How to Start a Meditation Practice

If you want to start meditating but don’t know how, you’ve come to the right place. We are dedicated meditators who love to share our passion and inspire others discover their own path to inner wellness.

Why Meditate? 

Some say the goal is stillness, clarity, total silence or inner peace. For me, meditation is a chance to come back to my core self. To remind myself that I am not just my thoughts. Meditation is a reminder to be present with anything that arises without judgement or reaction.

That’s not to say that you won’t react to your thoughts or judge what comes up while you’re sitting. Because you will. You've been conditioned to react to your triggers your whole life. And this is why we need meditation. To help us separate the real truth from the truth we tell ourselves.

The real beauty of meditation is that you learn become aware of when and how you're reacting and how to better control your emotions. Meditation enhances self awareness, reduces stress, controls anxiety and promotes emotional health.

Kelsey enjoys a Zabuton and Modern Zafu for her meditation practice.

One of the most important things you need to start meditating is the desire to meditate. So congratulations! You’ve already completed step one.

Everything else is personal preference. The best way to know what your preferences are is to try as many options as possible. Ask yourself the question listed below to help you determine the best place to start... then try as many different style and options as you can.

Questions to ask yourself;

• Do you prefer to sit or lay?
• Do you want to sit on the floor, meditation cushion or chair?
• Where will you lay? Will you fall asleep if you're on your bed? Is the floor comfy enough?
• Will you get cold if you're still for too long? Will you need extra blankets or props to be comfortable?
• Are you more focused in the morning or evening?
• Do you have a hard time falling asleep?  
• Where do you have space in your schedule?
• Do you want a verbal guided meditation?
• Do you want to sit in silence?
• Would you prefer nature sounds or soft music as a backdrop to your practice?
• Do you need to keep your hands busy with a beads or movement or a mudra?
• Do you need help keeping your hands still with Hand Weights?
• Can you handle external noise? Or do you need totally silent environment?

You can ask yourself these questions every day because your answers might be different each day. But after a few days or weeks or months of a consistent meditation practice, you'll probably know what you need as soon as you 

We love sitting on a cushion in easy pose in silence or listening to a lightly guided meditation.

Check out how Michelle sits using all the products listed below.

Our Sitting Pretty Pillows lift your hips and tilt your pelvis slightly forward to drop the knees and encourage a tall spine. Adding a Zabuton under your meditation pillow with cushion your feet and ankles so they don't fall asleep or feel uncomfortable while you're sitting. Placing Hand Weights or Knee Pillows on your hands will keep your present and grounded. A heated Hot & Cold Therapy Bag wrapped around your neck & shoulders can help to keep you warm and grounded, too.

As a busy mom, I often meditate while my sons play around me. Once in a while they will join me, which I love. Children learn best from watching what their parents or caregivers do. So it's important to me that my children see and can take part in my meditation and mindfulness practices.

STAGES OF MEDITATION

1. Set an Intention - Decide to meditate. Say it out loud. Get your space ready. Clear out any distractions. Set a timer or find your favourite guided meditation.
2. Settle In - Sit down and wiggle into your cushion or support. Start to feel yourself soften.
3. Begin - Close your eyes and connect with your breath.
4. Practice Presence - When your mind wanders, gently invite it back to your breath or physical sensations
5. Closing - Breathe deeply and take small movements to transition to wakefulness. Remind yourself you are done meditating and gently open your eyes.

 Isabella laying in supported savasana for meditation.

Tips to maintain your meditation practice

1. Be consistent. Plan to meditate at the same time daily.
2. Set a reminder on your phone or mark your calendar with your meditation time each day.
3. Join a meditation challenge or take up meditation with a friend or family member. Being accountable to someone can keep you motivated.
4. Don't beat yourself up. Somedays will be harder than others. So express gratitude for taking whatever time you can to sit in stillness.
5. Keep a journal to record all the ups and downs of your practices. It'll serve as a good reminder to keep up, even when you don't want to.
6. Create a dedicated meditation space. Seeing your Sit Set will remind you to sit daily. We keep our cushions against the wall as show in the photo below.

We offer a bunch of free guided meditations here. If you're new, I suggest trying Michelle Smith's Loving Kindness Meditation for you to connect to yourself with love & compassion so you can connect with others in the same way. When you practice compassion towards yourself on a regular basis, it become much easier to cultivate compassion toward everything in your daily life.

If you have any questions about starting a meditation practice or how to set up your home meditation space, reach out anytime. We're always here to help!
xo Shelley xo