1.
THERE’S NO NEED TO
SWAP THE SUIT AND
TIE FOR ROBES
Meditation can be done anywhere – in an
office chair, on the bus, in your car (while
a passenger or parked of course) on a
lounge, sitting up in a bed. There’s no need
to tie yourself in knots like a pretzel. Just sit
comfortably with
your back supported.
2.
WHAT TO THINK
ABOUT THINKING
One of the most common misnomers about
meditation is that the mind needs to be
silent. The fact is thoughts will come for even
the most experienced meditator. Instead
of fighting thoughts, just observe them and
bring yourself back to your breath. The more
you practice this, the easier it gets and the
sooner you discover that the key to silencing
the mind is being completely indifferent to all
of your thoughts.
3.
IT’S AS SIMPLE AS
BREATHING
Close your eyes and take a few deep
conscious breaths. Now allow your breath
to fall into its own natural rhythm. Keep your
gentle awareness on the breath, noticing the
way your stomach expands and contracts
and the way your breath feels as it goes in
and out of your nostrils. Thoughts will pop
up and that’s completely OK. If thoughts
come, just smile inside and gently bring your
awareness back to the breath.
4.
IT’S NOT A STILLNESS
COMPETITION
If you need to scratch an itch or shift to get
comfy, you can. There’s no right or wrong
way to do it, so just sit comfortably and relax.
5.
DON’T TRY TO
MEDITATE
Meditation might be the only time in life
where not striving hard for a goal is actually
beneficial. When we meditate we’re not
trying to achieve anything or get anywhere.
The process is the goal. We’re not interested
in trying to control the mind or stop the flow
of thoughts.
6.
START SHORT
To start with, practice this simple meditation
technique every morning for five minutes.
As you become more comfortable you can
slowly increase the time to 10/15 minutes.
7.
GO FOR QUANTITY
OVER QUALITY
No, that isn't a typo. When it comes to
meditation, the saying ‘quality over quantity’
doesn’t apply. Instead, you should practice
being completely unconcerned about the
quality of your meditations and instead strive
for quantity. In other words, be as consistent
as possible. The quality of your life will
improve the more you sit.
8.
PUT IT ON YOUR
‘NOT TO DO LIST’
For many people the thought of adding
another thing to the ‘to do list’ is
unfathomable. Rather than thinking of
meditation as another thing we have to do,
try reframing it as 10 minutes to ourselves
with absolutely nothing to do.
9.
WE’RE NOT
PRACTICING TO GET
GOOD AT MEDITATING
We don’t meditate for the experience that
we have during the meditation. We meditate
because it enriches our life in every way.
10.
MEDITATION IS
NOT MEDITATION
There is a myriad of different meditation
techniques out there, with differing degrees
of difficulty and results. If you want to go
deeper with your practice, it’s good to find a
technique and teacher that suits you.
Marcus Hamill is a filmmaker,
writer and meditation teacher.
For more info visit
www.mh-meditation.com
10 SIMPLE MEDITATION TIPS
TO GET YOU STARTED
US EDITION
Page 7