Step by Step Guide to Starting Your Sitting Meditation Practice

Meditation is a powerful tool that can help you cultivate inner peace, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. The practice of meditation has been used for thousands of years to help people calm their minds and find a sense of inner stillness. Whether you’re new to meditation or have been practising for years, the following instructions can help you get started or refine your practice.

1. Prepare Your Environment: Start by washing your hands, face, and feet. This helps you to feel clean and refreshed before you begin your meditation. Find a quiet, clean, well-ordered, and well-ventilated space where you can sit comfortably. This can be indoors or outdoors, whichever you prefer.
2. Find a Comfortable Seat: Next, sit in a comfortable position. If you’re sitting in a chair, make sure your back is straight and slightly away from the back of the chair. Rest your feet firmly on the ground, ideally barefoot. If you prefer, you can sit cross-legged on the ground upon firm pillows that are high enough to allow your knees to be lower than the level of your navel.
3. Relax Your Body: Tuck your chin in slightly to help relax the back of your neck. Rest your tongue behind your front teeth, allowing your mouth to be slightly open. Draw up the muscles of your lower pelvis. Rest your hands on your knees.
4. Focus Your Gaze: Gently fix your gaze between your knees if you’re sitting in a chair or about 18 inches from the point where your legs are crossed. This helps to calm your mind and prevent distraction.
5. Pay Attention to Your Breath: Breath in through your nose, hold for a moment, then relax your body and allow the breath to go out. Keep your attention on your breath, feeling the sensations in your body as it comes in and goes out. Start by counting 21 breaths like this. If you lose track of the number of breaths, start again at 1 until you can undistractedly count to 21. After you’ve done this, simply observe the breath as it flows from the tip of your nose and out. If your mind becomes distracted from your breath, just say to yourself the word “thinking” and resume your attention to the breath.
6. Practice Regularly: Aim to practice this meditation for a minimum of 20 minutes each day and gradually increase the time as you feel inclined. Try to practice at about the same time each day, ideally in the early morning when the world outside is still relatively quiet and the body is rested. This can help to harmonize the Vata energy in the body, which is most active at this time.
7. Make Time for Meditation: If you feel like you don’t have enough time in your day for meditation, remember the Tibetan saying, “If you have time to breathe, then you have time to meditate.” Meditation is a state of mind that can be achieved anywhere, with a little practice.