Step Three: Clear Your Mind and Focus on your Breath

Once you’ve found the right environment and a comfortable position it’s time to dive in. Meditation techniques take a variety of forms, most of which include “an object of focus”. An object of focus can be anything – a sound, a point of light, or a word repeated in your head. One of the most popular forms of meditation, breath meditation, involves focusing on your breathing. We’re big fans of breath meditation. A lot of the benefits of meditation stem from the deep state of relaxation it can help you achieve. Proper breathing is critical to attaining this state of relaxation, so it makes sense to make breathing your object of focus.

Start meditating with a deep breath in through the nose. Try to fill your lungs with air by contracting your diaphragm, expanding your abdomen (again, see our Breathing Tutorial for help). Visualize filling your belly with air. Clear your mind of everything except the awareness of your breath. Breathe slowly and deeply. Really put your mind into your belly as your draw the air in. When your lungs are filled with air simply relax and let the air back out. Again, keep your mind clear of everything but the awareness of your breath.

When first starting meditation most people find it very challenging to keep their minds clear. Thoughts of all sorts seem to intrude. Many people can’t make it through 2 deep breaths without their minds flying off in different directions. Everyone goes through this at first. When you lose focus simply collect yourself, blow all of the air out of your lungs, and start over with a deep breath in trying to keep your mind clear. The critical thing is to stay relaxed. It’s easy to get annoyed by the way random thoughts seem to keep interrupting your efforts. Simply accept it as part of the process. If you find yourself getting really frustrated just stop and pick back up another time.

A good goal for beginning meditaters is to hold your mind clear through 10 deep breaths. This is a lot harder than it sounds!  If a random thought intrudes before you can finish ten breaths just start over and don’t worry about it. It takes many people weeks of regular meditation to get to the point where they can go ten breaths with a clear mind. Once you reach this point you’ll really start enjoying the benefits of meditation – less stress, clearer thinking, and, frequently, deeper sleep at night and more energy during the day.

When to Meditate

Try to meditate at least three times per week for 15 or 20 minutes. This is enough to begin learning how to focus on your breath and clear your mind. When first getting started with meditation it’s important not to overdo it. The focus in meditation takes a lot of mental energy when you’re first getting started. Spending too much time trying to meditate can actually leave you mentally fatigued. As you grow more experienced with meditation you may want to meditate as much as 30 minutes at a time every day, or even twice per day.

Many people find meditation a great way to wind down at the end of the day and ease themselves into sleep. A lot of people also choose to meditate in the morning, clearing their mind to help them prepare for the day ahead. If you do choose to meditate in the morning think about doing it standing up or sitting outside. Right after you wake up your body needs a bit of stimulation to really get going. Sitting or lying down and meditating will certainly help you relax, clear your mind, and get ready for the day, but it may also make it harder for you to fully wake up.

Summing Things Up

That should be everything you need to get started with meditation. It usually takes two weeks to a month to get comfortable with the process. Once you do you’ll find meditation a great way to relax and clarify your thoughts, and you’ll begin to look forward to meditating. Let us emphasize again that the most important thing when first starting out is to not let yourself get frustrated if you have trouble clearing your mind and focusing on your breathing. Meditation is a skill, and like any skill it requires practice to become proficient. Once you are proficient at meditation it will be thoroughly enjoyable experience.