How To Meditate & Bring Calm To Your Life

Whether it's for mental clarity, a new addition to your morning routine or you can want to benefit from it's physical-health benefits, the principles of meditation are easy to learn and simple to follow.

Practicing meditation can help with managing negative emotions, including stress, anger and fear, making it a great addition to anyone's health routine, and whilst there's more to it than just sitting still, it's simple enough to learn.

Before you get into it, if you want to learn about how meditation can help and what with, you can read our findings from when we asked the question Does Meditation Really Improve Your Mental Health?

How To Meditate

Find Your 'Spot'

The first thing you need to do is find the right place for you. Having the luxury of living near the coast, we love to sit on the beach in the fresh morning air with the waves rolling around us, but equally, your perfect spot could be beneath a tree in a park, in the comfort of your own garden or even just in your living room.

We find it better to be sat directly on the floor or on a yoga mat, but again this is something that's personal to you and you'll only really find out if it's right by giving it a go.

Many people like to meditate at the same time, in the same place for consistency and routine, but it's important to also be flexible. Getting annoyed because someone's sat under your favourite tree won't do you any favours when it comes to trying to relax.

Set A Time Limit

If you're a beginner (which if you're reading this you probably are), setting a timer for 5 or even 10 minutes is a great place to start. As you get more comfortable and experienced, you can go to 20 minutes or even half hour if your body allows. Whilst meditation is good for the mind, your knees may not be so forgiving after longer sessions.

Breathing

Once you have your spot, it's time to get down on the ground, legs crossed or kneeling and focus on the sensation of slowly and deeply breathing in and out, and paying attention to the speed and rhythm of doing so.

Notice When You're Wandering

It's inevitable that be it your first, fifth or five hundredth time of meditating, at some point your mind will wander away from focusing on your breathing. Don’t judge yourself for this, it happens to everyone at some point. Just refocus and simply return your attention to the breath.

Finish With Gratitude

At the end of you session, lift your head, open your eyes and just take a few minutes to appreciate the sounds and surroundings you're sitting in. Notice how your mind and body feel, and take a deep breath to start the day.