Meditation Techniques for Beginners

You can use many techniques when you start to meditate, but let's focus on two of the major techniques that beginning practitioners commonly use. As you advance in your meditative abilities, you'll adopt other methods or incorporate other aspects, such as scents or small movements.

Sitting

• There are approaches to yoga that can require the person to sit on the floor without moving for a couple of hours. The primary purpose of this technique is to allow for the most self-discovery with minimal discomfort and effort. To use this technique, find a place where no one will bother you. Avoid having music on; for beginners, it might be distracting. Sit on the floor in a comfortable position, and then hold that position, without moving, for at least 20 minutes. You can meditate with your eyes open or closed.
  Alternating between sitting and standing will allow you to practice using meditation while performing simple movements to achieve an active form of relaxation. In this method, you are sitting for some of the time and then standing the rest of the time. Try sitting for 10 minutes, standing for five minutes, sitting for 10 minutes and standing for five minutes. This method is perfect or people unable to sit for long periods because of cramps and numbness.

Reclining Chair

• The reclining chair is an alternative technique to the sitting/standing method for people that are uncomfortable sitting for several hours. Many students might find it distracting to transition continuously from sitting to standing, and this technique serves to solve this problem. One of the primary benefits to this technique is the increase of blood flow to the legs and the relief of cramps and numbness that can be associated with long sessions of cross-legged sitting.
  As the name suggests, use a reclining chair for this exercise. You should remove your shoes and socks but can use a blanket to cover your feet if they begin to feel cold. By pressing the soles of your feet together, you create a strong focus point for your meditation. Sit comfortably in the chair and close your eyes. Focus on the light reflecting on your eye lids.