Starting Your Meditation Journey: Tips & Techniques for Beginners

Ahhh, Meditation. It is the thing that we, as yogi’s and Truth seekers, aspire to do in all of the ways of life. It is true that once you have mastered meditation, you can then apply it in any circumstance; anything can become meditation if you allow it. However, in order to get there, we have to take baby steps. It is the only way we all learned how to walk, and it is the same now. Small steps lead to big gains.

There are TONS of different methods and approaches out there, so I always advise to find a way that allows YOU to “drop in,” as some ways work better than others for certain people. Such is life! Anyway, onward my friends on the journey. Let’s go over my top 3 Favorite Meditations for Beginners!

1.) Visualization:This is a great tool if you are a visual person, as it keeps your mind occupied while you find your center. My favorite visualization is something I call “The Beach” meditation, where I visualize myself sitting on a beach near sunset. Nobody else is here. I sit on the beach and can see the calm ocean before me. Any thoughts that arise become large freighter ships, waaaaay out near the horizon. I watch them, I observe them, but I do not engage with them. I do not swim out to the boat, I stay on my beach, and let the boat sail on and away. Set a timer for 11 minutes and try this meditation. I absolutely love it and have been using it for over 12 years.

2.) Breathing: As simple as it sounds, yes, the breath can be an incredible tool to start your meditation journey! No fancy music needed, just you, a timer (I recommend starting at 11 minutes) and connecting with the breath. To do this, I get in a comfortable seated position and take a few “normal” or natural breaths. Then to begin, close the eyes, and start to take a deep, slow inhale through the nose, allowing the belly button to relax out as we fill the lungs from the bottom of the belly, slowly up through the collar bones. At the top of the breath (filled lungs), hold the breath in for a moment, letting that air expand the lungs. Then, slowly, begin to let your exhale out of your nose, this time from the collar bones down through to the belly, slightly pulling in the abdomen at the bottom of the exhale. Again, hold the breath out for a moment, and then slowly begin the inhale again. Do this, and follow the breath back and forth until your timer goes off. You can also count as you inhale, and if you do, then try to keep the exhale at the same count. If you count up to 5 on the inhale, count to 5 on the exhale. Try to expand your number slowly as you go. After a few breaths, try to get to 6, then 7, etc. This practice is amazing for clearing out the mind, getting rid of stress, and connecting with your body. Again, this is an absolute go-to of mine if I really need to quiet the mind.

3.) Mantra: Perhaps one of the most underutilized but most powerful meditation techniques out there, ancient yogic mantras are incredible tools for meditation. My personal favorites are Om, Om Namath Shiva, Sat Nam, and The Ganesh Mantra. They each have their own unique vibration that activates certain energies that help us navigate our own paths through the ever-connected ether that we all exist in. Wild, right? But meditational mantras can also be in English, and more personal (aka one’s we come up with ourselves!). Some personal mantras I’ve used are Joy, Let Go, I Am, and Be. As you can see, they don’t have to be anything crazy, and the simpler the better! Just come up with the essence you’re searching for in that moment in a single word or simple phrase, and slowly, gently repeat that to yourself in tune to the rhythm of your breath. This is a great tool for beginners as it gets you accustomed to deep breathing, and also gives the “monkey mind” (as is the human mind prior to mediation, a gentle ancient joke) something to focus on as we start our meditation journey.

As you can see, there are about as many meditation techniques as there are humans on this Earth, so just find one that feels right for you right now, and begin. It will change over time, but the most important thing is to begin.

Let me know your results in the comments below if you try any of these techniques, I would love to know your experience.

If you’d like to take your practice a step further, and want to completely dispel the mystery behind meditation, join my Beginning Meditation course where I will personally guide you through a 6 week journey where we dive deep into all sorts of techniques, tips, and tricks to get your meditation practice in tip-top shape. Check out my Online Yoga Courses page to sign up!