A Beginner’s Guide to Meditation

Concentrating on a thought or breath can be quite challenging. The culprit is usually the inability to control restless energy, cluttered thoughts, stress and anxiety. Our expert Eddie Stern, who is a yoga teacher, author and lecturer based in New York, shares his advice on how to tame your inner monkey.

Meditation is one way of coming back into harmony with ourselves, and with nature. “There are thousands of different types of meditations, and they all have the same operating principle. That is to become aware,” he says. Whether you are meditating on your breath, sensations of the body, a mantra, or focussing on kindness or forgiveness, the essence of the practice will be in your ability to direct your awareness towards where you wish it to flow.

You don’t have to meditate for long. Even five minutes is enough to reap the benefits of meditation. Meditation can help lower anxiety, stress, improve sleep and sharpen focus. If you do it long enough, research shows that it positively impacts how your brain changes as you age.

Take a look at this easy, five-step meditation
1. Find a convenient time, place and position:Some people meditate first thing in the morning. Few others find it more relaxing to meditate later in the day. Find out what works best for you and form a routine.

2. Become aware of your body: Once you have found a comfortable sitting position, close your eyes and say to yourself, “I am present in the awareness of my body.”

3. Breathe as always: Don’t try and pay extra attention to your breath. Breathe naturally. Simply become aware of your breath, and say, “I am present in the awareness of my breath.” Once you find a rhythm, try and feel the in-out of your breath.

4. Allow your thoughts to flow: Don’t resist your emotions. Let them come and go. Don’t allow a negative chain of thought to form. Become aware of your thoughts, and say, “I am present in the awareness of my thoughts.”
Let things unfold slowly: “Don’t push yourself, too quick, to feeling something unique or distinct,” he says. Feel the quietness around you, become aware of your heart and say, “I am present in my sense of loving awareness.” Further, become aware of your awareness, and say, “I am present in my awareness of awareness.”

Continue to sit in that quiet space for a few moments before opening your eyes. See if you can carry that feeling through your day, or at least, whenever you can remember to.