Meditation. Where to Begin.

Meditation. 

Where to even begin! 

There are many ways to meditate and many different kinds of meditation. Deciphering where to start with a meditation practice can be difficult. 

I am a huge fan of keeping things simple when you are just getting started with a meditation practice. 

When I start working with athletes I encourage them to use what is called a Concentration meditation. This type of meditation helps us “train” our attention and focus.  When we are practicing a Concentration meditation we use an anchor, such as the feeling of the body or the feeling of the breath. This anchor is the focal point for our attention. The goal here is to notice when we get distracted and then simply return back to our anchor. 

I also encourage my athletes (or anyone who is just getting started with meditation) to start small. Try a Concentration meditation practice for 2-3 minutes. In many ways training the brain is just like training other parts of our body. When we start lifting or strength training we generally start with lighter weights and reps and then build weekly or bi weekly.  We can do the same exact thing with meditation. The brain is a muscle so start treating it like one. Add time weekly or every other week until you build to roughly a 10-15 minute meditation practice. Scientists and researchers who study attention have seen the most beneficial results from those who meditate roughly 12 minutes a day. However, if you don’t have 12 minutes or are struggling to practice for this long DO NOT beat yourself up. You will still continue to benefit from wherever you are in your daily practice. 

Ready to give it a try? 

Concentration Meditation 101 - Feeling the Breath

1. Find a posture that is comfortable and relaxed. Make sure that the spine is supported and upright so that you can breathe with ease. 
2. Set a timer for 2-3 minutes. 
3. Breathe. Yep. Just Breathe. 
4. Notice where you feel the breath. 
• The nose 
• The chest 
• The belly 
• We are not THINKING about breathing, we are FEELING the sensations of breathing. 
5. When you get distracted or the mind wanders off (because it will) just notice that. Take another breath in and feel yourself breathing.
6. When the timer goes off.... That’s it. You did it.

Are you interested in taking your meditation practice to the next level? You should try one of my 5 Day FREE meditation challenges. Check back to the sign up page to see when the next round is starting. 

I also have a FULL Introduction to Mindfulness Course that breaks down Mindfulness and Meditation in 4 modules. 

Check it out today!