How to Meditate, A Guide for Beginners
Originally posted on essential
Simply…cover the breath with your awareness.
– Sam Harris
Set a timer for five minutes. Give yourself permission to have no other priorities for the next five minutes other than practicing meditation.
Sit down, on a chair or cushion, with your back straight but not rigid and your hands in your lap or on your knees.
Close your eyes.
Take three deep breaths through your nose. Notice where you feel the physical sensations of breathing most distinctly, typically either in the nose or in the rising and falling of the chest and stomach.
Allow your breath to return to its normal rhythm. As you sit, breathing naturally, simply focus your attention on the sensation of breathing. If it helps, pretend that each breath is your first ever and that you are discovering the sensations for the first time with curiosity.
Thoughts, emotions, and other sensations will appear during these five minutes (as they always do), and that’s OK. When you notice a thought present in the mind, simply return your attention to the breath.
For five minutes, until your timer goes off, continue to be aware of the breath and return to it each time you notice you’ve wandered.
Additional Resources
essential Posts
What is Mindfulness? Why Meditate?
Guided Meditations
By Sam Harris
Books
10% Happier, by Dan Harris
Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Waking Up, by Sam Harris (no relation to Dan)
