Meditation for Beginners

Nowadays, we all hear about meditation and the benefits we can harvest from it. I started meditation practice for my spiritual journey, not for any benefits, but to find God. Whatever your reason is, I would refrain from commenting what will be the result for you. But I can share how I started meditation as a beginner. I’m sure you’ve tried meditation at least once, whether or not it felt like it “worked.” You might have felt relaxed, peaceful, overwhelmed, or frustrated, during or after. Everyone’s experience is different. So before we go any further, it helps to ask: what is meditation, really?

What Is Meditation, Really?

I can give you an idea, an orientation to start from, but meditation itself has to be experienced, and that’s often easier with someone sitting through it with you.

Meditation isn’t a skill that you learn either. You build a constant practice to learn to sit still by creating a space in your daily routine where all the noises outer or inner disappear. To reach that state, you have to calm your body and mind, and stay open to whatever’s happening inside you along the way. The word “meditation,” as we know it, comes from a translation of the Sanskrit word “Dhyana”. I’ll keep using “meditation” here for general understanding.

There’s no need to fully understand meditation before you begin, only to experience it. Start with small steps and let it unfold slowly. Don’t get stuck trying to intellectualize it first. Philosophy is theory, the study of ideas, wisdom, and existence. Meditation is not philosophy. It begins where understanding ends. It can’t be explained. It has to be experienced.

If you’re ready to bring meditation into your routine, here’s where to start.

Care for Your Body First

Look after your body like a holy space. Keep it healthy with good food, rest, and regular movement. Just as you’d keep your home clean, keep your body clean by eating well and avoiding junk food. If yoga appeals to you, that’s a great place to start, even something as simple as slow inhale-exhale breathing exercises.

Loosen Up Before You Sit

Here’s a technique worth trying: dance to your favourite music before you sit, to loosen up and lighten your mind and body beforehand. I do this myself. It helps release emotion from the body. You don’t need to be a good dancer, just let the body move to the music. This is especially helpful if sitting still feels difficult because of restlessness.

Settling Into Silence

Set aside a little time, morning or evening, and sit alone in silence. You can start with 10 minutes and increase it gradually. I started with 30 minutes and gradually increased to 1 hour. Close your eyes. Breathe slowly and deeply. Watch the breath moving in and out. Breath will become the anchor whenever you are drifting away. Let stillness settle into your body.

Sit however feels comfortable to you: cross-legged on a mat, with back support, on a cushion, or in a meditation chair if you have back issues. Comfort matters here. Your body should be relaxed during meditation, not strained.

Using Sound as an anchor

If it helps, you can play background music, meditation or relaxation tracks. There’s plenty available online. I personally started with Indian flute music. Now, I sometimes skip background music altogether. Mantra chanting also works well for some people as a point of focus. You can read “Mantra Meditation” here. Try different ways and stick to whatever suits you.

Learning to Sit with the Present

In today’s fast-paced world, everyone’s mind is full of multiple thoughts that are constantly and rapidly changing. Don’t try to stop them. Instead, watch them. Thoughts happen because of how we’re biologically wired, an ongoing exchange of information between the cells in our body. It’s part of our natural mechanism. There’s no need to fight it. Practice observing it. You can read the whole practice session here “Learning to Sit with the Present: Why Peace Begins When We Stop Resisting.”

Become the Watcher

Be a watcher, not a doer. Don’t interfere, just watch whatever appears while staying with your breath. If you get pulled into a thought or emotion, gently bring yourself back to silence. Don’t get frustrated with yourself for drifting. It’s natural. You’ve spent your whole life looking outward, so turning your attention inward takes some adjustment.
Give your mind time to settle into this new rhythm. Stay watchful of whatever you experience, without chasing it. Keep in mind that your thoughts are not reality. Notice how quickly the mind wants to fix, judge, or chase something – do you really have to follow it every time?

When Emotions Rise

Once you start looking inward, suppressed emotions may start rising to the surface. Don’t be alarmed, this part isn’t always easy, but it isn’t a setback either. Emotions come and go; they’re only there for a moment. Watch them without reacting. Try not to get pulled into old arguments in your head, especially memories where you or someone else felt right or wrong. That’s the past, and it can’t be changed. Do you really need to relive that old argument again, or can you let it pass through this time? It may take a few sessions to work through what’s been sitting beneath the surface. Keep returning to your breath, and stay watchful of whatever comes up.

Closing the Sitting

Use a timer or a soft bell to signal the end of your sitting. Choose a sound that’s gentle, not jarring. Come back slowly, sit in silence for a moment, and notice whatever appeared and let it settle inside you.

Carrying the Practice Into Your Day

Practicing meditation is really a journey toward self-awareness. You can start by watching your breath at any point in the day. Remember to breathe slowly, deeply, and without strain. Most of us breathe incorrectly without realizing it, rushing through tasks, tensing our bodies, and forgetting to breathe from the diaphragm. Try to stay aware of your breath and keep your muscles relaxed as you move through your day, whether you’re at your desk, on a train, or in a cab.

Do this whenever you remember to. You’ll likely forget often, given how busy life gets, but with practice, it starts to become part of you.
If I had to summarize meditation in one line, it’s this: being watchful is the whole practice. Keep watching your thoughts without reacting to them, judging them, or getting swept up in them. Picture yourself standing at a railway station, watching trains come and go. You don’t need to know where they’re headed. You just watch, without getting on board. Be watchful, and be easy on yourself.

Small Shifts That Support Your Practice

• Watch less TV, especially aggressive or emotionally intense content.
• Avoid emotionally heavy videos before or after sitting, they can affect your state of mind.
• Eat light, healthy food.
• Shower and wear clean clothes before sitting, and if possible, the same clothes each time, since clothing tends to hold onto energy.
• Sit in the same spot each time.
• Keep watching your breath and your emotions as they arise.

I hope this gives you a place to begin. Meditation looks different for everyone, and sometimes it helps to have someone sit with you through the harder parts. If that’s you right now, feel free to reach out, or if you’d rather start with a guided session, that’s what I’m here for.