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One of the aims of meditating is to relax your body and quiet your mind. But where to start if you’re a beginner in meditation? Sure, everyone has to start somewhere but some methods of meditating are easier to start with than others. Here are some helpful tips on meditation for beginners.

1. Don’t get hung up on “getting it right”

Almost every meditation session is different and there’s no one single “correct” way to meditate. So don’t start to panic if you’re not sure whether or not you’re getting everything right first time. In fact, it’s much better to let your mind go and just relax. This will help your meditation session to go smoothly. If your conscious mind nags you and questions you, simply tell it to go away for a few minutes whilst you relax.

2. Try a few different methods

Many people find breathing meditation one of the easiest ways to start. You already breathe and the main idea of a breathing meditation (especially in the beginning stages) is to simply notice your breathing and control it without forcing breaths. Other people find that a walking meditation is a good way to start. Obviously for this form of meditating, your eyes will be open! In fact, you may already have been practicing walking meditation without knowing it - at it’s simplest, it’s literally a walk in the park, albeit noticing and being aware of things around you. Guided meditations are a third way that many beginners to meditation choose to take. All you do is sit back and follow someone else’s voice - either in person or via a pre-recorded meditation MP3. You’ll be taken through the relaxation procedure and guided through all the stages of meditating.

3. Set aside a regular meditation time

Meditation is like any other habit, it takes time to make it a habit! When you are starting out with meditation, set aside a regular time ti meditate. It doesn’t need to be long - ten or fifteen minutes is fine. But making meditation a regular part of your routine will help enormously. If you’re organized, book a time in your diary to have quality time with yourself. Or skip watching the TV news and meditate instead - this will have the added benefit of reducing the negativity you’re exposed to in your daily life.

The important thing about meditation for beginners is to begin! You can adapt, change meditation styles and so on at a later date. But you can only do so if you’re actually started meditating in the first place.

Check out my review of this meditation for beginners system or investigate the simplest meditation method available.

Many people start their journey into meditating by using a breathing meditation.

After all, it sounds easy to do and that’s very true.

The simplest breathing meditations can be practiced literally any time, any place. And no-one need know you’re meditating unless you decide to tell them.

So how can you practice this technique anywhere?

Just take a few seconds to notice your breaths. Feel the air as it flows through your nostrils, down your airway and into your lungs. Gently filling your lungs with vital oxygen from the air all around you.

Once your lungs have filled then - if it’s appropriate - hold your breath. Maybe only for a split second. Maybe for a bit longer - like a second or two.

Then breathe out. Again, pay attention to how the air feels as it travels back up your airway and leaves through your mouth or nostrils.

If you repeat this process a handful of times, you’ll almost certainly feel calmer and more relaxed.

Of course, you can make a breathing meditation more complicated than this. Although deep down, at its essence, you’ll still be breathing in and out.

For a more structured session, find a quiet place. Maybe it’s a room in your home. Or a seat in your garden or a local park. Turn off your cell phone and the television. If you’ve got noisy children or animals, move away from them if that’s an option. This won’t take long - 10 to 30 minutes is usual.

You can then perform your breathing meditation in much the same way as above. But because of the quiet location you’ve chosen, chances are that you’ll start to notice things around you that were hiding from you in plain sight before. These “things” may be sounds - bird song, distant traffic noise, bees buzzing around gathering honey, water babbling in a brook if you’re lucky enough to be in that kind of location. Or they could be aromas (hopefully pleasant ones!).

If you’ve closed your eyes for your breathing meditation, you may notice that colors are more vibrant when you open your eyes again.

Don’t worry if you don’t notice any of these things the first few times you practice this technique. We’re all different and some people will notice all kinds of items almost immediately whilst others take several sessions. Be content regardless of this. And rest assured that you’ve “done” the technique correctly so long as you’ve breathed in and out.

Find out more about breathing meditation here and discover many other ways to meditate at meditation reviews.

There are many different ways to meditate.

No particular method of meditating is more “right” than another, it’s simply a matter of finding out the meditation method that works best for you.

You may even find that the method that works best for you varies according to your own mood or what you are looking to achieve in a given meditation session.

Let’s take a look at the more common meditation methods:

1. Guided meditations. These can be given “in person” (they are often used in large events like the ones given by Tony Robbins and Christopher Howard) or they can be pre-recorded and you can listen to them in the comfort of your own home. Guided meditations can take many different forms. They can range from general relaxation meditations through to specific meditations to help you find a solution to a personal or a health problem that is causing you issues.

2. Breathing meditations. These are exactly what they sound like - you will concentrate on your breathing as the main focus of the meditation. Typically a breathing meditation will start with you noticing your breathing, paying attention to how you breathe and then moving on to taking deeper breaths (inhaling longer, holding your breath and then slowly exhaling). That said, breathing meditations can be a lot more energetic if you want them to be - some breathing meditations will get you to follow through the whole process with arm and body movements. These are excellent for recharging your energy and giving you new levels of vitality.

3. Cosmic ordering. This has been popularized with The Secret and The Law of Attraction. Cosmic ordering is a sub-set of meditation where you focus on something that you want to attract into your life. You will then visualize whatever it is that you want to attract (love, money, health, etc) and it is this visualization process that is often done in a meditative state.

4. Yoga. This ancient technique is often combined with meditation to enhance the effect of both the yoga and any associated meditation. You can get yoga classes and instructions for download on the internet or you may prefer the social interaction of joining a local yoga class.

5. Electronic meditation. Our modern lifestyle encourages us to look for rapid results. Electronic meditation CDs and MP3s can be just the answer to this. Combining relaxing sounds - often rainfall or meditative music - with “binaural beats” which encourage your brain to drop quickly into a meditative state, these modern electronically generated meditations are helping many people who just haven’t got the time to spend developing their meditative techniques.

Discover more about these different ways to meditate and learn how to meditate easily and effectively.

The practice of yoga is a wildly popular part of the holistic health movement in the United States today. Its history dates back 5000 years, and its phenomenal success has come as the result of the long and evolving development of this ancient practice.

One of the first known great civilizations thrived in the Indus Valley area of India over 5000 years ago. Archaeological excavations have unearthed artwork representing people in yoga positions who appear to be meditating. The Vedas, a set of ancient Indian poems and hymns, provided written descriptions of yoga methods.

From the Vedas, we learn that these archaic people were attempted, through yoga, to find unification between the material world and the realm of the invisible. To do so required great human focus and concentration. This ability to focus would enhance a human being’s physical and spiritual abilities, transcending the common way. This philosophy is central to all forms of yoga.

The next period in the history of yoga is known as the pre-classical, and lasted until approximately 200 C.E. Unlike the Vedas, the texts from this period were meant for society’s elite, and were not intended to be public knowledge. However, its teaching were passed along from gurus and made their way down to the common man.

To the prior teachings of yoga was added the concept of universal connectedness: another essential principle of the practice. The stories derived from these texts also became the allegories which formed the foundation of yoga meditations.

One story tells how the god Krishna instructed prince Arjuna to free himself from the bonds of earthly life and connect to the invisible. Arjuna wanted to set his own soul free. Krishna gave him a path to follow which would enable the prince to be victorious: he needed to practice yogic exercises in order to obtain a keen mind and devotion, give up his own ego, and thereby attain the spiritual release he sought.

During the post-classical period (after 200 C.E), the practice of yoga made a fundamental shift. Prior to this time, the main focus had been on the spiritual goals of yoga: meditation to free the spirit and soul. Now, the attainment of physical strength and well-being became important as well. The body came to be seen as a vital vessel containing the soul, and yoga began to be used as a vehicle to sustain health and encourage a long life on this earth.

Anyone well acquainted with the practice can see how modern yoga incorporates all of the principles which have evolved over centuries. Different types of yoga may focus on certain principles more than others, but they all come from the same basic roots.

A yoga regimen is an important part of a holistic program for many health-conscious Americans, helping them achieve greater spiritual peace and physical well-being. Its beginnings were ancient, but the fact that yoga is more popular than ever today is a testament to its ability to help people live happier, more productive lives.

For more information about yoga and other topics of interest, get connected with the holistic health directory at Portal To Awakening (http://portaltoawakening.com). Art Gib is a freelance writer.

Some common examples of meditating on a function are - breath awareness meditation and walking meditation. There are other lesser know examples, such as meditating while painting, drawing, drumming, writing, dancing, and many more creative pursuits.

In Yoga classes, the most common of the above-mentioned meditation techniques is breath awareness meditation. If you sit quietly in an isolated room, without any background noise, and close your eyes, it is easy to become aware of your breathing.

This is a function we give very little thought to, unless we are trained to make breathing more important in our lives. Some coaches of competitive sports, train athletes to focus on the importance of dynamic breathing techniques. The difference in an athlete’s performance can be quite dramatic.

An athlete becomes more balanced during a performance, as a result of focusing on breath awareness. He or she can perform better, longer, faster, and stronger, due to controlling his or her breath during competition and practice.

If you want to practice breath awareness meditation, sitting up straight is the beginning of preparation. You can perform this anywhere you go. Some of my students perform breath awareness while waiting to meet their physician.

Many people rush to a doctor’s appointment, only to wait in one room and then wait in another. Waiting to see a surgeon for an appointment, or check up, can last hours. Instead of creating anxiety in the waiting room, and the exam room, one can practice meditation, which results in optimum blood pressure readings and a relaxed frame of mind.

You can perform breath awareness meditation in a chair, when you are in public places, or on the floor at home. The primary emphasis is to focus on your navel, expanding out slowly during inhales, and to slowly draw the navel in toward the spine on exhales.

If a student has spent a lifetime of breathing incorrectly, it may be better to focus on slowly drawing the navel in toward the spine during exhalations and relaxing during the inhalations.

As you continue this practice, become aware of the expansion and contraction of your lungs in every possible direction. There is no force needed. This is just a natural breath, but with time your lungs will be able to expand completely.

This method can be practiced with eyes opened or closed. It is most commonly taught with the eyes closed; most students become more aware of sound when the eyes are closed. If this happens to you, experience the sounds of life, and do not judge them.

Your sessions can be as long as you like, but five minutes is a good start. When teaching this method to groups in auditoriums, and meeting rooms, participants remark at how much better they feel after a five minute introduction to breath awareness. This is why you commonly see this meditation method taught in introductory Yoga classes.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Reading aura colors can teach you a lot about a person or even about yourself, and can clue you into how someone is feeling, what they are doing, or what kind of person they are. The mistake that most people make when learning to read auras is thinking that color definitions are cut and dried.

Learning about color meanings is a complex and time consuming process all by itself. If you are trying to learn about color meanings, you will have to study how each individual shade takes form and what its meanings are.

If you think for a second that red is just red, then head to the nearest paint store and look at all of the hundreds of different shades of each color there are on display. A slight difference can actually be a very big deal when it comes to aura readings. It is important to seek the meanings in the shades.

You can think of an aura, in a way, as a coat of many colors. While most people have a predominant color scheme in their auras, there are also many different variations possible. What you are doing, the people you are around, and many other factors can introduce new splashes of colors into your aura. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can have an effect on you, so it is wise to be aware of it.

1) Colors Affecting Auras

It is possible to have a color other than your own tingeing your aura. If someone else has strong feelings about who you are or who you should be, then they may put some of their own energy into your aura, which can affect the color.

If your father wants you to go to law school and puts pressure on you to do so, his own energy may infect your aura. If you are not aware of how to cleanse it, then you may end up with a great deal of confusion and inner turmoil because of the dirt or residue on your own aura.

2) Some Basic Colors and Meanings

Clear White can indicate someone with a very high spiritual vibration. They may seem godly, divine, or otherwise inspired. It can also indicate someone who can see the spiritual big picture, or who is compassionate.

Cloudy White can indicate someone with religious energy, although they may be lacking consciousness. It can also indicate some kind of cover-up, or denial, and can indicate someone who is good at the expense of being whole.

Pink can indicate someone who loves themselves and who is a tender person. It is generally a female or gay energy, and indicates a person who is nice rather than honest, and who places an emphasis on appearance.

Red can indicate anger, passion, frustration, or determination. It can be an indication of your life force or of menstruation, a sense of your own importance, or even the feeling of being overwhelmed by a change in your life.

Orange can indicate sensuality or pleasure in the physical sense, emotional expression, creativity, vitality and health, or creativity. It can also indicate that you are being unreasonable or that you are lacking self-discipline.

Yellow can indicate a person who is happy, optimistic, child-like, or innocent. It can also indicate mental alertness and analytical thought, a person who thinks instead of feeling, or a person who is very ego driven.

Green can indicate peace, nurturing, growth (especially new growth), balance and healing. It can also indicate someone who feels an intense need of security or a feeling of envy.

Blue can indicate someone who is free thinking, organized, fond of structure, or who communicates verbally. It can also indicate masculine energy, sadness, or potentiality or possibility.

Purple can indicate a person who is wise or someone who is in authority. It is generally a more feminine or matriarchal person, and can also indicate someone who is imaginative, intuitive, controlling, or who has a sense of superiority.

Brown can indicate someone who is well grounded or down to earth and practical. It is generally indicative of male energies, but can also be invalidating, emphasizing the body while denying the spirit, and can show a feeling of worthlessness.

Black can indicate someone with issues relating to death, hatred, or a lack of forgiveness. They may have unresolved karma, some kind of dark intentions, or a kind of shadow games. It may also be someone who needs compassion for themselves.

Gold can indicate a high spiritual vibration, a sense of integrity, freedom, respect, or an integrating of the body and spirit. It can also indicate someone who is clear-sighted.

Learn Aura Color Interpretation and meditation techniques using our FREE resources! Also, get your amazingly accurate FREE Tarot readings and know what your future has in store for you and your loved ones! Free compatibility reports also available for you!

Much attention should be paid to spinal alignment, at the beginning, and during, your meditation sessions. In some Yoga classes, you may be instructed to sit in Padmasana (lotus posture). As you will learn, this is not entirely correct for every student, but the reasons for choosing Padmasana are logical.

With the legs crossed, they serve as a strong base, which keep the spine straight, so that energy will flow throughout the body; especially up and down the spine. Yet, this posture is not good for everyone because of the stress put on the knees. In some cases, forcing students to sit in the lotus posture will stress the ligaments within the knee joint.

In the case of knees that do not conform to lotus posture, half lotus (Ardha Padmasana) is often chosen as a secondary posture. Sukasana (easy posture) is also a stable choice for meditation. Modifications can be made by placing blankets under the knees or sitting on the blanket.

When I first began to meditate, we learned to sit in Vajrasana (thunderbolt posture), which is also called, “Seiza” (kneeling posture), in many Japanese and Okinawan martial arts schools. The kneeling posture also keeps the spine very straight, and this posture can be modified by sitting on a bolster or a rolled blanket, which runs between the legs and under the pelvis.

There is also another common modification - by placing a blanket or pillows between the calves and leg biceps. Again, the purpose is to take stress off the knees, which makes it easier for a practitioner to sit in meditation a bit longer.

As you can see, there are many choices, but the primary objective is to sit with the spine in a straight position. Some people choose to sit on a “Zafu,” which is a round cushion. Traditionally, a Zafu was black, about 14 inches in diameter, and 8 inches thick. These days, you can find them in a multitude of colors and ergonomic designs.

This leads into the idea of meditation props. There are a variety of meditation chairs, pillows, benches, cushions, and Salubrion Seats to choose from. In fact, you don’t have to sit at all. Some people practice meditation from a standing position, and there is also the option to do a walking meditation.

At all times, the spine is held straight. When you think about all of the above-mentioned options for meditation, choose a posture, which you can hold without discomfort. If you want to stay with your meditation practice, comfort is part of the equation. People who feel they must suffer through a posture will not continue to expand their meditation practice.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

Each of us will approach this issue differently. For some of us, the particular place where we mediate daily is very important. Some people decorate the place where they meditate to resemble a special place, a holy place, or a retreat.

If you choose to create a meditation space, it must be free from clutter. The reason being, clutter can stir up negative feelings, which disrupt your daily sessions. An open space, that is free of clutter, works best for most of us.

Some meditation practitioners take special care to practice in areas that are free from telephones and communication devices. To continue with this point, many of us need to unplug ourselves from technology. Unless you are on call 24 hours a day, you should leave communication devices aside during your practice.

If you practice a form of walking meditation, the idea of creating a special place for meditation, may seem to be a waste of time. In fact, meditation can be practiced at any time, in any place, but the meditative experience itself will vary with your practice and surroundings.

Motivation is a life-changing force. When a practitioner realizes the benefits of meditation, and becomes motivated enough to create a sacred space for it, chances are that he or she will continue to practice for years to come.

One advantage to making a place for your meditation practice is when circumstances change. Sometimes, our sleep patterns change or the weather becomes rough. At that point, it is nice to sit in a quiet place and meditate in a special place.

Practicing Meditation With Pets in the House

The following is a meditation story and an experiment for pet owners. The common practice is to leave pets aside while meditating. It has been my observation that most pets tend to approach us calmly, while we are meditating. If a young puppy is in this house, this may not always be so, but mature dogs develop a good sense about when humans need space.

In the case of domestic cats, it has been my experience that they were attracted, like magnets, to the human who is practicing meditation. If this disturbs you, by all means close the door to the room you are meditating in, but do not be surprised if your cat lightly scratches or cries on the other side of the door. Sometimes, dogs react in a similar manner.

At one time, we had five cats in our house - three lived upstairs and two lived downstairs. Cats can sometimes be very territorial in regard to their floor or space. Unlike dogs, cats do not usually have a pack leader or a collective social network. Some cats prefer their own company, but usually acknowledge the humans who feed them.

Although I practice meditation in many places, I usually meditate on the living room floor in the morning, at night, or both. There are no doors to the living room, so the cats have free access. Since the beginning of practicing meditation on the floor, the cats sit on the floor within arms reach.

When we had five cats, it was not uncommon for them to declare a truce and park themselves next to the meditating human. Interestingly, they would begin to purr in unison.

For cats, purring is their sign of pure contentment. After the meditation session was over, everything gradually went back to normal and their territorial boundaries resumed. It seems that our meditation practice affects everything around us for the best.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

There are methods that help your body unwind before a meditation session. A bath, shower, massage, and asana practice have one thing in common - the muscles relax as a result. When your muscles are relaxed, it is much easier to meditate.

In a typical Hatha Yoga class, it is common to practice meditation at the end of class. Some teachers choose to guide students through a meditation, at the beginning, and at the end of class. In Kundalini classes, students perform flowing movements, between asanas, but do not usually hold a static posture.

Regardless of the method practiced, students who practice meditation with their muscles relaxed, notice a marked difference in their meditation sessions. Tense muscles create a tense mind, which makes the meditative experience difficult at best.

The sensations of sight, smell, and sound also play a role in your meditation practice. Each of us is different, so what works for one person may not work for another. Therefore, respond to your senses naturally, without worry or conflict.

Sight: Should Your Eyes be Closed or Open?

Some people have no problem with meditating and keeping their eyes open. We call this technique “steady gaze” meditation in English, but it is also called Tratak, Trataka, or Drishti. Regardless of the term used, or the style of Yoga you practice, the gaze is soft, but focused on a particular point.

Steady gaze meditation is said to improve vision, and it definitely is rewarding for its ability to focus the mind. It seems that someone, who can successfully practice steady gaze meditation, will not encounter difficulties with any other methods. Teachers resist labeling techniques, but steady gaze meditation is an advanced meditation technique.

Smell: Candles and Incense

Some meditation practitioners use candles or incense during their practice, while others completely dislike the sensation. If you use scents, they should be light and should not cause a distraction. Just like any other sensation, smells can be overwhelming.

If a group is using candles for a steady gaze meditation, it would be advisable to use unscented candles. It is guaranteed that, at least, one class member will be sensitive to the odor of scented candles.

Sound: Music and Guided Meditation CDs

For some people, everything must be quiet. They demand complete silence. They unplug the phone, put their pets away, and practice meditation in complete silence. There is nothing wrong with this, but the world is full of sound.

Traffic, crickets, birds, children, or family members waking up, are not the end of the world. Music and guided meditation CDs, played lightly, tend to melt into the background and drown distracting sounds at the same time.

However, each of us is different; you may want to experiment to know if CDs work for you or against you. There is no right or wrong, but being frustrated over the sounds of life is an internal conflict, which can lead to higher levels of stress, illness, or worse.

Part of the reason for a meditation practice is to develop states of tranquility and inner peace. The last thing you want to do is turn meditation into an internal conflict - or a conflict with anything.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html

If you participate in a meditation group, or a Yoga class, there is always a desire to practice at home. Sometimes, meditation groups meet for a session and slowly disband. Now, you have decided to continue where your group left off.

On the other hand, you may be a complete beginner and perhaps you have read, or heard, about the many benefits of meditation; but where do you start and what are some valuable tips? Which form of meditation would be best to start with? Whether you have practiced before, or not, the following tips are designed to help you develop a steady meditation practice at home.

Make a Personal Meditation Appointment

Making a sincere appointment with yourself, and putting it in writing, is the first step. In this way, you can form a regular time to begin and end your daily practice. Most people find it easier to meditate in the early morning or late at night. When your house becomes quiet, this is the best time to meditate.

Whether you choose morning or night is not important. If you are an early riser, morning is a logical choice. However, if you have difficulty getting up in the morning, meditating at night will work best for you. You may be told that morning is the optimum time for meditation, but if you are currently having trouble getting to work on time, why would you choose to shorten your sleep cycle?

Here is a sound reason for rising early: Once you form a habit of waking early, within a day, or two, you will begin to go to bed earlier. Your sleep cycle will naturally default to the same amount of sleep. This is much similar to how your body adjusts when traveling through time zones.

Yet, some people resist waking up earlier, as if it were “the plague.” If you fall into this category, there is no need to cause inner turmoil, just make an appointment to meditate at night.

How Long Should My Meditation Sessions Last?

The average guideline, for a meditation session, is 20 minutes for a minimum practice. Many advanced practitioners have longer sessions because meditation has become a rewarding experience.

If you have set aside the time, the amount of time practicing is not as important as the quality of the experience. For example: If you manage to focus your mind and reach a state of awareness, the amount of time it takes is irrelevant.

Twenty minutes of fidgeting and self-judgment is a waste of meditation time, but it is a lesson in patience and developing inner calm. This experience will frustrate you and serve as an obstacle to your meditation practice, but the deeper reward is to learn from past mistakes. In some cases, you would be better off to try 5 to 10 minute sessions, just to make a habit of training your mind toward tranquility.

Sessions that bring about states of relaxation will eventually develop into a deeper meditation experience. This also brings attention to the frame of mind you have before meditating: Approach each session without judgment. Approaching each session, without self-criticism, sets the foundation of your practice.

This also explains why some people cannot meditate without the guidance of a teacher. We often talk about “mind chatter,” but it is usually random and unorganized thought. In the case of constant self-criticism, this is also a form of negative mind chatter, which serves to work against us.

Everyone has negative thoughts, but most of them are fear based and are not rooted in reality. We all have the potential to purge negative thoughts from our minds, if we choose to do so. This is why meditation is so valuable - you have the ability to change everything around you by cultivating positive thought.

Copyright 2008 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center in, Attleboro, MA. To receive Free Yoga videos, Podcasts, e-Books, reports, and articles about Yoga, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/member-offer.html