What is Meditation?
Meditation is a technique that allows you to bring stability and peace to your mind, and slowly guides you into the present moment. This is important because our minds are constantly dispersed between the past and the future. We go back to the past to re-live situations and fantasize about “what would have happened if…” and we also create our own future scenarios to agonize about “what would happen if…”. All this pointless mental work generally doesn’t lead to anything productive (mainly to overthinking) and can leave us exhausted.
Meditating has many benefits according to science. Above all, it improves mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Learning to meditate is an easy and inexpensive solution to reduce stress with just a few minutes a day of practice that can lead to noticeable and quick results.
How to Meditate
- Find a quiet and cozy place. A soft light and/or soft music can help create the right atmosphere.
- Sit on the floor or on a comfortable chair with your back straight, without any tensions, breathing deeply and keeping your shoulders and arms relaxed.
- Start with your eyes open. Find a spot in front of you and rest your gaze there, ignoring everything else around you.
- Observe the thoughts that appear inside your head without judging them or clinging to them, just watch them as they come and go.
- Close your eyes and try to create a complete silence in your mind.
- If you can’t do this yet, focus on positive thoughts and affirmative images of yourself, visualize and hold onto them for a few minutes.
Looking for Guided Meditations? Find the best Witchy Guided Meditations or take the Meditation Roots Beginners Course!
8 Tips for your Meditations
1. Prepare
The first thing is to find a comfortable and quiet place. Set your phone to total silence. Make sure the environment is not too cold or too hot. Try to meditate on an empty stomach.
2. Work on keeping your back straight
Eventually you will begin your meditations on a cross-legged posture. If you can’t do this yet, sit on any comfortable chair. Some people prefer to meditate while lying down, but there is a greater chance of you falling asleep.
3. Breathe
Take a deep breath and try to relax. All sorts of thoughts will go through your mind, but don’t get caught up in any of them. Just watch them go by.
4. Empty your mind
Try to cancel your thoughts and leave your mind blank. Again, several ideas and thoughts will want to get your attention, but do not answer back or argue with them, simply observe and ask them to come back later.
5. Focus on your breathing
This is another good way to ignore your thoughts. Inhale and exhale three times in a row, trying to keep your body still. After each series, breathe deeply, release the air and start again.
6. Be constant
Your first goal should be to meditate at least 10 to 15 minutes a day. Try to do it every day for one month. When you master this technique you can start to dive into other meditation techniques.
7. Be patient
If you are having a hard time trying to silence your mind, just keep trying. This is not easy and it can take some time. The more you do it, the easier it will be for you to relax and get into a deep state of mind.
8. Don’t judge yourself
Do not judge the quality of your meditation. Avoid having any specific expectations or looking for a particular experience. Stay true to your practice and you will see the benefits gradually appear.
About Meditation
The word meditation is derived from the latin root ‘meditat’ which means “to contemplate”. A person who meditates is contemplating (observing, watching) their own mental processes, their own thoughts.
This is a very interesting exercise because we are trying to become two at the same time: one who produces spontaneous thoughts, and one who observes those thoughts. We now separate ourselves from the thinking process, as if someone else was creating thoughts in our head without our control, and we are watching it happen from the outside.
This happens until we achieve a complete silence of the mind. Now we are in control and can fully enjoy the present moment without any distractions.
Meditation is a fundamental tool for anyone who wants to enter the esoteric path or one who engages in any branch of Magic or Witchcraft. Meditating is a good way to dedicate a moment for yourself, cleanse your energies and strengthen your internal powers. Meditate regularly and you will see these changes take place in your life.
Go back to Day 2 main page or continue to Day 3: First Circle » to keep learning.
