Meditation Tips to Get Started

Meditation can be practiced by anyone, regardless of religious tradition.

The following are some simple meditation techniques as explained by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo:

Posture

While there are more elaborate explanations for how to hold the body, in general it is beneficial to sit comfortably with one’s back straight. A firm cushion is useful to lift the body some. In our tradition, we meditate with our eyes slightly open.

Why are we doing this?

The point of meditation is to create space in your mind. The mind is like a muscle. In the same way that you do physical fitness training to keep your body strong, the mind needs to be trained to be calm and relaxed, yet also alert and wakeful. For Buddhists, meditation is the means by which to experience wisdom directly.

What happens when I get distracted?

If you get distracted, come back to your breath! Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo says, “If you have thoughts, no matter what they are, just laugh at yourself, drop them and come back to the concentration. It is extremely relaxing and healing to let the mind rest. The resting will get longer and longer as you practice. “

Whatever meditation you are doing, try to take things slowly and stay consistent. Its more beneficial to do five minutes a day consistently rather than a longer practice less often. Over time, you can make your practices longer, once you build your muscle!

If you’d like some extra support to get started, follow along with this 5-minute Stabilizing the Mind meditation on YouTube, or watch below.
Stay tuned as we introduce different meditation practices you can follow along with throughout the month!