Easy Tips for Beginning Meditation

Here are some easy tips for beginning a meditation practice:
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• First of all you must be able to laugh at yourself! Get real right now, know that you are more than likely going to come across feelings of discomfort. Be aware of those things, let it come, let it go, & carry on. 
• Sit in a comfortable seated position & close your eyes. Let your hands come to your knees or to a little bowl in your lap, palms open & facing upward. Imagine that you are sitting against a wall (but don't actually sit against a wall) - straight spine, shoulders gently relax down the back, lightly press the crown of your head toward the ceiling, let your jaw relax, & tongue come away from the top of the mouth.
• Just start breathing deeply. Take full inhales & full exhales. Feel your lungs fill to the brim, maybe pause at the top if it's comfortable, & exhale all the air out of your lungs, feeling everything contract, possibly pausing at the bottom too. 
• As you are breathing simply scan your body mentally to see how you are feeling. What feels tight or has tension? Are you already restless? Maybe you can't stand sitting in this position. Do you feel good? Is everything fine? Do you feel like you could do this forever? Just notice, be aware, & use your breath to be present & keep you from running away with your thoughts.
• Set a timer starting at 5 minutes & try to increase in 5 minute increments as you see fit. I use the app Medigong​ for my timer.
  
  Notes:
• Thoughts are naturally going to appear. Don't get into the mindet that you don't want any thoughts in your head. That will really only challenge the ego/mean mind & make the whole process even more difficult. When thoughts appear, simply notice them. "This sucks." Okay, I realize that I think this sucks, but there is a reason why I want to do this so I am here. Back to your breath...
• Yes, becoming aware of your thoughts may make you feel a touch odd/off or even crazy, because you are essentially talking to yourself. Just remember, you control the thoughts in your head. You have that power & as you learn to become more aware of them, the more you can learn to let them pass by & leave you in silence during this time.
• Accept yourself wherever you are, every single day. There have been often times in yoga practices & meditation where my body gets this funky energetic feeling of discomfort & I just simply cannot hold a pose any longer or sit in this position for a second more. When that happens *try* to notice it & force yourself to stay in the discomfort at least one more breath or one more second. Then allow yourself to come out of it, shake it off, don't forget to laugh, & remember you are learning & growing & that is so fucking awesome - please try not to beat yourself up for any reason!!