I see this question come up very often, and I admit, I have asked this question myself in the past: How do I meditate?

I always heard that meditation was good for the mind, the body and the soul, but I could never focus my attention and sit still for more than 2 minutes at a time. When I thought of meditation, I thought of monks, sitting alone up in the mountains, not moving for hours on end. Although that is indeed one way to meditate, you can also meditate for 5 minutes, any time of day, in the comfort of your own home. I promise you, if you can breathe, you can meditate. You simply need to understand what meditation is and follow some guidelines to help get you started.

FINDING THE RIGHT SPOT: Find a place where you feel safe and comfortable, and wont be disturbed. All the better if it’s quiet, but we don’t all have that luxury.

SETTING THE MOOD: Turn the heat up a little bit, so you don’t need to think of being cold, and turn the lights down. If it helps you, light some candles, use incense or an essential oil diffuser, play some soft music in the background to drown out environmental sounds (I would go for chakra healing over nature sounds, because sometimes there’s a darn bird that squawks unexpectedly and breaks your focus).

SET A TIME FRAME: Do not set an alarm to end your meditation. If you only have 10 minutes dedicated to your practice, look at the time and tell your mind that you have 10 minutes for this practice. We have amazing internal clocks built right into us. If you are really worried, set an alarm to play some music (not a buzzer) in 15 minutes as a backup.

FINDING THE RIGHT POSITION: To meditate, you can choose to lay down on your back, sit in a chair or sit on the floor crossed legged. I prefer to sit on the floor crossed legged as I am closer to the ground (it’s called grounding for a reason after all). Try to not actually cross your legs, but instead have one ankle rest just in front of the other. We’re looking for good blood circulation here. Find yourself a pillow or blanket so as not to sit directly on the hardwood floor. Remember to keep your back straight and your chin level to the floor. Your hands should be resting directly on your knees, while your forearms are on your upper inner thighs for support. There are many different ways to hold your hands while meditating, but let’s keep it simple. Either place your palms up or place them down on your knees, whichever is more comfortable to you. If you decide to go palms up, you should be seeking information from the universe and if you go palms down, you are seeking to find information from within. But really, go with whatever position is most comfortable to you.

LET’S GO: Start by closing your eyes and taking a moment to desensitise yourself to the sounds around you. You may hear cars passing by, dogs barking or the ticking of a clock. All of these sounds are normal and natural. Acknowledge them, one at a time and allow them to let you go deeper into relaxation. Once you have addressed the sounds, take 3 deep breaths in through your nose, and exhaling out through your mouth (sigh out loud on the exhale). On the last breath, hold it for a couple of seconds before releasing. This is to calm your body and release the tension you have been carrying around. You do not need to breath this deeply for the remainder of your meditation, but do continue to breath deeper than you would normally. Once your conscious mind quietens, your body will know how to breathe and you no longer need to keep focus on your breath.

STOP THINKING: Alright now it’s time to turn off your conscious mind. This is the part where almost everyone has issues and gives up. A guided meditation may help you, as it gives your mind something to focus on. This is exactly what you want to do; give your conscious mind something to focus on while your subconscious goes off in the other direction. If you don’t want to follow a guided meditation, focus on your breathing. If you are laying down, try belly breathing (expand your tummy, not your lungs while inhaling). This is another reason chakra healing sounds work better than nature sounds, as their vibrations naturally follow our breathing patterns. YOUR MIND WILL WANDER and you will catch it. Be kind to yourself, especially in the beginning. When you catch your mind wandering, take a moment to process what it was thinking about so you can come back to it after your practice, then return your focus to your guided meditation or your breathing.

OTHER NOTES: Don’t worry about sitting straight and keeping your head up. When you meditate, your body should go limp and your head may drop onto your chest, and your back may curve. This is normal and natural. If a new sound appears, acknowledge it and allow it to bring you deeper into relaxation with a few deep breaths.

CLOSING: Your mind and body will tell you when the time is up. Generally you will feel refreshed and your senses will be heightened. Your conscious mind will also come back online, although a little slower. Open your eyes and take a moment to hear, smell and see your surroundings. What emotions are you feeling? Before getting up, don’t forget to thank yourself for setting aside some time for this practice.

Remember that practice is key. You wont be a superstar at meditating on your first go.