Meditation: A Beginner's Guide

Meditation is an ancient practice that builds focus, awareness, mental clarity, and compassion. It uses a variety of techniques that lead us towards a state of calm and tranquility.

Meditation is a simple practice that anyone can learn. It can be practiced anywhere and at any time and doesn’t require special equipment, clothing or training. You can follow a system, a religion or do it on your own terms.

To meditate is to draw the attention inwards. To notice our thoughts and our feelings as they come and go. To sense, observe and to let go. The goal is not to control those thoughts or to control our minds, but simply to be at one with them.

Meditation is to be aware of every thought and of every feeling, never to say it is right or wrong but just to watch it and move with it. In that watching you begin to understand the whole movement of thought and feeling. And out of this awareness comes silence.
Jiddu Krishnamurti

The benefits of meditation are well documented and backed by science. It has been shown to improve focus, reduce stress and anxiety, enhance self-awareness and support emotional wellbeing. Some of these benefits can be felt immediately while others develop over the longer-term through consistent practice.

How to learn meditation

We’ve written a series of articles to teach you everything you need to know about meditation and how to get better at it. Simply follow the links below and apply the techniques that resonate with you the most:

There are even more insights over on on our blog, including guided meditations, to give you the support you need to build your practice.

Meditation tips: how to practice

Meditation is easy to learn but difficult to master. Here are the core principles for effective practice:

Sit comfortably – Find a comfortable position either sitting cross-legged on a cushion, or in a chair. Wear loose, comfortable clothes that allow you to breath and relax without distraction.

Focus on the breath – Draw your attention to your breathing and settle in to a nice, steady cadence. The breath is the focal point – it acts as a guide and an anchor for your practice.

Observe without judgement – Your mind will naturally wander in different directions during meditation. Notice when this happens and gently return to the breath, again and again. Allow things to pass in and our of your mind without reacting or passing judgement.

Practice daily – Meditation is something that should be practiced everyday. Set aside the same time, maybe after you wake up in the morning or before you go to sleep at night, for consistent practice that steadily improves your skills. You can also take advantage of other opportunities to meditate when they present themselves.

Start with two minutes – When you are a beginner you can start with as little as two minutes a day to build the habit. This is achievable for most people and makes it easier to establish a sustainable daily routine.

Build up to 15-45 minutes – Once you are consistent and feeling the benefits of meditation you can increase your practice time to 15-45 minutes. This is when you’ll notice the biggest changes in focus, self-awareness and mental clarity.

Learning meditation is like learning any other skill. It’s difficult at first but the more we do it, the more comfortable we get. A little time each day can have far-reaching effects.