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**finasteride** · 11-29-2011, 12:12 AM

Could anyone point me in the direction of a good article about meditation for beginners? Does anyone have any tips about things that worked well for them when they started out meditating?

When I first began meditation, three things were very helpful: a string of beads (whether a necklace or bracelet or whatever), a particular time of day set aside specifically for this practice, and a good posture.

Counting to ten is a common method I've read about and practiced, but it was a difficult method for me. I found using beads to be easier because counting was mental chatter which was very distracting. What I did was to move one bead along the string for every breath, usually considering the time between the exhale and the inhale as the transition. Furthermore, having the tool be a physical aid, rather than a mental aid (such as counting), made it easier to notice when my attention fell away from them - in my case, it was too easy for counting to transition into mental proliferation and daydreaming, while using these physical sensations (beads & breath, then later just the breath) were much easier - and more relaxing.

Setting up a specific time is also very useful. If you set it according to a place in your daily rhythm ("before breakfast", "after dinner", and so forth), rather than a specific clock time, it might be easier to maintain the habit.

Posture is essential; being able to relax the body is very important as eventually you'll want to sit for longer lengths of time. I use a meditation bench, but many have the hip flexibility to use zafu cushions, or even various lotus postures. The key thing is to make sure your knees are below your hips, and that your back is properly erect. A good posture should basically let your body hang on the skeleton without muscle tension. Remember to relax your facial muscles and jaw, and keep your tongue gently touching the roof of your mouth so saliva doesn't pool up all the time. Sometimes, it helps to smile.

(One more thing is that diaphragmatic breathing is much better than chest-breathing; abdominal breathing is usually advised, but I find that it leads to drowsiness fairly often. Understanding the difference between these styles of breathing may be too much at first, but I just wanted to mention it.)

11-29-2011, 12:12 AM	#9
finasteride Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 488 Senior Member	Could anyone point me in the direction of a good article about meditation for beginners? Does anyone have any tips about things that worked well for them when they started out meditating? When I first began meditation, three things were very helpful: a string of beads (whether a necklace or bracelet or whatever), a particular time of day set aside specifically for this practice, and a good posture. Counting to ten is a common method I've read about and practiced, but it was a difficult method for me. I found using beads to be easier because counting was mental chatter which was very distracting. What I did was to move one bead along the string for every breath, usually considering the time between the exhale and the inhale as the transition. Furthermore, having the tool be a physical aid, rather than a mental aid (such as counting), made it easier to notice when my attention fell away from them - in my case, it was too easy for counting to transition into mental proliferation and daydreaming, while using these physical sensations (beads & breath, then later just the breath) were much easier - and more relaxing. Setting up a specific time is also very useful. If you set it according to a place in your daily rhythm ("before breakfast", "after dinner", and so forth), rather than a specific clock time, it might be easier to maintain the habit. Posture is essential; being able to relax the body is very important as eventually you'll want to sit for longer lengths of time. I use a meditation bench, but many have the hip flexibility to use zafu cushions, or even various lotus postures. The key thing is to make sure your knees are below your hips, and that your back is properly erect. A good posture should basically let your body hang on the skeleton without muscle tension. Remember to relax your facial muscles and jaw, and keep your tongue gently touching the roof of your mouth so saliva doesn't pool up all the time. Sometimes, it helps to smile. (One more thing is that diaphragmatic breathing is much better than chest-breathing; abdominal breathing is usually advised, but I find that it leads to drowsiness fairly often. Understanding the difference between these styles of breathing may be too much at first, but I just wanted to mention it.)
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