Tips on how to prepare yourself for meditation

There is no single rule to make your meditation successful, but you need to be sure that your body is prepared to meditate. And here are 5 critical components to help make a great meditation.

1. Be comfortable
2. A straight spine
3. Closed eyes
4. Deep breaths
5. Let go

Find out what is comfortable for you

To be able to achieve a deep state of meditation, your body need to be fully relaxed. If you’re distracted because you’re in an uncomfortable position, you won’t be able to go into a deep state of meditation and stay there. But please remember this: you don’t want to be so comfortable that you fall asleep! You can sit on the floor on a pillow or in a comfortable chair that supports your spine. Feel free to experiment a little bit until you find the ideal sitting position for your meditations.

A straight spine allows your full breathing

It’s very important that you make sure your spine is straight and aligned during the meditations. This doesn’t mean that you force your back into some kind of rigid pose. Your body is designed to be naturally upright with a slight curve at the lower end of the spine and at your neck, so this is the position you want. This is important because when you keep a healthy posture you support your entire body’s well-being. Also you will need this position for full, deep breathing, which you’ll need for deep states of meditation.

Here are a few tips to help you get into the right position:

·       Your shoulders should be relaxed and upright. Avoid slouching.

·       Your chin should be very slightly dropped so that your neck keeps its soft curve. Sometimes people, in an effort to sit ‘straight’, raise their chin a little too high. This puts a pinch in the back of the neck that can cause problems over time.

·       If you are sitting in a chair, be sure to keep your legs and arms uncrossed for good circulation.

Do it with your eyes closed

During your meditations you want to keep your eyes closed. When you completely shut out visual distractions so that your ‘inner eye’ can focus totally on healing through visualization and imagination.

2-3 deep breaths to start off

You want to be sure to prepare your body and mind for meditation with 2-to-3 full, deep breaths. This gives you a transition time between your normal, waking state and your focused, healing time. These slow, deep breaths will help you release any thoughts or distractions. They will also help you settle into your physical position, so that you can be fully present, comfortable and prepared for your meditation.

Let go

Letting go means to be willing to feel trust about your meditation. Even if you’ve never meditated before or if your meditations have felt less than successful, give yourself permission to let go of any doubts, negative expectations or fears around meditation.