How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

Mindfulness meditation is one of the most powerful tools a person can use to improve their life. It's also incredibly easy and accessible, but it also takes practice to master it. So if you're brand new to mindfulness meditation and want to learn more about how it works, or if you've tried meditating and not been able to get into the habit yet—or even if you're just looking for a refresher—this guide will help get your started on your path toward better peace of mind.

Set a timer for 10-15 minutes.

Set a timer for 10-15 minutes.

The first step to practicing mindfulness meditation is setting a timer for 10-15 minutes. This will help you avoid getting distracted by the clock, which can be especially challenging if you're new to meditation and still learning how to focus your attention on one thing at a time. If it's hard for you to sit still while meditating, try using an app like Insight Timer or Headspace that offers guided meditations with different lengths and styles of instruction so that each session has its own unique flavor!

Choose an anchor.

The anchor is a word, sound, or phrase that you repeat to yourself during the meditation. It helps keep you focused on your breathing and can be anything that's easy for you to remember. For example:

• "Breathe in"

• "One"

• "I am"

Take a few deep breaths.

After you have prepared your space, it's time to begin the practice. The first step is to take a few deep breaths. Deep breathing is an important part of mindfulness meditation because it helps you focus on the present moment, rather than worrying about things that happened in the past or may happen in the future.

Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth as if one long breath was all there was (it isn't). Focus on how this feels: does it feel cool going in? Warm? How does it feel coming out? If thoughts come into your head while doing this exercise--and they probably will--don't worry! Just start over again with another deep inhale/exhale cycle until they subside into silence once more.

Focus on the breath.

You can focus on your breath as it enters and leaves the body. For example, notice the feeling of your breath in your nose, throat and chest. Notice how it changes as you inhale and exhale.

If your mind wanders from this focus, that's okay--when it does, simply bring back your attention to the breath without judgment or criticism. This is an exercise in practice not perfection!

Let go of distractions.

Let go of distractions.

Distractions can be internal or external. Internal distractions include thoughts, feelings, emotions and physical sensations. External distractions include sounds, smells, sights and other people.

To let go of the distraction:

• Become aware of it (this may take some time).

• Notice where it is located in your body (for example: my stomach feels tight).

• Notice what shape it has (for example: a knot).

• Accept that this is happening right now but don't attach any meaning to it (it's just a feeling).

Be kind to yourself and your thoughts.

• Be kind to yourself: Mindfulness is often described as being a nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. This means that you should be kind and compassionate with your thoughts, feelings, and judgments about yourself. You may notice that when you're practicing mindfulness meditation for the first time, it can be difficult not to judge yourself for thinking certain things or feeling certain emotions--especially if those thoughts and emotions are negative ones! But remember that this is normal; we all have these types of thoughts from time to time (and sometimes more often than others). It's important not to get discouraged if this happens during your practice because it doesn't mean anything about who you are as a person; it simply means that there was something on your mind at that moment in time that needed attention...which brings us back around full circle: mindfulness helps us become aware of what's going on inside ourselves so we can respond accordingly instead of reacting without thinking first!

Mindfulness meditation is super easy, but it takes practice to master it.

Mindfulness meditation is a practice that involves focusing on the present moment. Mindfulness is not about thinking about nothing, but rather observing your thoughts and feelings as they occur in this very moment. You can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, at any time--even if it's just for 5 minutes!

Mindfulness meditation helps you gain perspective over your thoughts and feelings by giving them distance from each other so that they don't get tangled up together into an emotional knot of stress or anxiety (or whatever). By observing our experience with curiosity instead of judgment, we're able to see things clearly without getting caught up in our emotions or reactions to them.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide has helped you start your journey into mindfulness meditation. Remember to practice every day, even if it's just for 10 minutes at a time. The more you do it, the more benefits will come from it!