Mindfulness: 5 practical tips for beginners

In recent years, the meditation has been gaining popularity.

I am receiving more and more inquiries from people interested in learning to meditate, and it is certainly something that makes me happy. Either for reduce stress and anxiety, or to improve the quality of life in general, I always recommend introducing the practice of mindfulness in the daily routine.

Mindfulness requires will

However, although science has provided knowledge about the many benefits that this practice brings us (emotional, mental, physical and inner peace) the reality is that it is not easy to meditate. It is common to see that people start full of enthusiasm, just to try, as the days go by they are not able to find a moment to practice.

And it shouldn't surprise us. We are used to not stopping doing things, not "wasting time" with activities that have no immediate utility and running away from boredom. This is how the beginner, almost without realizing it, invents multiple excuses for not meditating.

Mindfulness takes practice

I myself, when I started, I quickly became an expert of "tomorrow does not happen". I loved the idea that meditation represents, the benefits it brings, and it was also very good to say that I practiced Mindfulness. However, when push comes to shove, procrastinated and again.

In the end, I was lucky enough to live near a Buddhist monastery and asked to participate in several retreats, putting myself in a position where I would have looked bad if I didn't go. I was very glad to do it. I stopped pushing myself to strictly meet my goals and I realized that I could enjoy meditating, in fact I felt like.

• It may interest you: "Mindfulness: 8 benefits of mindfulness"

Mindfulness: the usual excuses of beginners

Therefore, if you are starting or plan to start soon in this meditation, I would like to share with you these tips that can help you beat the top five common excuses:

1. I have no time

This is undoubtedly the most repeated and perhaps the most absurd of all. We're all busy, yes, but we always have five minutes to dedicate to ourselves.

Many beginners believe that they have to start with 30 minutes of meditation a day and that is a big mistake. The key is to progress. Set a simple goal, for example 5 minutes a day the first week until you can meditate a minimum of 20 minutes a day. Create the habit of spending 5 minutes a day and little by little go up to 8, 10 minutes, and so on., is the best way to feel comfortable with this practice. Think that just 10 min of daily meditation already brings you numerous benefits.

2. I'm getting bored

The biggest enemy of the beginning meditator is boredom, and frankly I understand that. An activity that consists of doing nothing does not sound particularly attractive.

But friend, doing nothing is already doing something. And it's really hard. Let someone guide you at first, practice guided meditation to make it less boring. There are also meditations of very different types, some are based on certain topics that may be more attractive to you or on repeating mantras. This makes it more enjoyable as it reduces the impression that you are not doing anything.

3. I do not do well

One of the biggest difficulties in meditating is setting expectations or repeating to yourself “everyone meditates well except me”.

If you can't concentrate on your breathing because different thoughts like the shopping list, the plans for the weekend or how bored you are, congratulations! That is, you are doing phenomenal. The goal of Mindfulness meditation is just that, observe all the thoughts that are going through your mind. Simply observe them, accept that you have been distracted, and return your attention to your breathing, until the next distraction comes.

• To start rolling: "5 Mindfulness exercises to improve your emotional well-being"

4. I have something important to do

You are meditating and suddenly one of your distracting thoughts makes you realize that you have actually forgotten something important that you have to do.

You can't stop thinking about it, so this time, yes, you convince yourself that this meditation is not going to help at all. Mistake! The more distracted the better, so you don't get bored. Notice how distracted and nervous you are. Be aware of your rapid breathing and how much you care about whatever it is you have to do. Cheer up, after all, in just ten minutes you can do it.

5. I do not know where to start

A good idea would be to start at the beginning. Simply sit down and pay attention to your breathing, a sound or an external object. You do not need anything else. No classical music playing in the background, no scented candles, no being able to sit in the lotus position. Just get comfortable but don't rest your head, keep it up so you don't fall asleep. Notice how you breathe and how to breathe out and breathe in. AND... voila, You are already meditating!

I hope these little tips have convinced you to tear down those excuses we all make for not meditating and really give it a try. When you least expect it, you will discover that you are hooked!