Meditation was initially designed to deepen and expand spiritual growth. Today, however, meditation is a useful tool for everyone—even those who don’t consider themselves religious or spiritual. Meditation can be a source of peace and serenity in a world that often seems to be deficient in both.
Meditation can be used for all people to assist in healing, balancing, emotional cleansing, concentration, exposing creativity, and discovering inner guidance.
When you begin your meditation practice, put aside your expectations, and don’t worry about the “right” or “wrong” way to meditate. There are so many methods and techniques to meditate. Finding out what meditation practice works best for you may require a little experimentation, but you’ll know when you found the right one. Don’t try to force something to happen.
Below are a few ways to help you get started meditating. Remember, there’s not a single “right” way to meditate. Just focus on the process, and best way will find YOU!
The Right Time & Place to Meditate
To begin meditating, pick a time and a place where you won’t be disturbed. That may seem like a massive task, especially for busy moms. With a husband and kids constantly demanding my time and attention, this was the most challenging part of beginning my meditation practice. I learned that the best times were when they themselves were calm. So, nap times, bedtimes, and bath times seemed to be the best times for me to meditate. Your best time may be different but regardless, find a time where you can be uninterrupted for a little while.
Your meditation place is up to you. Choose a place where you are least likely to be disturbed. Some people enjoy setting aside a specific room in their house as their meditation room but, if your family is like our family, we don’t have a spare room to use for meditation.
Instead, you may choose to meditate in your bedroom, the family room, the kitchen, the bathtub, or even in the yard. Find a place that is comfortable for you. Place peaceful objects, soft pillows, and even some essential oils to make the space all yours. If you find that your original meditation spot isn’t working for you, feel free to change it.
My favorite place to meditate is in my bedroom on this meditation pillow facing the window. The light that comes in in the morning is so calming and warm that sometimes I want to stay here all day. I even keep a few pillows nearby in case I want to lie down during my meditation practice. It is all about being comfortable and relaxed
How Much to Meditate
When you are beginning, you only need about 20 minutes for your meditation session. This may not seem like a lot but, it is plenty of time for a beginner. It’s better to spend just a few minutes a day meditating when you can find time and peace.
After a while, you may find your meditation time so valuable that you increase the amount of time you spend meditating. A good goal is to work up to a 30-minute meditation session each day, twice if you really want the health benefits from reduced stress.
Make a habit to meditate at the same time each day. Some moms find that meditating first thing in the morning—before everyone is awake—works best for them. Other moms find that meditating before bed helps them to sleep better. Experiment with different times of the day to find the time that works best for you.
How to Start Meditating
One of the simplest ways to begin meditating is to use a guided meditation. Guided meditations are CDs or MP3s that contains all the instructions you need to reach a state of meditation. All you need to do is find a place where you won’t be disturbed, sit or lie down, and play the audio file or CD. Youtube has a lot of guided meditation practices and music for free. Here are a few meditations found on Youtube that I have recently tried and enjoyed. Feel free to explore the different types of meditation that are available for beginners.
