5 Ways to Meditate Effectively

I always wonder if I’m doing something correctly. I used to feel frustrated when I went to meditation classes and teachers used to say there’s no right way to meditate.

I’ve mentioned in an earlier blog that each person has their own unique journey and must find a form of meditation that agrees with them. This holds true. However, for me I’ve never really understood why certain meditations encourage you to drift off into bubbles of sun, sand and serenity and when you return to your own reality with a thump, I’ve always found – others may disagree – that the calm, trouble free state I am supposed to experience is null and void.

And when I’ve talked to other meditators, some of them wax lyrical about the colours they’ve seen, which dimensions they’ve travelled to and what they’ve visualised. It’s fine what others have experienced but I’ve questioned further whether this is effective meditation.

Meditation is not about drifting off into another perfect reality and leaving your own. That way you’d be floating through life and not really experiencing anything. Better, would be to feel the sensations of your meditation. I’ve compiled some tips based on my own years of experience practicing meditation. Please feel free to leave any comments about any other tips you may have.

The Meditation Breath

Boring as this may seem to some, when you close your eyes to begin your meditation session, act like an observer. Watch, listen and most importantly feel your breath.

When you breathe in and out, feel your belly rise and fall. Don’t worry if it’s not very obvious to begin with. The rhythm of your breath will become more prominent as you practice more meditation.

Sit Comfortably and Feel Your Meditation

I normally sit comfortable on the edge of the sofa or in a chair with my feet planted firmly on the ground. Others may like to practice sitting cross legged on the floor. Whatever your preferred method of sitting, lying down or even, try and feel sensations through your feet if you’re seated or your back if you’re lying down.

Practice an Active Meditaton

When I first started meditation more than 10 years ago, I felt that after the initial chatter went away and that I was listening to the breath, the tendency was to drift off almost into a deep sleep. Meditation gives you many excellent health benefits – sleep is one of them – but the purpose of meditation is also to develop your awareness. So try not to drift off into sleep if you can. Stay observing your breath and make it a gentle exercise to stay focused and feel the sensations from the meditation; you may feel tingling in your feet or the tips of your fingers or feel a ripple through your heart centre. Stay with your sensations.

Observe Your Emotions in Meditation

When I started out in meditation, I realised very bizarrely that I would think about food; what I would eat and visualise this food. Many other mundane thoughts would rattle through my brain. Initially I would scold myself for these thought patterns because I felt there should be silence when in a meditative state.

However, this is not the case. Many leading gurus say in meditation you are going to experience rambling thoughts. It’s not wrong to experience this. The key to effective meditation is to be the spectactor of these thoughts. Imagine you’re at a football match and you’re the commentator in a box. As a meditator, you will be the commentator observing. You may experience a range of emotions from happiness to misery. Whatever comes up, try not to judge but just observe.

Feel the Energy of Your Meditation

When you travel further into your meditative journey, you’ll begin to learn about how we are all made up of different energies. Depending on the class you attend, there will be emphasis on reaching for the light, aiming for the light, whatever the phrase a tutor will use. Remember our light is within us. We don’t have to reach outside ourselves to elevate ourselves into a light space and therefore feel better. The light is within each and every one of us and it’s upto us to work through our issues, concerns, fears and worries to become happier, healthier beings.

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