Mindfulness: 5 practical tips for beginners

Want to get started in the practice of Mindfulness? Here is a guide for the inexperienced.

In recent years, meditation has been gaining popularity.

I'm getting more and more inquiries from people interested in learning to meditate, and I'm certainly glad about that. Whether it's to reduce stress and anxiety, or to improve overall quality of life, I always recommend introducing Mindfulness practice into your daily routine.

Mindfulness requires willingness

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 get into the practice of Mindfulness. the reality is that it is not easy to start meditating.. It is common to see that people start full of illusion, just to try, and as the days go by they are not able to find a moment to practice.

And we should not be surprised. We are accustomed to not stop doing things, to not "waste time" with activities that have no immediate utility and to flee from boredom. This is how the beginner, almost without realizing it, invents multiple excuses for not meditating.

Mindfulness requires practice

I myself, when I started, I quickly became an expert in the "tomorrow never happens".... I loved the idea that meditation represents, the benefits it brings, and it was nice to say that I practiced Mindfulness. However, when it came down to it, I procrastinated over and over 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 situation where I would have looked very bad if I didn't attend. I was very glad I did. I stopped pressuring myself to stick to my goals and realized that I could enjoy meditating on my own. I realized that I could enjoy meditating, in fact I felt like meditating..

Mindfulness: the usual excuses of beginners.

So, if you are starting or are thinking of starting soon in this meditation, I would like to share with you these tips that can help you to overcome the five main common excuses:

I don't have time

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

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

2. I get bored

The biggest enemy of the beginner meditator is boredom, and frankly I understand that. An activity that consists of doing nothing doesn't sound particularly appealing.

But my friend, doing nothing is already doing something. And it's a really hard thing to do. Let someone guide you at first, practice guided meditation to make it less boring.. There are also meditations of many different types, some are based on certain themes that you may find more attractive or repeating mantras. This makes it more enjoyable as it reduces the impression that you are doing nothing.

3. I'm not doing it right

One of the biggest difficulties in meditating is setting expectations or repeating to yourself "everyone else meditates well but me".

If you can't concentrate on your breathing because different thoughts keep coming to you, such as the shopping list, weekend plans or how bored you are, congratulations! You are doing great. The goal of Mindfulness meditation is just that, to 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 breath, and so on 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're meditating and suddenly one of the distracting thoughts makes you realize that you've actually forgotten something important you have to do.

You can't stop thinking about it, so this time you convince yourself that this meditation is not going to do any good. Wrong! 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. Courage, after all, in just ten minutes you will be able to do it.

5. I don't know where to start

A good idea would be to start at the beginning. Simply sit down and pay attention to your breathing, to a sound or to an external object.. You don't need anything else. No classical music in the background, no scented candles, no need to be able to sit in the lotus posture. Just make yourself comfortable but don't rest your head, keep it upright so you don't fall asleep. Be aware of how you breathe and how you breathe in and out. Y... voilayou are meditating!

I hope these little tips have convinced you to break down those excuses we all make for not meditating and really give it a try. When you least expect it, you'll find you're hooked!