Meditation has been around for hundreds of years, and it’s not some new thing that everyone’s just trying out because they read it in Cosmopolitan magazine.
In fact, it’s a practice that helps people learn to be more mindful and embrace their inner selves while also learning to remain patient and calm despite all odds.
This approach to exercise is particularly helpful if we’re trying to decompress after a long day at work or if we need an activity to get us warmed up for the day ahead of us.
Either way, you see meditation, it’s a great way to introduce yourself to spirituality and mindfulness, and even if it’s just focusing on your breath at the very start, there’s no doubt that you’ll be able to benefit from it.
Small beginnings
There’s not a single person out there who can just sit still for a full hour without some sort of preparation beforehand.
This is especially true for those with a much more active lifestyle, and it’s part of why hour-long meditation sessions don’t have to be the norm for everyone.
In fact, you can start much smaller, sometimes only for a few minutes, and work your way up from there.
Patience is key, but it’s not easily acquired, and it actually demands a lot of discipline to complete a full meditation session for most.
As you grow more familiar with how meditation works, you’ll embrace this silent and stoic approach to life and the universe, and with it, will be able to improve the effect meditating has on your mind and body.
Consistency is key
You won’t get anywhere if you practice meditation and a calm mindset once in a blue moon, and this can apply to any activity in your life.
However, if you set a schedule and stick to it, meditating will soon become a habit for you, and once it does, you won’t miss out on a session even once, because it will have become ingrained in your body to relax at that specific time.
There are always other things that pop up though, and you won’t always be able to stick to the schedule you’ve set, but make sure to recover that lost session as soon as you can to keep the habit going.
Additionally, meditating regularly will help you embrace mindfulness and calmness and establish a bond with your inner self that you just couldn’t do with sporadic sessions.
Don’t expect a lot
High expectations usually mean that your chances of being let down are that much higher as well.
Meditation is a very subjective thing, and while some can instantly feel its effects, others, usually the less spiritually awoken ones, feel that they’ve gained nothing from spending an entire hour sitting in silence.
But gaining things was never a part of meditation, and it’s more of a way to get to know yourself and your surroundings than it is to gain a skill or some form of knowledge.
On top of this, you should remember that meditation alone can’t solve any real problems and that it’s up to you to deal with them, using meditation only as a tool to get yourself in the right mindset to do so.
Feel free to experiment
Meditation comes in many forms, and you shouldn’t limit yourself to just one, especially if you don’t feel it’s working for you.
In fact, you can even incorporate several different types of meditation into your daily plans, allowing yourself to grow spiritually, increase mindfulness and even practice transcendental meditation from time to time.
Having a variety of different types at your disposal means that you’ll never grow tired of the meditation regime you’ve set up, and will be able to continue practicing it for a much longer time.
This also means that those who didn’t feel anything at first might find a type of meditation that actually works for them, and it’s part of why meditating is such a versatile way to strengthen your mind, as it can technically work on anyone.
Don’t give up too soon
Finally, you should remember that meditation is a practice that takes extreme devotion, and for some, it takes an entire lifetime to reach fulfillment.
Of course, it’s incredibly helpful, especially for those going through their retirement years, as they’ll be involved in an activity that helps keep their mind sharp without exerting too much strain on the body.
Know that meditating isn’t a one-time thing and that you can’t possibly improve a thing by just practicing it once or twice a year.
If you’re not too keen on spending time in silence alone, maybe try group meditation with some friends, and you’ll even be able to share experiences afterward, a benefit that isn’t possible with solo meditation in the comfort of your home.