Please see my other articles under the category of meditation for information about the benefits of the practice and information for beginners.  In addition to my work as a psychic medium, I also take people through guided meditations that are customized personally for your needs (whether it is for meeting your guides, releasing an emotional issue, or just simply to relax!).  I also teach meditation and coach people in meditation, helping them to fit meditation into their life.  And that is one of the most important parts–making meditation a habit!  Here are some pointers to get meditation to work for you!

1: Carve out a meditation time and stick to it—AM or PM is fine.  Do not do more than you can reasonably fit into your schedule.  In the beginning it is more important that you do it, preferably every day—rather than how long your session is.  You can start with 5 minutes per day then gradually increase to 10 minutes, 15 minutes and 20 minutes.

2: Choose a practice that you like and/or change it up.  It is important that you enjoy your meditation practice especially in the beginning.  It is great to stick to a certain practice for a period of time to gain a deeper understanding of that method, but it is not good to become bored with or disinterested in your practice, so make changes and experiment when necessary.

3: Do yoga or stretch first. Physical activity will draw your own awareness into the body and away from your mind. A practice like yoga loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit more comfortably. Additionally, yoga opens the body not only at the physical level but also at subtle level, which facilitates movement of energy in the body.

4: Pick a specific location in your home to meditate. Ideally the place you choose will be somewhere that does not have much activity at other times. Two reasons for doing this are, the subconscious is conditioned by repetition, so by going to the same place at the same time each day to meditate you can get yourself to expect to meditate when you are there. The second reason is that when you meditate you begin to create a particular vibration in that spot. With time, the space  will become increasingly attuned to this energy of meditation, again making it easier for you to meditate when you are there.  However, do not feel that you need this in order to meditate.  Meditation can be done anywhere, anytime.

5: Make sure your meditation time is respected. If you live with others make sure that they understand that you are not to be disturbed while you are meditating. Make the same commitment, for example if your phone should ring, be aware of it and continue your meditation.

6: Create some representation of sacred space in your meditation spot. This should obviously be what is meaningful for you, maybe an actual altar with pictures and objects, or maybe just a special rug and your meditation cushion.

7: Use ritual if it helps you. This doesn’t have to be elaborate it could be as simple as lighting a candle, or a lighting incense. The repetition of a ritual before you meditate, is again conditioning preparation for your body and mind.

8: Commit for the long haul. When you begin with the clear idea in your mind that the greatest benefits from meditation will accumulate with time, and get easier with time, and see it as an ongoing process, you are less likely to give up in frustration.

9: Meditate with understanding. Get clear in your mind exactly what you think meditation is and what it will be like before you start. Invariably everybody has ideas and expectations, it is very helpful to make them conscious before you start.

10: Be clear of your motivation to begin meditation. When you understand your reasons and objectives in beginning meditation you are more likely to find a practice or technique that will work for you at that time.  You can also convince yourself of its importance by studying the benefits of a regular mediation practice and support this conviction through the use of positive affirmations.

11: Begin with a particular practice that you have actively chosen and commit to doing it for a given time period.

12: Educate yourself. Confusion and misunderstanding is primarily caused by ignorance. Find a good teacher, or online community where you can get answers. Read some books on meditation and spiritual practice.

13: Notice if frustration starts to creep in to your practice. If you notice this happening take some time to explore what is going on for you, what expectation is not being fulfilled. Then examine the expectation itself and what is it based on.

14: Be prepared for some discomfort. It is normal in the beginning to experience some physical discomfort when sitting to meditate. Most people are not accustomed to sitting still, other than maybe slouched on a couch. Your body needs time to develop strength and openness in the right places to allow you to sit comfortably and alert. Sooner or later discomfort will also be experienced at the emotional and mental levels (emotional clearing.) If you are not consciously prepared for this it is likely to deter you from continuing.

15: Until you are well versed in your meditation practice it can be very beneficial to use a recording to guide you (and/or to make use of a meditation guide to guide you through the process.) This will help your mind to let go of concern about what you are doing, and the recording or personal guide can act as a guide until you no longer need it.

16: Start to look for moments of awareness during the day. Finding space to be consciously present during everyday activities is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation practice. Take advantage, of the time spent waiting in traffic, waiting in line, waiting for anything, to become present to yourself and what you are experiencing within yourself. Look for such opportunities in your day, however brief, simple as they are, can radically change your experience of life.

17: Do it together. Meditating with a partner or group can have many wonderful benefits, and can improve your practice. When meditating with others many people say that it improves the quality of their meditation. However, it is necessary to make sure that you set agreed-upon ground rules before you begin.

18: Don’t stress about it. This may be the most important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. Many people in beginning meditation become anxious about whether they are doing it right or not, or whether something they experience should be happening or not. In meditation it is important to accept and work with the experience you ARE having, rather than the experience you THINK you SHOULD be having.

19: Invest in a good, comfortable meditation cushion. If you need other things to allow your body to sit comfortably in without strain, get them. If you set yourself up with the things that you need, you are removing a future potential pitfall to your practice.

Many of these tips are originally from here, but I have placed my own little twist on these suggestions.

Happy Meditating!  OM 😀