Meditation is an effective technique that has been around for centuries.
People who meditate consistently find that there are short-term and long-term benefits.
For instance, soon after they start sitting, meditators begin to enjoy a decrease in stress and anxiety, enhanced well-being, and, in many cases, improved sleep and overall health.
In the long term, meditators are better able to understand how the mind works and how to work with their minds.
Until recently, serious meditators generally belonged to one of two categories.
They either joined a monastery or ashram and devoted their lives to practice; or they left the hustle-bustle of the worldly life behind and sought refuge in the serenity of isolated hermitages.
But we can find a way to meditate within our everyday lifestyle.
Nowadays, however, many people who lead active lives – work, family, school, etc. – are willing to devote time and energy to meditation because they are convinced of the benefits.
Some do their daily meditation sessions in groups, but far more are now meditating at home.
What is the best way to meditate at home?
The first thing to do is choose a meditation method you can look forward to.
Although constancy and discipline are necessary for practice, meditation shouldn’t feel like work.
With the right method, you’ll soon be able to find the perfect balance between too rigid and too relaxed.
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Next, here are some helpful tips:
- Think about your motivation
Are you meditating because you want to manage stress, sleep better, or cope with chronic pain?
If so, you may do well with guided meditation, relaxation meditation, or chanting.
Are you looking to gain insights into the mind? This is the true goal of mindfulness and awareness meditation.
Is your primary objective to develop qualities such as patience, empathy and generosity? Gratitude meditation is a good choice (if you can do a morning gratitude meditation it can benefit your whole day).
Do you want to go deeper into your relationship with the divine presence? Spiritual meditation can take you there.
There are many valid forms of meditation out there.
When you know why you’re interested in meditating at home, you’ll know which ones are right for you.
- Start small and work your way up
While learning how to meditate at home, it’s important to start with small, manageable sessions.
Even three minutes will make a difference. It might sound super short, but for some beginners, sitting in awareness for a few minutes feels like forever.
Starting with short sessions also helps you to gain the momentum you’ll need to sustain your practice in the long run.
As many meditation experts suggest, the quality of your meditation is more important than the length.
- Pick a convenient time and comfortable spot
One of the best ways to meditate at home is to find a quiet place away from noisy distractions.
Pick a time that’s convenient for you.
Early morning is a perennial favorite time to meditate since this time of day is generally peaceful and there are few interruptions.
You can also start your day with simple morning meditation exercises.
You’ll also need to find a comfortable position.
While some meditators like sitting in the lotus position, there are other good options.
You can sit on a meditation cushion, chair or even a couch, so long as you feel comfortable and you can sit up straight.
Do your best to find a position where your spine is aligned.
Your neck and shoulders should be relaxed, and your eyes can be half open or shut during the meditation session.
- Try a guided meditation
Since you’re just beginning, guided meditation can add a welcome structure to your practice.
Mindworks App is a complete resource that offers Guided Meditations, Mind Talks, inspirational Daily Cups and much more, all developed and curated by internationally-known meditation experts.
Have a seat, choose from the guided meditations, and enjoy the journey.
Mindworks offers a free trial period with everything you need to get you started.
- Focus
Whatever form of meditation you choose, awareness of the present moment is key.
When you meditate, you train in being aware of whatever object of meditation you’ve chosen.
There will be distractions in the form of sounds, odors, sensations of discomfort, tension, itching, etc.
In addition, there will be distractions that your mind will produce all on its own: to-do lists, things you should have done or said, things you plan to do or say, emotions, daydreams… the list is endless.
To help the mind stay focused on the here and now, one of the best ways to meditate at home is to focus on the process of breathing.
Be very aware of your respiration as you inhale and exhale; use the breath as an anchor for your mind.
When those distracting thoughts pop into your head, simply acknowledge their presence and go back to focusing on the breath.
Alternatively, you can use physical sensations, sound, or a visual object as the focus of your meditation.
Forget about “emptying the mind.” Noticing and coming back is what meditation is all about.
- Goodness
Trungram Gyalwa, a renowned meditation master from the Himalayas, teaches that compassion is a fundamental quality that’s hard-wired in all of us.
Meditation helps us control negative emotions (such as anger and envy) and uncover positive qualities such as lovingkindness and compassion.
Meditation gives us all the tools we need to develop the goodness that already exists within.
For more check out these additional articles by Trungram Gyalwa Benefits of Meditation for the Mind and Body and Compassion Overcomes Fear.
Ready for some guidance to get you started meditating at home? Mindworks Meditation Courses are great resource.
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Relying on External Situations Results in Dissatisfaction
We constantly seek pleasurable situations that we think will bring lasting happiness.
We’re attracted to wealth, power, success, possessions, relationships, security and the like because we think they can provide us with the stable happiness we crave.
But most of these pursuits don’t lead to the desired outcome.
Maybe we’re looking for happiness in the wrong place because we don’t see the impermanent nature of these things we crave.
In fact, every situation, every thing we might acquire to secure this happiness is going to pass.
External things aren’t able to give us lasting satisfaction.
Suppose you’re in the perfect situation: you’re on the beach in the best company, you’ve just had the best meal you can imagine, everything’s going exactly like you want it – then a fly or a mosquito comes by, or you see rubbish on the beach, and suddenly your perfect situation is shattered and the only thing you can think about is the problem that makes it imperfect.
There’s always a limit to what external things can bring us.
Once the fascination and newness wear off, or situations change (as they always do), our minds default to varying degrees of dissatisfaction, which is expressed as a form of agitation.
We try to get relief from this agitation by looking outward for solutions.
Deep down, we’re troubled and don’t see how we get trapped—we’re like a fish attracted to bait.
This cycle can be called the “dissatisfaction default mode.”
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should be pessimistic about our lives and the world.
The world offers many very nice, pleasurable things like good relationships, meaningful work, good health and prosperous situations that provide comfort for a certain length of time.
But the problem is that they are not totally reliable.
Situations change. Friendships come and go, our children grow up and leave home, our finances change and our health becomes less robust.
We must become more realistic.
No one wants to experience unpleasant situations such as physical pain, emotional pain, or death, but they happen nonetheless.
There are many things we can’t change about the external world, but we can change how we relate to them.
Much of the dissatisfaction we experience is due to our inner state of being, not just external conditions.
And this is where meditation comes in.
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Meditation Gives Us Access to Our Own Happiness & Well-Being
The mind holds innate qualities of well-being and clarity that lie waiting beneath the superficial level of dissatisfaction.
The main purpose of meditation is to access, recognize and enhance the positive qualities of mind.
The more we can do this, the less we need to rely on external situations for our happiness and the more we can rely on the natural, positive qualities of mind: love, contentment, well-being and peace.
Accessing our natural happiness and inner well-being is one of the greatest achievements that can be attained.
They’re always with us because they don’t depend on anything external: no one can take them away.
They depend only on us and affect everything in our lives in a positive way.
It’s like discovering that there’s a hidden treasure within.
To access this treasure, we begin by focusing inwardly – and for this we need training.
Meditation is this training. As we meditate more, we gain confidence in our basic, innate goodness and well-being; this unlocks our potential and gives our lives tremendous meaning.
In this sense, the question “Does meditation make you happy?” answers itself. Meditation doesn’t make you happy – it unlocks the “happy” that has always been there for the asking.
This blog was adapted from Trinlay Rinpoche’s Mind Talk video “The True Source of Well-Being.”
Mind Talks are part of Mindworks Meditation Courses, together with progressive meditation programs, guided meditations, and much more.
By reading this article it’s clear that you’re interested in the practice of meditation and its results: experiencing genuine joy and well-being.
You’ve come to the right place. Mindworks is a non-profit with a mission to share the most authentic and proven meditation guidance to you and our worldwide community.
As meditation practice develops the most fundamental axis of our being, it’s essential to rely on clear, progressive and genuine meditation methods from authentic guides.
In order to fully transmit to you the full potential of genuine meditation, we created the 9-level Mindworks Journey to Well-Being.
We’re so sure you’ll benefit we now offer you Mindworks Journey Level 1: Meditation Fundamentals course for Free.