How do I start?

[Jenna]

Hi

Hope you are all well. I have read a lot about mindfulness and would like to try it. I did start with a book called finding peace in a frantic world and it helped for a while. However, I then got onto the longer meditations and found these too hard.

I am learning and have learnt a lot about myself recently but would love to continue this. I have incredibly low energy levels so am worried I fall asleep.

Any suggestions on how I can start would be gratefully received?

Thanks

[One Aware]

Hi Jenna:

Welcome to our forum. The good thing about mindfulness is that there is really no right or wrong way of practicing it. All your really need is a curious or "beginners mind", a willingness to learn and practice, kindness toward yourself and patience. You should start out slowly without putting undue pressure on yourself to achieve anything. Things will come to you naturally as you go along. It is helpful to have some guidance as you begin meditating. Here is a website that has some free meditations in mp3 format that you can download or play from the website: http://www.mindfulness-solution.com/Dow ... tions.html .

When I started meditating some time ago I took a 10 week program in Mindfulness Based CBT. We started out with an eating or "raisin" meditation. Then we progressed to a sitting meditation with "mindfulness of the breath" and so on. To start out, I suggest listening to the following from the website I listed above...

1. Posture Instructions

2. Raisin Meditation

3. Breath Awareness Meditation

I suggest that these might be a good starting point. There are other ways it can be approached and I'm sure some of the helpful members here will happily chime in with some other suggestions from their experience as well. As always we are here to discuss, offer support and answer questions you may have.

I wish you peace and happiness in your mindful journey.

[JonW]

Hi Jenna,
Welcome to the forum.
Try not to worry about the fact that you find the longer meditations challenging right now. Move at a speed that's right for you.
Maybe practice the three minute breathing space for a while until you're ready to move on to longer meditations.
Falling asleep is not an uncommon problem. Maybe stick with the sitting meditations and the yoga until you feel that you have more energy.
Also it might be worth looking into meditation, stools and cushions to see what might best suit you in terms of doing longer meditations.
This is an excellent site: https://www.calmingbreath.com/
I'm halfway through an eight-week mindfulness course in Brighton which I'm finding hugely beneficial. Are there any courses in your area? Another option is to meet up with fellow meditators in your area. http://www.meetup.com is a great way to meet people with similar interests and it's fairly cheap to set it up.
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any other questions.
All good things, Jon

[FeeHutch]

Hi Jenna
Welcome to our community.
There are some great suggestions here already. I sometimes struggle with long meditations and try to do at least 1 or 2 short sessions a day instead.
I look forward to getting to know you better
Fiona

[larorra]

Hi Jenna ,

welcome to our community. I would like to add that you could try walking meditation and just go with the breaths as you walk or focus on your feet, (not looking at them) just the feel of each step. It works for me. I walk to and from work every day and am mindfully walking every day now. I used to listen to my mp3 player now I am mindful of my environment, mostly birds singing at 7am, but through mindfulness I am seeing things i never saw before. I wouldnt worry about doing long meditations until you are ready for them. Remember as long as you do it regularly, short mediatations are fine, just don't give up, you've nothing to lose and so much to gain!

[deltahotel66]

Hi Jenna,

Welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy it here. Being a complete novice myself I cannot really offer any useful advice so I just thought I'd say hello and welcome !!

Cheers
Delta

[Steve]

Although I have meditated on and off for a few years, I still find the first part of a meditation the 'hardest'. Your mind or body is probably already buzzing and although you can observe this, it it feels good when you can calm down and relax. This is the hard bit and it doesn't always happen but when it does, i find that I seem to go through 'layers'. I notice that I have calmed down and my breathing is slower or more gentle. If this happens, then it is easier to continue and then I sometimes seem to go down another 'layer' when my breathing becomes less noticeable but i start becoming aware of hearing my heart beating. if this continues then ones sense of time seems to fall away (indeed time can seem to be irrelevant when you are just aware of the present) and it then doesn't matter how long the meditation is - it might be 20 mins or 30 mins or more - as you have no urge to worry about time passing - you're just is a timeless place.

My more regular practice is much shorter though, often only 5 or 10 mins in the morning, but even this is great if you can step back from everyday stuff, be calm and then just be in the moment even if for just a few minutes - no worry about the morning rush, getting to work etc etc. Using a timer is also good as it helps you 'let go' of any need to think or worry about time so you can just focus on being in the present.

That's how it seems to work for me, not sure if others experience anything similar but thought I would share this anyway.

Steve

[Gareth]

Having just had a baby, this topic has passed me by. I have just read all the wonderful replies that people have given, and I am overjoyed that this place is beginning to thrive. There is a proper mindfulness teacher Andy who comes to this forum; I know he will post you some advice soon. Although the advice you have already received looks pretty good to me. One key thing to bear in mind is:go easy on yourself

At some point in the future, I would like to attract some mindfulness teachers to this forum who we could perhaps show as moderators. These moderators could dispense mindfulness advice that would come from some kind of training. I don't want to denigrate anyone else's advice, because it has all been good. It's just that these forums are open and anyone can post here.

I am gonna meet up with Fiona in a couple of weeks and discuss these issues.

Welcome to your mindfulness journey Jenna - we'll support you all the way.

[JonW]

Well said, Gareth.
Hope you, the missus and the wee one are doing fine.
It is lovely to see the way this forum is developing. I can see your concerns though. Both on the meditation and yoga fronts, a certain readiness is required both in terms of physical and mental health. "Go easy on yourself" is a useful mantra.
I hope I didn't trigger concerns by mentioning depression and anxiety btw.