Easy Meditation Techniques -
Tips on How To Meditate and Still The Mind

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A Common Spiritual Pitfall When Learning Meditation

There is a common spiritual pitfall when learning meditation: we tell ourselves we are not meditating the right way.

Actually that thought really is fine. It’s the next thought that's a problem. The one where we add guilt or self-condemnation, or hopelessness - I can't meditate!

Great! What is the fastest way to make yourself stop wanting to persevere in learning meditation? – Make the experience of learning unpleasant for yourself, tell yourself you can't do it.

We can be rather good at doing this can't we. :-)

Here are some easy meditation techniques to help you to be kind to yourself.

If you are a total beginner, follow the link below to Eoin’s site for more instructions on learning meditation.
The tips for meditation below will help you to move forward in your practice

Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 1:

Make Learning Meditation Fun and Rewarding – Focus On What You Are Doing Right

Identify what you are doing well in learning meditation and focus on that:

If you find it hard to find something you are doing well, imagine what you would say to someone else you wanted to encourage in learning meditation.

For example...

  • Wow, you are setting aside time for a spiritual practice. That’s great.

  • You believe there is an experience of Oneness/Connection with God/Presence that you can access through this practice. What a great belief to explore and work with.

  • Perhaps it is more than belief for you. How great to know yourself as part of All That Is.

  • You are taking a time to be silent and to be still. That is so valuable.

  • How lovely that you are interested in learning something new.

  • How great to learn a skill that nurtures you, energises you, increases your creativity, your vitality, your depth of spiritual connection. What a loving thing to do for yourself.

  • How fantastic to learn a skill that helps you to remain more centred and resourced for other people in your life. I’m sure it will help them too.

Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 2:

Meet The Thoughts: I Am No Good At Meditating. I Can't Meditate

You may know how it is. We sit down to meditate. Our thoughts go to something else and we say: I’m just no good at meditating, I can't meditate.

What can you do to bring the mind back to silence?

Notice the thought.
Step back from it in your mind.
Replace the thought gently with the thought:
“I am good at meditating and getting better all the time.”

Then return your focus to the breath, the mantra, the candle, the flower, or whatever means you using to still your thoughts.

This can be a easy meditation technique to regain our sense of humour and bring us back to our meditation.


To give you some more easy meditation techniques, I am sharing this extract from an article by Eoin Meegan. I love the way it expresses a very human, compassionate and patient approach to learning meditation.

With Eoin’s kind permission, there are a few minor changes. You can see the full, original version at unscripted-self.com.


Easy Meditation Techniques, by Eoin Meegan

Technique Number 3:

Watch the Breath

The most common meditation technique is to watch the breath.

To do this...

Breathe smoothly and evenly through the nose.

Observe each breath as you inhale

Observe each breath as you exhale.

You may find it helpful to picture the tip of your nose while doing this.

Or you may benefit from focusing on the third eye point - the space between your eyebrows.


Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 4:

Repeat A Mantra

Another meditation technique for stilling the mind is to repeat a mantra. This can be either a single word or a phrase.
For example say OM, over and over until it fills your mind and there is no room for anything else.

(Note from Katherine:
A
mantra for a specifically Christian meditation is to say “Jesus” over and over, matching the word with your breath.
Also, maranatha – an Aramaic word meaning either “Our Lord, come” or “Our Lord has come”.)

Some find these exercises very calming. Others find them very boring!! And therein lies the reason why many give up.
‘I’ll never be able to control my thoughts’, they say.

But meditation is not about control, it is about taking charge.


Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 5:

See Thoughts As Clouds Meditation

Now there’s a really cool way to stop yourself from trying to control your thoughts. It comes from ancient meditation methods.

Picture your thoughts as clouds drifting across the sky.

See them come and then see them fade into nothing, without engaging with them.

Not to engage with the thoughts is important. We can let thoughts pull us into their story.

For example, a thought will pop up about something urgent you need to do today, or maybe of a pleasant memory from the past.
Often it’s something mundane, like the shopping.
You go: ‘yeh I have to get carrots, and broccoli, and I think I need bread.’

No problem, it’s just a thought.

You then add another thought: ‘I’m not sure, better check when I get up’.
This is adding to the thought, and making it real in your mind.

With this simple meditation method of seeing your thoughts as clouds, instead, you gently and silently acknowledge:
‘That’s a shopping-thought cloud’, and watch it drift away.

This is a great technique because it doesn’t label your thoughts as 'wrong' thoughts.
Thoughts are only thoughts, that’s all. We don’t need to get involved in the drama of them, whether we’re meditating or not.

Back to Katherine Owen:
Thank you so much to Eoin for sharing his spiritual wisdom.


Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 6:

Buy Guided Meditations

Instead of learning the discipline of meditating alone, you can use guided meditations to get the same benefits and allow someone else to guide you.

When I was living with severe CFS/ME I had to find ways to live in silence and stillness.
I relied on guided meditations.
They allowed me to escape my body and explore a rich inner world.


Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 7:

Sitting In Silence is Already Good - The Benefits of Silence

Even if you end up sitting in silence listening to a chattering mind, you have still achieved something.

You are not adding to the noise in your mind.

Many people live such busy and such noisy lives, they don't even hear the chatter.
There can be gifts in the chatter too.

If, for now, you find you are not a great meditator (what is a great meditator?), remember that it can be compassionate to simply give yourself time to catch up on the thoughts that come into your mind when you stop external noise for a moment.

As it says in The Prophet by Khalil Gibran:

“And there are those who talk
and, without knowledge or forethought
reveal a truth
which they themselves do not understand.”

How about setting aside 15 minutes a little while before your designated meditation time.

Sit in silence.
Any time you think of something you need to do or think about, jot it down on paper.
Now close your eyes and return to the silence.

If you end up going into meditation, then great.

If not, then stop when it feels right.

When you meditate a little later on, you may find that you have cleared your mind of many of those things that would bring distraction to your meditation.

Here is one of my poems on meditating badly!

A Poem on Meditating Badly!

“We practice coming nearer to the light in us today.

We take our wandering thoughts,
and gently bring them back to where they fall in line
with all the thoughts we share with God.

We will not let them stray.

We let the light within our minds
direct them to come home.”

(W-188.9,
quote about meditating from A Course In Miracles ACIM)


Easy Meditation Techniques, Number 7:

Words to take you into silence

Ask yourself:

What do I need to rest in this present moment.
An inhale.
An exhale
A stretch.
A sound.
A shift of focus.
I do it now.


What do I need right now to find myself in the centre of who I am?

I sit quietly
I enter the presence of one who listens.
I enter the presence of one who is available to meet my need.
I enter the presence of one who is delighted to meet my need.
I ask for what I need.
I receive.

Articles related to easy meditation techniques:

  • Finding peace Spiritual Relaxation Techniques. These can be a good preparation for a time of meditation. Spiritual quotes on rest, silence and stillness help you accept your thoughts, accept your life as it is, and bring yourself into the present moment.
  • The Serenity Prayer a prayer of acceptance

Move from Easy Meditation Techniques to see a list of spirituality blogs.



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