What’s a good meditation for beginners?

Our beginner classes introduce basic meditation techniques, helping you establish a solid foundation. Experience guided sessions that foster relaxation and mindfulness while learning the essentials of meditation

One kind of meditation technique that’s good for beginners is a body scan meditation, which helps you check in with your body by mentally scanning each part.

Imagine a photocopier slowly moving over you, from your head to your toes, detecting any sensations in the body. As you scan down, you notice which parts feel relaxed or tense, comfortable or uncomfortable, light or heavy. And you do your best to recognize how you’re feeling without judging yourself or trying to change what you feel. Research shows that practicing regular body scans can help reduce stress-induced hormones.

Want to give it a try? With your eyes closed, bring your focus to the top of your head. Slowly, begin to scan down. Spend about 20 seconds noticing how each body part feels, then move on to the next. Move from the head to the eyebrows, eyes and ears, your nose, mouth, and throat. Keep scanning down the neck and shoulders, the chest and arms, down to the toes.

When you get distracted by a thought, notice it, let it go, and return your focus to the area of the body you we last left off. When you finish the body scan, open your eyes.

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How to Meditate

Meditation is something everyone can do, here’s how.

Meditation is simpler (and harder) than most people think. Read these steps, make sure you’re somewhere where you can relax into this process, set a timer, and give it a shot:

1) Take a seat

Find place to sit that feels calm and quiet to you.

2) Set a time limit

If you’re just beginning, it can help to choose a short time, such as five or 10 minutes.

3) Notice your body

You can sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, you can sit loosely cross-legged, you can kneel—all are fine. Just make sure you are stable and in a position you can stay in for a while.

4) Feel your breath

Follow the sensation of your breath as it goes in and as it goes out.

5) Notice when your mind has wandered

Inevitably, your attention will leave the breath and wander to other places. When you get around to noticing that your mind has wandered—in a few seconds, a minute, five minutes—simply return your attention to the breath.

6) Be kind to your wandering mind

Don’t judge yourself or obsess over the thoughts’ content you find yourself lost in. Just come back.

7) Close with kindness

When you’re ready, gently lift your gaze (if your eyes are closed, open them). Take a moment and notice any sounds in the environment. Notice how your body feels right now. Notice your thoughts and emotions.

That’s it! That’s the practice. You focus your attention, your mind wanders, you bring it back, and you try to do it as kindly as possible (as many times as you need to).