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Meditation Techniques for Beginners

Ashley Hann May 29, 2019

I’m going to share my BEST meditation techniques for beginners that will have you feeling much more excited and inspired to meditate every single day. I know meditation has developed a certain ‘rep’ that may leave you feeling uninspired to meditate. So, before we dive in, let’s first quickly go over the health benefits of meditation…

Quick Benefits of Meditation:

  • Boosts your health and happiness
  • Reduces stress and anxiety levels
  • Promotes emotional well-being
  • Enhances self-awareness
  • Lengthens attention span
  • Improves sleep
  • Improves concentration and focus

Key Principles You Must GET

Now that you know why you should do it, here’s some really important things you MUST KNOW before we get into the specific meditation techniques for beginners.

  1. Let go of what it “should” look like. Stop SHOULDING on yourself!

    There is no right or wrong way to meditate. What works for someone else may not work for you.

    Let go of what it should look like. This will free you up immediately. Know that you will be creating your own unique practice and focus on enjoyment instead of “perfection” and “doing it right”.

  2. Be patient.

    Know that this is your practice… and it takes practice. Each time you meditate, you are creating your practice. It is crucial that you be patient and enjoy the process of creating your meditation practice.

    If you don’t already meditate or you’re not quite grasping meditation now, just like anything else in life, it takes time! It will take your commitment, dedication and consistency. Show up every day to your practice and it will show up for you.

    One of my favorite examples of this is in Julia Roberts’ Eat, Pray, Love movie.

    Remember the scene where she was in India and she kept slapping her face because of the flies and getting all distracted? These things happen! And it’s okay! The important part is that she stayed committed and continued to practice until she got it down.

    When you get distracted and find that your mind is wandering at all directions, it’s okay. Don’t get frustrated. Just smile to yourself and laugh it off. Embrace it. It’s part of the practice and part of finding your way.

  3. Be gentle with yourself and DON’T JUDGE

    I used to get really frustrated with myself when I tried meditating. The thing is… this frustration comes from judgement. I was judging myself for meditating “wrong”.

    There is NO right or wrong way to meditate!

    Don’t judge your process! Be with it and be with yourself fully and completely. Focus on the moment and being present. Let go of judgement and be gentle with yourself along the way.

    I started off meditating only for two minutes. Anything longer than that can feel like a long time when you’re brand new to meditation. I used a timer with a meditative sounding bell that would go off when the two minutes was up. This worked for me in the beginning and you’re welcome to try this technique out. 🙂

  4. Test different methods

I get asked a lot whether it’s best to follow a guided meditation or your own.

You might not like my answer for this, but it really depends. Everyone is different. Test different methods and see what works for you and what has you feeling most present, mindful, and in your body.

I actually don’t do guided meditations in the morning. I do my own because I want to just be with myself and have my moment without someone talking in my ear. I want to be mindful and present in my own body so for me, guided meditations take me away from that. The only time I do guided meditations is if I cannot sleep… it actually really helps!

Test different methods and see what works for you. The best part of meditation is that you can mold your own practice!

So what are my meditation techniques for beginners? What does it look like and what do I do that helps me? Well, if you’re an analyzer like me… these tips may really help you because they worked for me!

MY MEDITATION TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS

FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING

Yes, I know this sounds a bit cliche’ but it truly works. If I find that I’m having trouble focusing on my thoughts, I really focus on my breath and my breathing.

I know you may have heard of this before but while I’m focusing on my breath and my breathing, I’m also focusing on my bodily sensations. I focus on each body part (my finger tips, my hands, my feet, my shoulders, etc.) and really feel what each part of my body feels like. It is a really cool feeling. Think about the last time that you sat and really felt every little fragment of your body. We rarely ever do this!

I focus on these sensations in my body because it grounds me and gets me present in my body. This mindfulness and being-ness brings me peace and creates stillness. Even just doing this is powerful on its own and is already a beautiful practice.

VISUALIZE

Once I get in the present, I start visualizing and focus my thoughts on one specific thing until I get to the point of experiencing it fully.

I usually like to visualize my ideal future, like an event or something in my life that I want to manifest. Then I’ll start feeling all the feelings as if what I wanted was being made manifest in that very moment.

For example if I’m on stage, I would be experiencing what that would feel like in my body– the rush of energy, excitement, and invigorating feelings I would feel. This is actually a really powerful way to manifest what you want in your life because you’re getting your body in the state of receiving it.

FOCUS ON YOUR THIRD EYE

Okay this one may sound a bit weird but if I’m having some trouble focusing, I’ll direct my focus to my third eye. Your third eye is said to be located around the middle of your forehead, slightly above the middle of your eyebrows.

I will try to “look through” my third eye to activate it. For some reason, I find that it quiets my mind and it sends a bit of a tingling sensation through my eyes and my head. I also like to visualize through my third eye. So basically what that means is I will focus on activating my third eye, while visualizing and experiencing something I want in my body.

I CHALLENGE YOU!

I challenge you to meditate every single day for thirty days. You can start off slow and build your way up. Here’s my challenge:

  • Week 1 = 2-3 minutes per day
  • Week 2 = 4-5 minutes per day
  • Week 3 = 6-7 minutes per day
  • Week 4 = 10 minutes per day

Set a timer and test out different meditation techniques. Remember to stay committed and be patient with yourself. Find your own practice of what works for you. That is the beauty of meditation.

So that’s it! Those are my top meditation techniques for beginners. I hope you enjoyed or at least got something out of it! Please leave a comment below if you have any questions or just want to add to the conversation.