Beginner's Guide to Meditation!

I speak a lot about the effectiveness of using meditation. Not only does it bring you peace and help you center yourself in life but it is a tool to use to make you a powerful magnet while practicing the
laws of attraction; increasing spiritual insight; connecting with God, the Divine All Knowing,  and the
universe; giving and receiving messages into the universe as well as an effective method of releasing stress, depression, anger, and anxiety. The benefits of meditation are endless!

More often than not after recommending meditation to a friend or client I hear them come back to me the very next day saying that they felt nothing or that it didn’t work. I want to reassure you that this is
normal and I want to encourage you to continue and to try again. 

In my experience, I frustratingly “tried” to meditate “successfully” for a week and a half straight before I finally starting seeing and feeling “results” or had “experiences”. These showed themselves in lowered anxiety, a release from depression, clearer thinking, and an overall sense of great calm and peace in my life. Without it, I’d be a spinning vortex of static energy… an out of control top jumping at sounds and rushing from location to location. A week after of consistent effort, I’d open my eyes, take a deep breath and had such a solid awareness that what I was previously stressing about is really just… meaningless. I had my breath and life pumping through my body and really, that’s all that matters.

It is 8 years later and I can close my eyes, take a deep breath, and instantly feel the slow rhythmic beat of my heart rock my entire body. When I open my eyes 20-45 minutes later I’m centered and can ride this wave of nirvana for an entire 24-48 hours, feeling completely connected in all of my movement to God or the Universe (whatever you choose to call it). This is what meditation is.

You can use meditation as a tool to simply create peace and calm in your life or you can expand upon it and use it to connect to receive messages from your angels or other information that will help us live
with greater awareness and guidance in our lives. This, of course, is a topic for another blog. Right now, I’m going to focus on just the basics. 
 
How to Meditate

First thing you want to do is find a quiet or peaceful place where you won’t be interrupted. This is key! You have to find a spot that you feel safe and can let your guard down easily without having to deal with too many interruptions. If this is a public spot for you- then more power to you! Most people need somewhere secluded and quiet.

Next, you want to sit up as straight as possible but keep in mind that you want to remain comfortable as well. For example, yes, it’s wonderful to have perfect posture so while sitting your back is aligned and awesome. But if you’re not used to sitting-or standing- like this it is in my humble opinion that now is not the time to practice- you’ll be too uncomfortable and you won’t be able to relax enough to let go during meditation. I have a tendency to slouch my shoulders typically (to my mom’s chagrin- sorry mom!) so while meditating I hunch a little bit forward. This is what works and has worked for me (yoga has helped me with my posture, however, so if needed you can try that).

Third, you want to set a timer. For this I use an app on my iPhone that dings a soft bell at the beginning and end of meditation. I recommend the free Insight Bell Timer or Meditation Bells App. You can find them in your IPhone’s application store. Beginners may want to set the timer for 7-10 minutes to start. Yes, this typically doesn't sound like a lot of time, but you'll find that the majority of the time you'll be chasing and clearing thoughts from your mind, so until you can do it for that time allotment, I wouldn't pressure you to go for a 30-45 minute or hour long meditation, as it can be frustrating!

With your timer set, you want to start by relaxing your whole body as much as it can in a seated position. Following the flow of your own breath pattern, breathe in and out deeply and slowly enough to not cause dizziness or light headedness. I say this because a lot of mediation classes that I've participated in (okay, mostly all of them!) we practice unified breathing, which is an awesome theory to be One as a class and in breath- but this rate of breathing isn't fitting for everyone (me! lol) and I typically will get the spins and won't be able to feel comfortable. You have to find your own uniquely beautiful pace. This is your body, this is your meditation, this is your breath, and breathing is life, so you call the shots and control your personal rhythm.

When you inhale, inhale deeply and slowly through your nose, completely filling your lungs up with air, feeling them expand. Hold.
 
Notice/feel your heart beat for 2-3 beats and then slowly exhale out of your mouth, blowing the air out until your lungs have completely emptied. 

Deep breath in, feeling gratitude for this breath. Having pushed all the air out of your lungs in the last exhale, it will feel good to slowly fill them back up with life giving oxygen again. Your body is grateful. Hold and focus on your heart-still beating- for 2-3 beats, and then exhale, blowing from your lips until your lungs are completely empty. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Any thoughts that surface in your mind during this time, release them. Like bubbles every thought (and there will be many!) will rise and lift from your forehead, float away, and *pop!* leaving you to just focus on your heart beat and your breath. The first few times you meditate you will be surrounded by many thoughts in iridescent bubbles, popping all around you, but continue to release them, watch them float off, and focus on life energy moving in and out of your lungs. 

When your timer goes off, silently wiggle your toes, move your fingers, stretch your neck, open your eyes, and give thanks to your body for continuing to provide you with the ability of Life, and thank God/The Universe for the gift a breath, healing, and the life that you have. Tell yourself that you'll spend more time with your Being, becoming centered, and cherishing the steady beat of your heart and breathe, whether you realize it still exists or not, and that it is a gift. 
 
Namaste- The divine in me sees and acknowledges the divine in you. We are one. Thank you for sharing this experience with me. 

For Support on meditation and for Guided Meditation experiences email me at BehatiBody@gmail.com 

I will soon be offering guided mediations on my website which you can attend in person or over Skype. 
Follow on Facebook to receive updates!  facebook.com/BehatiBody

Q&A

 How long will it take for it to work? 
That depends on how you define work and what you are looking for. If you're looking for lights and bells and nirvana to be reached, that more than likely will not happen, and is typically something other than mediation. 
Meditation is awareness of your breath, the life that is, and creating peace between "you" and your body. You'll know you've had a 'successful' mediation when you feel calmer then you did starting off and more
centered from your core.
Typically, you'll start to notice a difference within the first 3-5 times of consistent effort <3
 
What can I use meditation for? 
Meditation is THE gateway drug! Ha-ha, I'm just kidding- but seriously, you can use it to branch out to all types of things- feeling closer to God, communicating with your angels, receiving divine messages and insight from the universe, astral body travel, raising self-awareness, improving health- especially in regards to depression and anxiety and heart related problems!, etc. You name it! 


Why do so many thoughts pop up in my head when I'm trying to find peace? 
Ha! Good question! The mind is constantly whirring, especially in our day to day activities. We typically don't realize this because we spend so much time doing what we do- running errands, chasing expectations, being busy. Our mind is always going! Our minds are so used to having free reign of our thoughts that it can be like trying to reel a wild horse in. What you are doing is developing a new level of awareness and essentially a new thought pattern, and this can naturally take time to develop and cement itself. This of how hard it is to change a bad habit- and how long it can potentially take! The same thing with meditation, but believe me the work and effort will be worth it! Clearer thoughts, increased peace, better ideas, deeper insight to life and what that means for you, overall increase in health are all to gain! We have more control over our static thought patterns then we realize we do and it is beneficial to begin practicing now :) 

Questions? Comments? Message me BehatiLife@gmail.com for more support!