Sign up for Lift’s March Meditation Challenge
Your first Meditation sessions may leave you feeling frustrated. I know I was after falling asleep during my first try. We asked Lifter and regular meditator Jason Shen for advice to share with people just starting out.
Transcript after the jump.
What tips do you have for people new to meditation?
“There is a lot out there about getting started with meditation and I think it can get really intimidating. There are a lot of different styles of meditation and I think it’s important to start by picking what works for you. Don’t get obsessed over “Am I going to do the breath type or am I going to do the object focus type, that doesn’t really matter. I do a breath count and that works for me. Second thing is, during the meditation, it can be frustrating to find your mind wandering as you count. I’ve had this conversation in my head before:
One.
Two.
“Oh, what am I going to eat later today?”
Three
“When am I going to email so-and-so back.”
It can be frustrating to feel like you are messing up the meditation, like you’re not doing doing a great job, but the whole point of meditation is recognizing when that happens and then bringing it back to the present. If I equate meditation to weightlifting, that’s the rep, you lost yourself and then you bring it back, that’s when you are strengthening your mental muscle. Don’t get discouraged if you get distracted, just remember to bring it back to the present moment.”
Have a tip? Tweet it out with hashtag #marchmeditation.
