Meditation is not a new-age sensation as you might believe given its ever-rising popularity over the last decade.

It’s a lifestyle that holds thousands of years of history to its name and once indulged in, very few people ever doubt its capacity to enhance one’s life in innumerable ways.



This 2012, it’s our motto that it’s never too late to learn something new. This holds true for meditation as well. So if you’re one of those people who’s been procrastinating about allowing the wonders of meditation influence you, this is your chance to learn all about to go about it in the most basic way there is.



In its simplest form, meditation can be described as the act of sitting still, being aware of the present moment, and focusing on your breathing. This is at the core of nearly all meditative practices and thus, this is exactly what we want to make more feasible for you as it is a great starting point.This is an extremely simple form of meditation that you can easily learn in just 5 minutes. Here’s everything you need to know about it.Sit upright with a straight spine, away from the back of the chair (beds also work--but not if you're sleepy). Place your feet flat on the floor, and your arms, palms turned upward, at the joint between your thighs and torso. Your eyes should be closed and you should be as still as possible.Before you begin, it is important that you completely relax your body which in turn will always help to relax the mind. You can trick your body into relaxing with the following techniques:- Inhale sharply through the nose with 1 short and then 1 long inhalation in quick succession, forming a double breath of sorts.- Tense your body entirely till you can feel the energy and vibrations.- Hold both your breath and vibrations for 5 full seconds.- And finally, exhale forcibly through the mouth in the same manner as your inhalations, i.e. one short and one long.- Repeat this several times and you will physically feel the tension leave you.Breathing patterns are also at the basis of all meditation so for this particular one try to stick to the following rhythmic pattern:Inhale slowly, counting to eight. Hold the breath for eight more counts, then exhale slowly to the same count. Repeat this again at least 3-6 times; in case you’re wondering, this is known as the ‘measured breathing exercise.’Also, do not stress if you are unable to hold these counts to exactly 8, the count can vary according to your lung capacity but it is vital to keep the count equal right through. Finish your practice by inhaling deeply, then exhaling completely.Once you have established a general sense of physical relaxation via all these processes, the actual act of proper meditation is not as impossible a dream as you once imagined.

Forget your breath now. Concentrate deeply at the point between your eyebrows and keep your mind as focused on this as possible. Try to absorb yourself in the peace of the practice.

This may sound like it’s easy to say but not as easy to do but simply be aware of your physical self first. In the beginning, most people are more aware of the physical manifestation of the breathing process than anything else and this is a good sign.End your practice by inhaling one more time deeply through the nose and then exhaling 3 times through the mouth. Hopefully, you will awaken deeply refreshed and rejuvenated.

The time frame of how long you do this for can vary according to your capacity but many people find that even 5 minutes can initially feel like a very long time. The trick is to simply give it time! Don’t stress yourself out about doing it ‘perfectly’ or you’ll end up giving yourself more stress than you actually relieve.

All in all, meditation leads to being a more balanced individual on the whole but this might not sound like incentive enough until you’ve actually experienced the feeling. Thus, on a smaller scale, frequent meditation is bound to help you focus and think more clearly, lower blood pressure, improve heart and lung health, severely reduce stress and negative emotions like anger, guilt and resentment and yes, all of this has been scientifically proven time and again.So what are you waiting for? Get off this computer, close your eyes and simply let go of everything. Except of course, the knowledge that we just imparted to you!

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