First Practice

Review of Your First Practice

Did you want to stop after a minute or two?

If you struggled to relax, or felt like you needed to get up and find entertainment–don’t worry. Especially for beginners, it is very common to feel uncomfortable during meditation. Experienced meditator Michael Taft explains that a “misconception is that meditation is something that is supposed to be blissful or pleasurable” (21). While it can be enjoyable, meditation is about being mindful of your current sensory experiences, even if they are unpleasant. 

As you continue to complete these practices, sitting still will gradually become easier. But don’t stress if you feel agitated in your first meditations. It is a completely normal experience. This guide is designed to help you overcome that discomfort, and eventually reach the point where meditation is a calming practice to help you face life’s challenges with strength.

Did your attention drift to external distractions?

Minimizing external distractions is very important to effective meditation. If there’s a lot going on in the background of your practice, it is difficult to keep your mind focused on the exercise. For your first few weeks of mindfulness meditation find an area with minimal noise and distraction. Put your phone out of reach. Don’t play music or have a TV on in the background. Limiting external distractions and creating a relaxing environment can make your practices much more effective.

Don’t feel like you’re taking in enough air?

Try to keep your torso in an upright posture, in a way that keeps you from leaning forwards. Slouching over as you sit compresses your lungs, causing air to get stuck in them. Additionally, clear your nose before starting your practice. A clogged nose will similarly prevent air from reaching your stomach. If you can take in more air, it will be easier to extend your outbreaths and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Did your body tighten up during your practice?

It is important to be mindful of your shoulders, shoulder traps, and jaw, as it is natural for these to become tense as you proceed in an exercise. While this may be useful in other settings, this tension is not conducive to producing a relaxing practice. If you notice any of these three body parts tighten up, do your best to let them sink down and loosen into a natural position.

Have you noticed any internal distractions disturbing your peace?

The second type of distractions you need to be mindful of in meditation are those coming from inside your body; internal annoyances such as hunger, fatigue, or stress are troublesome in the same manner as external ones. 

I like to say that the mediation practice doesn’t begin when you sit down and start to breathe. Rather, it starts in the hours leading up to the session. Meditation becomes much more peaceful if you are able to have a good night of sleep, eat nutritious meals, get some exercise, or complete any other task ahead of time which improves the condition of your body. 

Recognizing and eliminating internal distractions can be difficult, as it takes time and practice to become aware of how they are affecting your body. Don’t feel discouraged if you initially struggle with these. Completing meditative exercises will train your mind and body to sense, recognize, and eliminate them. It takes time though, so patience is critical to learning to do so.

Did your mind go all over the place during your practice?

Mind wandering is a major obstacle in meditative practice. When there is nothing but the body to occupy your mind, it is natural for it to become distracted and drift away. One misconception of meditation is that you need to have no thoughts in your mind as you practice. As Taft explains, “The goal is not to empty your mind of thoughts; the goal is to pay attention to some aspect of your sensory experience” (21). In other words, you do not need to completely stop your thoughts; you just need to try to keep your focus on your body and breath, and refocus it when you notice it has wandered.

One way to keep your attention on the body is to focus on the sensation of breathing. As I explained earlier, the first way to do this is to keep your mind on the flow of air rushing in and out of your body. Secondly, gently place a hand on your stomach. If you are getting the air all the way through your lungs, you should feel it slowly expanding and contracting. Keeping your mind on these bodily sensations makes it much easier to not get distracted.

When you notice that you are thinking about something unrelated to the practice, acknowledge that your mind has wandered. This is a completely natural response, so there is no need to feel bad if your mind drifts away. After you acknowledge that it has wandered, try to consciously refocus your attention to your breath and body. As you do this more and more in your meditation exercises, it will gradually become easier to stop your mind from wandering in the future.

How do you extend the length of your practices?

One way to help yourself complete longer practices is to use a guided recording. If you would prefer to practice without one, try to set a timer for as long as you are comfortable with. Start with a 8-12 minute session, and don’t allow yourself to stop until the alarm rings. When you first start meditation, it is natural to want to get up after a minute or two of sitting still. Setting a timer is extremely helpful in completing longer practices.

If you can, also try completing these practices with another person. When you have somebody next to you also meditating, it can be much easier to stay in place and keep your mind on your body. 

Additional Recordings

Here are some other beginner-friendly guided meditations to use on the free app Insight Timer as you acclimate to mindfulness practice:

Breathwork and Chill: 6 minutes and 26 seconds

Breathwork to Slow Down: 8 minutes and 31 seconds

Breathwork For Stress Relief: 11 minutes and 2 seconds

How often should you do this?

At the start, I recommend shooting for one or two practices a day around 8-12 minutes in length. If you feel comfortable doing more, by all means go ahead. But try to complete at least one session a day. Use a guided recording, or set a timer for as long as you feel comfortable with. Below is a chart to help you track your practices. It includes a row to record the duration of each session, as well as a row to make notes on how the practice went.

Try these beginner exercises for a week before moving on in the program. Getting a solid grasp of the basics is crucial to progressing in your practices, so there is no need to rush into anything more until you are used to it.