Best Daily Meditation Techniques for Serenity

Learning to meditate is an activity which will quickly bring you a sense of peace, calm, serenity and relaxation. Meditation can lower your blood pressure and help you feel "centered" all day long. However, many people are afraid to to commit to a daily meditation because they think that they cannot sit still that long, will not know what to do, or they believe that it will not work for them. They are worrying too much and trying too hard.

Some meditation instructors insist that you can begin to meditate in the time it takes to just take two deep, long breaths. Concentrate on the breathing. Inhale to the count of four, hold the breath to the count of five, exhale to the count of seven. Repeat. In just that short length of time, you will have concentrated on your breath, rather than on whatever else you may have on your mind. You will have filled your lungs with oxygen. You will have relaxed. You are already learning to meditate!

Relaxation does not have to take a long time. Even five minutes may be a great way to start. In addition, you do not need any special equipment; nor do you need to sign up for a meditation class. You can do it in your own time and in a place which is comfortable for you. You set the length of time, and what you want to think about while you meditate. So, let's relax a bit and learn some simple meditation techniques which anyone can do.

Some people have even found that their relationships are improved when they use a technique called "compassionate meditation." This is when you intentionally meditate about other people and wish good things for them. In your mind, you look at them with kindness, gentleness and compassion. When you do this daily and include as many people as possible who you know, you will eventually discover that you have a far better relationship with most of them.

In other words, meditation can be life changing. Practicing meditation on a daily basis has certainly made it easier for me to relax, sleep and feel at peace.

First, in order to meditate in peace, you need to find a little time to yourself...even 5 to 15 minutes a day is long enough to reap the benefits of meditation. You do not have to be completely alone. A child playing or watching TV in the next room need not disturb you. Just find some time when you can sit by yourself for a while.

Get in the mood for meditation. Play some soft, gentle music (without lyrics), or you can use a "sound" machine which plays sounds of waterfalls, ocean waves, etc. Softly running a fan in the background can help. You just need something soothing which will block out most of the background noise.

These first two steps in preparing for meditation need only a minute or two to set up...going into a separate room and playing a CD or turning on a fan. Now, find a position which is COMFORTABLE FOR YOU. Meditation is all about comfort. You can lay flat on your back on the floor in the yoga "corpse" position. You can lay on your back with your feet up the wall, which is excellent for people with back problems. In addition, you can sit on the floor cross-legged or in any other comfortable position. You can also sit in a chair.

Now, you are ready to begin the relaxation stage of meditation. You've put on some music and sat down. That wasn't hard. To begin your meditation, just close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths. As soon as you begin to relax, almost immediately a thousand thoughts will pop into your head. That's normal. These are all the thoughts that have been trying to get your attention...like little children. Let them in. Give them attention. Think about them, and then decide that you'll take care of these things after your meditation.

Next, begin to meditate by just listening. Some meditators advise you to empty your mind. But, of course, that never happens for most of us. It may be helpful to purchase a meditation tape that has soothing background music and a gentle voice guiding your meditation. By listening to the speaker, you are able to tune out the thoughts that keep running through your mind.

If you prefer to just listen to the music, another way to guide your own meditation is to pretend you are just listening for someone to tell you something. Amazingly, most of the time when we do this, a thought will come into our mind. I've meditated with other people and, afterwards, we'll talk about the thoughts that popped into our minds. Even in the same room, we'll all have different images or phrases that came into our minds. "Trust", "Have Faith", "Play", "Don't Give Up", "It Will Be Alright", "Be Patient" are just some of the affirmations that people have received from meditation.

End your meditation by sitting up, if you were lying down. Take a few deep breaths. Then, chant "Omm" a few times. The vibration of this chanting is good for your nasal passages and it is also a relaxing way to end your meditation!

It’s as simple as that. Anyone can do it, and reap the peaceful benefits. Once you have practiced meditation a few times, you will also find the peace, joy and relaxation that many others have received through daily meditation. The more often you practice meditation as part of your daily life, the more benefits you will see. You may have less stress, lower blood pressure and an easier time falling asleep. All of these a common benefits of regular meditation.