Tips for Better Meditation

Meditation students often come to me and ask what they can do to improve their meditation. Success in meditation is not the result of any one single factor but depends on sustained and systematic effort over a period of time. However, there are a few tips for meditation, that will help you to improve your performance, regardless of the meditation method that you follow.

1. Prepare your body for meditation

Your physical condition has a tremendous influence on your mind. This is true for your day to day activity, but even more so when it comes to meditation. You can prepare your body for meditation by eating the right food, and by coming to meditation with an empty stomach. Eating the right food, means food which strengthens the body but doesn't have any adverse affect on the mind. If you consume products that make the mind dull or over-stimulated then it will be much harder to meditate. And whatever your diet is, when you sit down to meditate, it should be on an empty stomach. That is why one of the best times to meditate is in the morning, before you have had your breakfast. Another good time is in the evening, before the evening meal.

2. Prepare Your Mind for Meditation

Just as your body must be prepared, so must your mind. Before you start meditation you must convince yourself, that this period of meditation is your time for personal growth, and that it is important, as important as anything else in your life. When you close your eyes to meditate, you should not jump up to answer the phone, or get ready to leave your meditation due to some slight disturbance. If you convince yourself of the importance of meditation, then your example will also convince others around you and they won't disturb you during meditation. So, remember your periods of meditation are one of the most important parts of your daily routine, and treat them as such.

3. Sing Before Meditation

The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once said, "God respects me when I work, but He loves me when I sing." That explains the place of song and music in all the great spiritual traditions. Before you begin meditation you can sing spiritual songs, whose meaning elevates your mind. It doesn't matter if you have "good" voice or a "bad" voice, sing from the heart, and your mind will go to a point that will be the ideal starting point for your meditation.

4. Sit in a Proper Position

Remember when you were in school and the teacher looked around and saw someone slumping in his or her seat, and she said "sit up straight!" She had a good point; when the back is straight the mind is alert. Sit in a position that will keep the back straight. Sit with cross legs in a simple position, or a half-lotus or a full lotus. In addition to making the mind more alert, these positions help you to rest the various motor organs, and provide a peaceful physical base for your meditation.

In the beginning these positions may seem difficult or uncomfortable, but if you can get used to them, they will help you to deepen your meditation.

5. Follow the Meditation Instructions Exactly

Remember carefully what your meditation instructor taught you and do your best to carry it out, exactly according to the instructions. Don't experiment and make up your own method. The various systems of meditation are based on thousands of years of experience, so you don't have to try to figure out what to do. Take advantage of the age-old knowledge of the past, and you will make rapid strides towards a bright future. If you have forgotten any part of your meditation method, go and see your instructor and get a review of your lesson.

6. Be Regular in Your Meditation Practice

This is one of the key factors to success. Meditation works, if you work. If you only do meditation once a month or on whim, when you feel like it, then it will be impossible to be successful and realize the benefits of meditation: mental clarity, inner peace, love for others and spiritual awareness. Make meditation a part of your daily routine. Just as surely as the sun comes up each day, do your meditation without fail. Fix a time for it in the morning and evening and do it on a regular basis If you get into the habit of doing your practice regularly, then you have taken one of the single most important steps towards success in meditation, and indeed, in your life.

7. Be Patient

"Rome wasn't built in a day," and similarly you cannot make miraculous changes in your personality or in your spiritual life in just one sitting of meditation. Don't be discouraged if you feel that nothing is happening. Meditation is a subtle art, the changes come slowly but surely. Keep on practicing and your meditation is sure to deepen and you will indeed be successful.

About The Author

Dada Vedaprajinananda has been practicing and teaching meditation for the past 33 years. He is a senior teacher with the Ananda Marga spiritual movement and also the webmaster of the Ananda Marga website (www.anandamarga.org). Dada is also a writer, singer and songwriter and his work can be found on his website, www.dadaveda.com.

dada@dadaveda.com

---

Basic Meditation Exercises

(Authors Note: Before reading this you should see my other articles on Breathing and Full Body Awareness)Now that you've begun to develop the ability to move energy... Read More

A Forty-Five-Second Meditation

Is Meditation Too Much Time And Trouble?If you haven't meditated before, you might think it's too much trouble to learn. If you do meditate, you know it... Read More

The Brain Scrub for Druids

The Brain Scrub is designed to help you overcome the "monkey mind" which leaps and bounces around from subject to subject in an uncontrolled manner. After mastering... Read More

Relax Into Health

I'd like to share a little secret about relaxation techniques for athletes (or health-minded people that workout) and anyone that wants to feel more focused, calm, healthy... Read More

How To Meditate?

We are surrounded by negative forces like jealousy, hatred, fear, doubt, worry, despair, guilt, resentment, anger, pride hatred and anxiety. These are the dominating forces of the... Read More

Body Talk

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzHow many times have you zoned out in front of the television, only to discover an empty bag/bottle/carton of _______ (substitute your current no-no food) sitting in... Read More

Relaxation Techniques to Revitalize Body and Mind

We all get to a stage where we've just had it. We need a break. Well if a holiday is out of the question, try these relaxation... Read More

Bhagavad Gita Commentary

Most of us have heard the story of the centipede who, when asked how he managed to walk with so many legs, could no longer do so,... Read More

Meditating - Staying Awake

Why is staying awake while meditating important? Falling asleep is certainly relaxing, and can be good for you, but to get the full range of benefits from... Read More

Yoga Meditation For Pain Relief

The purpose of this article is to provide information on methods and techniques on how to cope with pain, or in some instances, possibly even overcoming pain... Read More

Enlightenment through Meditation

Helping the broadest range of people attain enlightenment through meditation is my lifelong preoccupation. I have more than 20 years of daily interaction with people helping them... Read More

What Would Plato Think of Prozac?

Each person is unique and it is that individuality that we as a whole draw strength from. We should use such advantages to our benefit. Plato often... Read More

Meditation: Time to Stop & Listen

As a co-active coach, one of the underlying principles that I subscribe to is that everyone has their own answers within. Most of what I do as... Read More

Past Life Regression - Without Trance or Hypnosis!

Instant Past Life Regression - No Trance RequiredI was in the employ of a UK adult education college at one time and was asked to do a... Read More

The Art Of Meditation: How Easy Is It?

Meditation is a form of relaxing and a method to spiritual enlightenment that has been around for centuries. Yet with all the different types of meditation as... Read More

Why Should You Meditate?

Everyone's mind needs a little downtime. We all need time to focus on one task, instead of multi-tasking all day and night. In fact, your mind doesn't... Read More

How to Use White Noise

White noise is: A sound containing a blend of all the audible frequencies distributed equally over the range of the frequency band. White noise is analogous to... Read More

How You Can Unite Meditation, Divine Essence, And Personal Tenacity to Serve Your Highest Purpose

1. Meditation:Meditation is a sacred practice. Shamans, gurus, priests, medicine men and other wise beings have practiced meditation for over 5000 years. In the 20th century, Maharishi... Read More

Can Cognitive Fitness Be a Workout for Your Brain?

There is growing interest to exercise your brain using something called "cognitive fitness."It's a known fact that exercise and meditation reduce anxiety, ease depression, and give you... Read More

A Look at Meditation

I've counseled many people from every background and led workshops and lectures about self-empowering topics for about 25 years. Over that time, I saw a need. Everyone... Read More

Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation (TM)

Scientific research has shown that the most beneficial meditation technique is Transcendental Meditation (TM). The striking reduction of stress and anxiety caused by TM are 3 times... Read More

A One Minute Meditation

Maybe learning to meditate intimidates you, and in any case it's tough to find the time for daily meditation. The solution to both problems is an easy... Read More

Meditate with Mindful Breathing

Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is a wonderful moment!Do you live a life of... Read More

Meditation - Easy Tools for Success

Do you want to learn how to meditate? Have you tried to meditate but you keep falling asleep? Or you're not sure you are doing it right?... Read More

The Mind is Like a Frisky Monkey

People are often so discouraged about the results of their meditative efforts.They feel that they are not only not relaxed, but anxious because they couldn't focus at... Read More

Meditation Is A Dinner Party

Try Not To Force Things Too MuchOften, when meditating, we try too hard to force a certain state of mind that we think we should have. We... Read More