9 Tips To Improve Your Meditation
Transform Your Mind and Life: Discover the Power of Meditating and Develop a More Fulfilling Existence
Are you ready to take your meditation practice to the next level? Whether you’re a seasoned pro or new to the world of mindfulness, you’ve probably heard about the numerous benefits of regular meditation practice. But let’s be real, sitting still and focusing on your breath can be boring, and it’s not always easy to make time for it.
That’s why in this article, we’re going to explore some simple yet effective tips and techniques to make your meditation practice more interesting and engaging, so you can stick to it and reap the rewards. From using guided meditations to incorporating movement into your practice, I’ll show you how to make meditation a fun and fulfilling part of your daily routine.
Note: The writer is not financially affiliated with any sponsors.
My story
I’ve tried countless ways to meditate, read dozen of books, watched videos, going to workshops, and meditation centers.
For about the first 3 years of practice, I tried to find the right way.
I did meditation according to Buddhists, Hindus, Spiritual Gurus, Yogis, and Psychologists, and the truth is there are so many ways to meditate, it's hard to choose which one you want to stick with.
Meditating according to one philosophy was a bit boring after a couple of months. I’ve had trouble maintaining a regular practice.
Doing the same stuff every day is just not the way for me. So after years of searching, and falling out of my routine, I have finally found the right way to make my practice interesting, and diverse.
Tip#1 Explore
Finding the right meditation techniques requires active exploration.
So don’t hesitate to search for different practices online, read articles, and books, watch Youtube videos, or do whatever works for you.
Ask people you know, and don’t know, there are plenty of writers (me), meditation masters, gurus, and other people who have experience with meditation.
Listen to their experiences, try out their methods, and see for yourself what suits you. Be reasonable of course, don’t try something you are not comfortable doing.
I recommend being very open-minded and playful with meditation.
There are definitely types of meditation that I think are essential to developing a meditative mind so one can get the most benefits and fun out of the practice.
Here is a list of my personal favorites:
- Breath meditation
- Music meditation
- Om chanting
- Body-scan
- Yoga-Nidra
Tip#2 Practice concentration
This is the most important tip.
No type of meditation can be done well without a good ability to concentrate.
You can exercise this skill in numerous ways. What you choose is completely up to you.
However, I recommend doing it by maintaining focus on a single point (ex. Peripheral vision), mindfulness, or breath meditation.
- Single-pointed focus. To do this practice — choose a single object or area. One of the best ways to do it is by the peripheral vision because the visual sense is directly connected to the attention area in your brain (Huberman, 2021).
- Check out this video to get a full scientific explanation by a professor of Neuroscience Andrew Huberman. Mr. Huberman creates wonderful content on Health and Neuroscience podcast called “The Huberman Lab”.
I’ll shortly explain how you can practice it.
Choose a single object or area. Try to keep your attention focused for a long period.
Set a stopwatch to track how long you were able to meditate.
Don’t try too hard, and just concentrate on making progress. Every time you lose that point from your sight take a calming breath and go back to it;
- There are many benefits of incorporating mindfulness in your life, and one of them is improved concentration.
- In short, mindfulness is basically full awareness of the present moment. If you want to see a more detailed explanation and scientific research on this topic read my article “Science behind meditation pt 1”;
- Breath meditation is the most fundamental method in meditation practice. In my opinion, everyone interested in meditating should base their practice on this technique or at least make it a part of their meditative toolkit.
Tip#3 Start a journal
Starting your meditation journal is a good way to track progress and maintain regularity.
Write about your thoughts, emotions, difficulties, conclusions, and questions about your sessions.
This practice might give you a clue about which meditation suits you best.
It can also be a great source of motivation. One way to help yourself stay on the path is writing down how you feel before and after a single session.
Tip#4 Observe your thoughts and emotions
Try to do this regularly throughout the day, even when you are not actively meditating.
Ask yourself : how do I feel? What do I think? Where in the body I experience this?
Place your attention on these regions.
This can help you:
- develop a meditative mind. Which may result in a more peaceful state of being, better control over your thoughts and behavior, higher awareness, and increased sensitivity;
- make meditation a part of your lifestyle;
- unclutter your mind and body.
Tip#5 Measure the time of your sessions
Knowing how long you meditate can help you track your progress and set goals for yourself.
You’ll also get a release of dopamine when your goals/expectations are met or exceeded.
The length of a single session depends on many different factors and it’s totally up to you how long you want to or can meditate.
Set a minimum length; For example 5 minutes each day/session.
You’ll most probably meditate more than that but some days you may not feel like it has the time or something else.
Many things can go wrong. Doing at least 5 minutes will help you develop a habit.
If you are able,
I recommend meditating anywhere around 15–30 minutes in one session.
Tip#6 Body-Scan
This is a useful meditation technique that you can do in any position.
It's best done laying down with a straight back.
To perform a body-scan just move your attention from toes upwards all the way to the top of your head.
Spend the most time on parts where you feel the most tension.
This practice should release stress from the body.
If you’d like to listen to a guided body-scan meditation Here is a link.
Tip#7 Prepare your body
I would argue this is the second most important part of meditation practice.
It is much easier and sessions are much more effective when your body can be still with a straight back for 15–30 minutes.
To prepare your body I recommend practicing Yoga asanas.
You’ll most likely experience great benefits from it.
Mixing Yoga with meditation gave me much more benefits than just meditation alone.
Some positions may not be best for you so be careful and at best learn asanas from a good Yoga instructor.
Tip#8 Have Fun :)
Meditation is a great tool for improving the quality of one’s life and in my opinion this is its main purpose.
If regular meditation doesn’t bring you joy then I think it is not done properly. To have the most fun play with it ;)
This may help you do just that:
- Create a place of safety. Where you can be yourself, and nothing distracts you;
- Make yourself comfortable. Cover yourself with a blanket or sit on a pillow, whatever works for you;
- Experiment with incense and music. Some people like additional sensual stimulation. I happen to be one of them :)
- Try mental visualizations. I personally like to imagine myself laying on a beach on a beautiful island and looking at the stars;
- Mixing your practice with techniques you most enjoy;
Tip#9 Be patient and kind to yourself
Not every session is going to be great and sometimes you may feel like you are not good at it. But trust me it’s normal.
I believe that giving yourself a room for error is a key component to a happy and successful life.
Remember that everyone can make mistakes, and being kind to yourself will help you stay on the right path.
Our mental chatter can be mean at times, but it is up to us if we let it control our life.
It is each persons responsibility to treat themselves with kindness.
The mind is completely ours, and it's our duty to take good care of it.
Thank you for reading!
I hope this article was helpful and I wish you a fantastic journey through life :)
If you’d like to read more content on meditation, psychology, and other related topics make sure to Follow me.
Contact me on medium or via email: blissful_breaths@proton.me if you are interested in meditation lessons.
Reference:
Huberman, A. (2021). I Guarantee Your Behavior Will Change | TRY IT TODAY | Dr. Andrew Huberman.
