our focus on the task at hand and our breath. 

• Pick an activity that you do frequently and does not require a lot of thought, such as washing the dishes.
• Use your senses to be fully present. For example, if you are washing dishes, what does the water feel like on your skin? What is the texture of the soap you are using? Can you hear the sound of the water? 
• Try to notice little details you often miss, like small cracks in the cup you are washing. 
• If the mind wanders, bring your focus back to the breath and the task. 

Mantra Meditations
Mantra meditations can be a positive meditation practice as well changing negative thought patterns. Our brains are hardwired for the negative, this is why we have an “inner critic” and it can be difficult to let go of negativity. Meditation helps us recognize our negative thought patterns and eventually change them. Mantra meditations can help increase positive thoughts and reprogram our subconscious. Think of it as retraining the brain. The more and more the brain gets a positive message, the more it starts to believe it. We do this by creating a mantra. 

A mantra is a short, present tense statement that is meant to be positive and encourage feelings of well being, such as “I am a kind and compassionate person” or “I am at peace.” For this meditation, identify a mantra that resonates with you. Think about your own negative self-talk and a mantra to challenge it. For example, if you struggle with perfectionism, your mantra could be “I am enough.” It can be helpful to have two mantras, one for your inhale and one for your exhale. So when you breathe in, silently say “breathe in peace” and as you breath out say silently “breathe out love.” You can do this meditation anywhere but it’s helpful to be in a quiet space where you can sit and practice for a few minutes. 

• Find a comfortable seat 
• Softly close your eyes or have your eyes open looking down
• With your inhale, silently say your mantra. Such as “I am at peace” with your inhale. 
• As  you breathe out, silently say the same mantra or a second one. Such as “I am loved” with your exhale. 
• If the mind wanders, bring your focus back to the breath. 
• Try to notice how your body and mind respond to the mantras. If you are someone with a lot of negative self-talk, it may be hard to believe these mantras. You can add “I am learning” to allow more flexibility. Such as “I am learning to love myself.” 

Mindful Meditation

This meditation is the more traditional practice people often think of when discussing meditation. 

• Come to a comfortable seat, you can sit on a blanket or pillow for extra support. You can practice this meditation lying down but if you often fall asleep when meditating, it’s best to try sitting up. Rest your hands in your lap, on your knees or you can have you hands on your belly (this can help you notice the inhale and exhale). 
• Softly close your eyes or have your eyes open looking down. (It’s recommended to keep your eyes open if you fall asleep during meditation or if you have a trauma history). 
• Begin to focus on  your breathing. Just notice the breath, without changing it or restricting it. Feel how the body moves with the inhale and exhale. Notice the belly rise and fall with the inhale and exhale. The breath will be your anchor throughout this meditation. If the mind begins to wander or you become restless, just focus on the breath. This will help to relax the body and the mind.
• Now bring your awareness to your body. How is your body feeling in this moment? What do you notice? Are there any aches or pains? Do you feel any relaxation or weariness? How do your sit bones feel on the ground? 
  • Try to notice these sensations without judgment. Judgment is putting words and labels to your experience, like “wrong” or “bad.” (If you experience some minor pain, just try to notice. If you are in serious discomfort, change positions). 
• Bring your awareness to your mind. What thoughts are you experiencing right now? Try to notice your thoughts, without reacting. When we react to a thought, we go along with the thought and let it trail us away. For example, if you have the thought “I need to go to the grocery store” reacting to the thought would be starting to think about all the items you plan to buy at the grocery store. Noticing the thought would be observing the thought “I need to go to the grocery store”, and then letting it pass. When it comes to your thoughts in a meditation, think of them like clouds. Allow them to float away and return your focus back to the breath. Even if you have to keep doing this a hundred times, continue to bring your focus back to the breath. 
• Now bring your focus to your emotions. How are you feeling in this moment? What emotions are you experiencing? Sadness, irritability, excitement? Just as you did for your thoughts, observe how you are feeling without judgment. If you are feeling annoyed, just notice the emotion. Do not judge the emotion or yourself. 
• Let your awareness now move to what is outside of you. What sounds do you hear? What are the different noises around you? Are there any in the room you are in? Can you hear any small, soft sounds in the distance? Once again, notice these sounds without reacting. Even if it is loud, observe the sound and bring your focus back to your breath. 
• Continue this meditation for as long as it feels comfortable for you. When you are ready to conclude, you can open your eyes (if they were closed) and sit up. It can be helpful to do a small stretch, like a gentle back twist, to reorient yourself.