Think only about when you breathe in and when you breathe out.
Focusing on your breath helps you develop the ability to concentrate and it also releases restlessness and anxiety. Some Mindful Meditation programs recommend counting after each breath as a way to stay focused. After you breathe out, count one. Then, breathe in and out and count two. Keep going until you reach five, and then start over again at one.
This helps you focus entirely on your breathing and regulate your breathing in a slow fashion so as not to cause your body to hyperventilate!
For the rest of your meditative process, no matter what happens— if you feel uncomfortable, if you feel pain, if you can’ t focus, if you get distracted— you can always return to the act of focusing on your breath to bring you back to the present.
Tip # 5: Feel Your Body
As you breathe in and out, allow yourself to become aware of your body. Feel your heart rate drop and your body relax. Pay attention to your senses... are you smelling things more clearly? Is your hearing advanced?
Don’ t allow these senses to overwhelm you— if they do, they’ ll distract you. Just connect your brain with your body and allow yourself to be aware that they are one and will always be one.
Once your mind is quiet, you can focus a bit more on your body. Focus your attention on your feet and then work your way up your body. Include your internal organs, if you are so inclined.
Tip # 6: Be Aware Of Frustration
The act of quieting your mind doesn’ t come easy. If it did, meditation wouldn’ t exist( or every person in the world would practice it all the time)!
It’ s very common for beginners to get frustrated during meditation. You may be irritated by external influences or you may be irritated with yourself and your inability to just focus your darn mind.
Know that this happens to everyone when they begin meditation. With the crazy amount of responsibility and external stimuli that the average person has to deal with every single day, it’ s no wonder that the act of achieving a clear and peaceful mind is such hard work.
Author: Romeo Seymonson