Find Your Inner Calm: 5 Essential Meditation Tips for Beginners

Meditation is a powerful practice that can bring calm, clarity, and balance to your life. Whether you’re new to meditation or looking to deepen your practice, understanding the best practices and utilizing the right resources is crucial. In this article, we will explore the benefits of meditation, offer practical tips for getting started, and recommend resources to help you along your journey.

What Is Meditation? You Might Need It Too!

In this age of information overload, studies estimate that modern people need to receive and process up to 36,000 GB of information daily. This information overload impacts our brains and lives, making it hard to quiet our minds, even before bed, like countless open browser tabs that won’t close. Over time, this leads to life stress, poor sleep quality, anxiety, difficulty concentrating at work, and other negative emotions that indirectly affect our physical and mental health and overall quality of life.

If you have experienced these symptoms, why not try meditation? Rediscover the happiness of inner peace!

The Benefits of Meditation, Even Endorsed by Celebrities

Scientific research has found that long-term meditation can increase the thickness of the prefrontal cortex and the right anterior brain cortex, areas that control attention and perception, making the brain more agile and inspired. It also strengthens self-awareness, relieves stress, improves resilience and memory, and maintains inner peace.

NBA star LeBron James is a meditation enthusiast. About meditation, James said, “It was a bit strange at first because it’s a whole new practice that requires detachment, but meditation really makes me feel more comfortable, mentally and energetically.” Microsoft founder Bill Gates and talk show host Oprah Winfrey are also practitioners of meditation. Google even includes “meditation” as an official course for employees. Curious about the power of meditation yet?

Follow the five guidelines below and start meditating together!

Best Practice for Beginners

1. Location: Find a quiet, undisturbed place where you feel comfortable, such as a bed, sofa, or open grass. Turn off all distractions like TV and phone notifications. Use a cushion or chair for support.

2. Posture: Sit in a chair or cross-legged. Beginners should start with these positions, keeping their back straight without leaning on anything. Rest hands on your thighs and close your eyes.

3. Duration: Start with 5 minutes per session, gradually increasing to 20 minutes. Set a timer to focus on your breath without worrying about time.

4. Start - Focus on Breathing: Practice “observational meditation” by focusing on your breath. Take deep breaths through your nose and exhale slowly 3-4 times, then continue naturally. Observe your breathing and abdominal movements without judgment.

5. Best Time for Meditation: Meditate before work or before bed. Morning meditation enhances focus and efficiency, while evening meditation clears your mind for better sleep. Consistency at the same time daily helps build the habit.

What Makes a Successful Meditation Session?

Beginners often ask, “What counts as a successful meditation session?”

As a beginner, your mind will inevitably be filled with various thoughts during meditation, such as: “Why hasn’t the time passed yet?”, “What should I eat later?”, or “Feeling anxious about unfinished work from the day…” Do not feel frustrated or discouraged—this is normal.

When these thoughts arise, imagine yourself as an observer standing by a window, watching the sky. The thoughts are like clouds passing by your window. You don’t need to push them away; just watch them quietly until they drift away.

In the same way, during meditation, simply “observe and become aware” of the thoughts that arise. “Observe” the arrival of thoughts without applying any emotion or pressure to suppress them. When you “become aware” of your distraction, gently bring your attention back to your breath and focus on the changes in your breathing. The chaotic thoughts will naturally leave your mind, and inner peace will return.

Once you achieve this, congratulations! You have completed a successful meditation session!

How Long Should You Meditate to See Changes?

Everyone’s meditation practice varies, and the time to see changes may differ slightly. For example, as the author, I often feel tense and anxious due to work. I hoped to improve my anxiety and poor sleep through meditation practice. Driven by curiosity, I initially set practice times of 5-10 minutes per session, 3-4 times a week, viewing meditation as a relaxed, pressure-free practice.

Here are the changes observed after practicing meditation for about 3-4 months:

• After 1 month of practice: On nights I meditated before bed, I seemed to fall asleep faster and more deeply, with fewer dreams.

• After 2 months of practice: I was able to concentrate better during meditation, with fewer distracting thoughts, and felt a warm flow and peace in my heart afterward.

• After 3 months of practice: Although I still occasionally felt anxious at work, I could now quickly let go of my anxiety and restore inner peace, allowing me to focus more calmly and objectively on my tasks.

Even now, having practiced meditation for about a year, I continue to meditate regularly, especially during tough times or high stress. Meditation gives me more confidence to face current situations or challenges, and I believe “the changes brought by meditation occur at every practice moment, and continuous practice accumulates this energy in the body.”

Therefore, regardless of the duration of each practice, as long as you continue and maintain the habit of meditation, you will undoubtedly experience its unique benefits firsthand.

Recommended Resources

Meditation is a transformative practice that can improve various aspects of your life. By starting small, being consistent, and using recommended resources, you can build a fulfilling meditation practice. Whether you choose to use apps, read books, or take online courses, the key is to find what works best for you and stay committed to your journey.

Books

• The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation
• Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life》

Online Courses

• Heartfulness Meditation- Evolution of Consciousness w/ Daaji
• Meditation Practitioner / Teacher Certification (ACCREDITED)

APP

• Headspace: Offers various guided meditations and mindfulness exercises.

Websites

• Mindful: Provides a wealth of articles and resources on meditation.
• Insight Timer: Offers free guided meditations and mindfulness courses.