Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Todd Goldfarb at the We The Change blog.
Meditation is the art of focusing 100% of your attention in one area. The practice comes with a myriad of well-publicized health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness.
Although a great number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, a small percentage actually stick with it for the long-term. This is unfortunate, and a possible reason is that many beginners do not begin with a mindset needed to make the practice sustainable.
The purpose of this article is to provide 20 practical recommendations to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation over the long term:
1) Make it a formal practice. You will only get to the next level in meditation by setting aside specific time (preferably two times a day) to be still.
2) Start with the breath. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is an ideal way to begin practice.
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3) Stretch first. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching starts the process of “going inward” and brings added attention to the body.
4) Meditate with Purpose. Beginners must understand that meditation is an ACTIVE process. The art of focusing your attention to a single point is hard work, and you have to be purposefully engaged!
5) Notice frustration creep up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think “hey, what am I doing here” or “why can’t I just quiet my damn mind already”. When this happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.
6) Experiment. Although many of us think of effective meditation as a Yogi sitting cross-legged beneath a Bonzi tree, beginners should be more experimental and try different types of meditation. Try sitting, lying, eyes open, eyes closed, etc.
7) Feel your body parts. A great practice for beginning meditators is to take notice of the body when a meditative state starts to take hold. Once the mind quiets, put all your attention to the feet and then slowly move your way up the body (include your internal organs). This is very healthy and an indicator that you are on the right path.
8) Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. Make sure it is not the same room where you do work, exercise, or sleep. Place candles and other spiritual paraphernalia in the room to help you feel at ease.
9) Read a book (or two) on meditation. Preferably an instructional guide AND one that describes the benefits of deep meditative states. This will get you motivated. John Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are
is terrific for beginners.
10) Commit for the long haul. Meditation is a life-long practice, and you will benefit most by NOT examining the results of your daily practice. Just do the best you can every day, and then let it go!
11) Listen to instructional tapes and CDs.
12) Generate moments of awareness during the day. Finding your breath and “being present” while not in formal practice is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation habits.
13) Make sure you will not be disturbed. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not insuring peaceful practice conditions. If you have it in the back of your mind that the phone might ring, your kids might wake, or your coffee pot might whistle than you will not be able to attain a state of deep relaxation.
14) Notice small adjustments. For beginning meditators, the slightest physical movements can transform a meditative practice from one of frustration to one of renewal. These adjustments may be barely noticeable to an observer, but they can mean everything for your practice.
15) Use a candle. Meditating with eyes closed can be challenging for a beginner. Lighting a candle and using it as your point of focus allows you to strengthen your attention with a visual cue. This can be very powerful.
16) Do NOT Stress. This may be the most important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. No matter what happens during your meditation practice, do not stress about it. This includes being nervous before meditating and angry afterwards. Meditation is what it is, and just do the best you can at the time.
17) Do it together. Meditating with a partner or loved one can have many wonderful benefits, and can improve your practice. However, it is necessary to make sure that you set agreed-upon ground rules before you begin!
18) Meditate early in the morning. Without a doubt, early morning is an ideal
time to practice: it is quieter, your mind is not filled with the usual clutter, and there is less chance you will be disturbed. Make it a habit to get up half an hour earlier to meditate.
19) Be Grateful at the end. Once your practice is through, spend 2-3 minutes feeling appreciative of the opportunity to practice and your mind’s ability to focus.
20) Notice when your interest in meditation begins to wane. Meditation is
hard work, and you will inevitably come to a point where it seemingly does not fit into the picture anymore. THIS is when you need your practice the most and I recommend you go back to the book(s) or the CD’s you listened to and become re-invigorated with the practice. Chances are that losing the ability to focus on meditation is parallel with your inability to focus in other areas of your life!
Meditation is an absolutely wonderful practice, but can be very difficult in the beginning. Use the tips described in this article to get your practice to the next level!
译文:
冥想初学者：20条让你平静下来的实用贴士
冥想是一种把你自己的注意力百分百地集中在某一个方面的艺术。它对人的健康非常有益，其中公认的一些裨益主要有提高人的注意力，减少人的焦虑，并且让人产生幸福感。
然而，尽管很多人都尝试过冥想，一次或是几次，但是很少有人能够长期坚持。这是非常可惜的，可能的一个原因或许是因为作为初学者，并没有很强的意愿把这一练习持之以恒。
这篇文章的用意就是为初学者提供20条实用的建议，借此帮助他们顺利完出初期的练习，尤其是克服一些初期的困难，从而可以长期的把这一过程进行下去。
1、正式冥想这一练习：你只有抽出特定的时间让自己平静下来，一般最好的频率是每天两次，这样你才能进入冥想的下一个阶段。
2、从呼吸开始：一开始，要深呼吸以减缓自己的心跳速率，放松肌体并把自己的精神集中起来。
3、先舒展身体：舒展全身的筋骨，选择一个比较舒适的坐姿。此外，舒展是“进入自我状态”第一步，可以把其他的注意力都集中到自己身上。
4、冥想要有的放矢：初学者必须明白冥想是一个主动性很强的过程。事实上要把你的注意力集中在某一点是非常困难的，因此你必须有目的地投入到这一过程中。
5、警惕产生的挫折感：对每一个初学者而言，产生诸如“哦，我在做什么”或是“为什么我不能让自己安静下来”的疑问是很正常的。而当这些疑问产生的时候，要尽量把你的注意力集中在你的呼吸上，别去想这些挫折感，让它自然而然地离去。
6、尝试：也许大多数的人都认为有效的冥想是从瑜伽式的莲花座、盆景树（a Bonzi tree）下的呼吸开始。其实作为初学者可以尝试多种冥思的方式，从而找到适合自己的，比如坐着冥思，或是躺着，眼睛可以睁开也可以闭上，等等。
7、感觉到你自己身体各部分的感受：对于初学者，冥想最好的方式就是当你处于冥想状态后要注意你身体各处的感觉。一旦你平静下来，把你所有的注意力都集中到脚上，然后慢慢地沿着身体向上移动你的注意点，记得除了注意你外在的机体也要关注你身体内的各种器官。这是非常健康有意的方式，并且这也意味着你已经用正确的方式进入到冥想的状态。
8、冥想的时候选择一间特定的屋子：你要确保你冥想的地方不是你工作、活动或是睡觉的屋子。此外，可以在你冥想的屋子点一些蜡烛或是其他一些有助于精神放松的用品。
9、读一些有关冥想的书，1至2本即可：在选择书籍的时候，最好是一些引导性的或是描述一些进入深度冥想状态的益处的书。这些书可以有效的激励你。比如卡巴辛的《去到哪都是你》这本书，对于初学者而言就非常不错。
10、保证长期坚持：冥想是一种长期性的练习，也只有通过长期的过程你才能真正受益，而试图通过一天的练习就发现它的好处是不可能的。所以只要坚持做好你每天所能做到的就成，然后顺其自然自就会水到渠成。
11、听一些引导性的磁带或是CD。
12、每天自己创造一些注意时刻：即便不是正式冥想练习，也可以尝试去感受你的呼吸，感觉你的自我存在，而这是养成冥想习惯的有效练习。
13、保证你不会被打扰：对于初学者而言，最大的失误就是不能给自己营造一个非常安静的练习环境。如果你脑中一直惦记着电话会响，孩子会醒或是你煮的咖啡会开，那么你就无法保持一个深度的放松状态。
14、注意一些细节的调整：对于冥想的初学者，一个身体动作的细微改变就可以把原本很有挫败感的冥想状态改成成一种全新的状态。也许这些改变不容易被观察者发觉，但是对于初学者本人而言就意味着一切，或许就是一个成功的开始。
15、点一根蜡烛：也许闭上眼睛冥想对于初学者而言有点挑战。那么点一根蜡烛，把你的注意力集中在烛光上，这样运用一些可视化的引导就可以集中你的精神。这以作用是非常凑效的。
16、不要紧张：这对于初学者而言是最重要的一个贴士，同样这也是最难达到的一点。不管在你冥想过程中发生什么，不要为此感到紧张。这包括冥想开始前的紧张和结束后的愤怒。冥想没有固定的状态，你只要在冥想过程中尽量做好就可以了。
17、和别人一起冥想：和你的伙伴或是爱人一起做，这会有许多意想不到的好处，并且提神你的练习能力。然而，你必须确保的是在冥想之前你和你的伙伴能达成一致的规则。
18、在早晨做冥想：毫无疑问的是早晨是做冥想的最理想时间。因为早上比较清净，你的思想也没有被通常的琐事所打搅，而且这个时间段被打扰的机率也比较小。所以可以养成一个习惯，每天提早半个小时起床做冥想，
19、结束的时候要有感激之情：当你的冥想结束时，花两三分钟的时间对这次可以冥想的机会和你可以集中精神的能力表示感谢。
20、当你对于冥想的兴趣有所减退的时候要引起注意：冥想是一个非常有挑战的工作，因此你会不可避免的感到自己似乎已经到达了无法再适应的程度。而一旦到了这个阶段你最需要的也就是坚持下去，在此我建议你可以再看下你一开始读的书或是听一下你曾听过的音乐，重新精力充沛的投入到冥想中。其实当你在冥想中无法集中精神的时候，相应地，你在生活其他方面也是无法集中精神的。
冥想无疑是非常有意的一种活动，但是在开始练习的时候是非常困难的。运用上述的一些贴士希望能帮助你的练习到达下一个阶段。