How to meditate and not to fail trying

POR Luisa Argueta
09/06/2020

“All the things that truly matter, beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace arise from beyond the mind.”

Eckhart Tolle

Meditation is booming. We all hear about it but, in reality, most of us really don’t know what it is or how can we even start. That’s why, today, I’ve decided to tell you some more about what meditation is and share with you my practice so that you can also incorporate this wonderful tool in your life

¿What is meditation?

In simple words, to meditate is a practice to train and calm our minds, connect with the present, allow us to be relaxed and gain wellbeing. Meditating is like a magic pill that you take in the middle of life’s daily challenges, so that you have an extra help to face them in a serene and conscious way.

Benefits of meditation

Meditating helps us to improve our quality of life, it gives us emotional stability and it invites us to flow in the present moment, gaining a deeper connection with the now. It also gives us more capacity to concentrate, a reduction of our anxiety, strengthen our self love, and even boosting our immune system.

Are you still thinking that even though it’s good for you, you’ll fail trying? Let’s see why…

Why so many of us think we are not good meditating?

1. Because of our wrong ideas on what meditation is

When we hear the word meditation, many of us imagine a hindu temple, where you have to be silent in a lotus position for 10 hours or we even might feel that it is a week in a tibetan monastery is needed to learn how to meditate, as it is often perceived as something so foreign. Like if it was some sort of elaborated tools that we could never incorporate into our daily routines.What if I told you that, no matter where you are, you can take 5 minutes to meditate and reconnect with yourself right now? Yes, you can. Keep it simple. Find 5 or 10 minutes each day to meditate and observe how you feel. There is nothing better than experiencing things yourself so I invite you to give it a try, no matter how chaotic your life might seem. Stop. Meditate in your own way. There are no limits and countless ways to achieve it.

2. Because we feel it is impossible to stop our minds and concentrate

This is very common with people that start to get interested in meditation. It is normal that our mind starts bombarding us with thoughts and distractions. The best thing to achieve concentration is practice, acknowledging those thoughts and let them flow, refocus and perseverance.

3. Because we think it’s not for us

We can also think that meditation is exclusively a religious or spiritual practice. We all can learn how to meditate, regardless of our religion, origin, beliefs or personal history. It is great to be able to let go of all prejudices and stigmas that we have around meditation so that we can dive in and start practicing. I am sure that it will generate a huge shift in the way that we live and even in the relationships that we have with others.

Some simple meditation techniques to not fail while trying:

1. Find a peaceful place: Somewhere without noise, where you feel comfortable and can have breaks of 5 or 10 minutes daily to meditate.

2. Establish a routine: Find a specific time a day. It is good to create a habit. Turn your phone off, find your peaceful place and meditate.

3. Physical position: With a straight back, either laying down or sitting, in a comfortable position, you will be ready to start meditating.

4. Close your eyes: As simple as that. Close your eyes and relax.

5. Watch your breathing: In the majority of meditation tools, our breathing is very important. Stay focused on how you inhale slowly through your nose, and how you exhale slowly through your nose. And we repeat it again. At your own pace.

6.Music: You can help yourself with some peaceful, relaxing or uplifting music.

7. Use a guided meditation: Guided meditations are great if you don’t know how to start. You just need to find a guided meditation that you really like, press play and focus on what you’re listening to.

Phone apps that make meditating even easier

There are so many apps where you can find all kinds of meditations: to sleep, to walk, for anxiety, to cultivate self-love and so much more. My two favorite apps to learn how to meditate are:
Calm: This app not only offers sounds and different scenes that favor meditation, but they also have guided meditations, calendars and a list of goals to reach.
Insight timer: It is filled with resources to make your meditation experience even better.
My sole purpose by sharing all of this with you, is to inspire you. No matter how far away from meditation you feel, give it a try. You don’t need to be a zen master to take the reins of your mental peace and to learn tools that will bring you amazing benefits and give you greater inner peace. You’ve got this. We all can do it. Breathe deeply and ¡meditate!