How to Create a Relaxing Meditation Retreat Right at Home

Meditar é essencial para mantermos nos saudáveis e equilibrados.

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How to Start a Meditation Practice

You have probably heard that meditation is great for stress reduction, increasing self-awareness, and supporting a healthy lifestyle. In our busy lives, meditation can easily feel like one more activity we need to add to our lengthy to-do lists. After all, how can we possibly have time to sit still when we have so much going on? We start to question: Can meditation really work for me?

If you have been thinking that meditation might help you, chances are it will. Meditation is becoming much more mainstream and many celebrities, businesswomen, and educators are sharing the benefits of taking time to center themselves each day and slow down the mind.

“THE ONE THING I WANT TO DO IS CENTER MYSELF EVERY DAY AND MAKE THAT A PRACTICE FOR MYSELF. BECAUSE I'M 1,000 PERCENT BETTER WHEN I DO THAT." -OPRAH

What is meditation?
By definition, meditation is a mental training that helps us tune into the present moment while moving beyond our habitual thoughts and patterns. Over time, we become aware of our true nature and feel a deep sense of peace. In many Eastern traditions, our ‘true nature’ is often described as love.

There are many different types of meditation and most of them have an element of quietness, limited distraction, specific postures (sitting, lying down, even walking) and a focused attention on the breath, a phrase (or mantra), or visual image. Many practices encourage keeping a neutral mind, staying away from judging feelings or thoughts that surface during the practice.

Current research is proving what ancient mystics have known for thousands of years. When we learn to pay attention to each moment we become more open, kind, grounded and able to handle any situation life hands us. Meditation is all about coming home to ourselves, surrendering to each moment with grace, and recognizing more of who we really are.

Despite how the media portrays meditation, it has very little to do with sitting cross legged on a hillside with our eyes closed, and very much to do with learning to be present in all areas of our life. Here’s the beauty of it all: starting a meditation practice can be very simple. With just a few small adjustments to your daily routine, you can build a foundation that you can count on for the rest of your life. Read on to learn four simple steps for starting a practice.

You Have The Time
We’re all busy and it often seems like we have no time to see our close girlfriends, let alone meditate. The reality is that every choice we make during a day is a reflection of what we give the most energy to in our lives. When we overwork ourselves at our jobs (at the expense of our well being) we’re giving our energy to our careers, finances, or our bosses. When we ruminate about a conversation we had with our partners we give our energy to a belief that we can control our relationships. The old saying goes, ‘where awareness goes, energy flows.'

What if for just a few minutes each day, you chose to give your energy to yourself? The truth is that when we slow down and take care of ourselves we have much more to offer each other. From that perspective, commit to taking five minutes each morning to cultivate a meditation practice. You have the time—it’s simply a matter of prioritizing and trusting that conditions will improve once you decide to meditate.

Start Where You Are
There is so much information on starting a meditation practice, that it may cause you to feel anxious—it’s normal in the beginning to worry if you are doing it right. Here are some basic suggestions to help ease your mind and get you practicing:


Sit quietly in a chair or on the floor where you feel comfortable and with as few distractions as possible.
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Place your attention on your breath and breathe slowly in and out of your nose.
Each time you become aware of your thoughts, bring your attention back to your breath.
When the timer goes off close your practice by thinking of one thing you are grateful for.
Repeat this practice 2-3 times a week and gradually build to a daily practice.

When you miss a day or days or even weeks, don’t beat yourself up. Simply start where you are and begin again.

"IT FEELS GOOD. KINDA LIKE WHEN YOU HAVE TO SHUT YOUR COMPUTER DOWN; JUST SOMETIMES WHEN IT GOES CRAZY, YOU JUST SHUT IT DOWN, AND WHEN YOU TURN IT ON, IT'S OK AGAIN. THAT'S WHAT MEDITATION IS FOR ME." - ELLEN DEGENERES

Take it Slow
Like learning any new skill, it takes time to develop a meditation practice. You wouldn’t sit down in front of a piano and expect to be able to play a beautiful piece of music upon your first try. You would likely start by learning a few notes and playing scales for a while before you took on your first full piece of music. Meditation is the same way: It’s always best to start slow and build gradually. There is no rush to the finish line because our internal work is never complete. Each time you practice you are putting a deposit in your meditation bank that will eventually benefit you in ways beyond the imaginable.

Keep Practicing
Once you get into your practice stick with it. The greatest benefits come from dedicated practice over time. Think of meditation as a way to check in with yourself each day, like your own mental exercise program. Our bodies have much more energy and health when we work out regularly. The same is true with our minds. Consistent meditation practice builds mental clarity, boosts energy, and stabilizes emotions. Just think about how much you can accomplish from a regular practice!

Above all meditation teaches us how to just be in each moment. From the most humble beginnings we discover more of who we are, one breath at a time. Meditation teaches us how to live with authenticity, generosity, radical kindness, mindfulness, and true purpose.

Instead of making meditation one more task on our to-do list, meditation can be the key to unlock our true potential. By taking just a few minutes each day to come back to your center you will have more energy to do the things that matter to you the most.

Inspired to meditate? We would love to know how it goes! Keep us in the loop by leaving a comment below.

Source: http://theeverygirl.com/how-to-start-a-meditation-practice

Meditation for Beginners: 20 Practical Tips for Understanding the Mind

BY LEO BABAUTA

The most important habit I’ve formed in the last 10 years of forming habits is meditation. Hands down, bar none.

Meditation has helped me to form all my other habits, it’s helped me to become more peaceful, more focused, less worried about discomfort, more appreciative and attentive to everything in my life. I’m far from perfect, but it has helped me come a long way.

Probably most importantly, it has helped me understand my own mind. Before I started meditating, I never thought about what was going on inside my head — it would just happen, and I would follow its commands like an automaton. These days, all of that still happens, but more and more, I am aware of what’s going on. I can make a choice about whether to follow the commands. I understand myself better (not completely, but better), and that has given me increased flexibility and freedom.

So … I highly recommend this habit. And while I’m not saying it’s easy, you can start small and get better and better as you practice. Don’t expect to be good at first — that’s why it’s called “practice”!

These tips aren’t aimed at helping you to become an expert … they should help you get started and keep going. You don’t have to implement them all at once — try a few, come back to this article, try one or two more.

1. Sit for just two minutes. This will seem ridiculously easy, to just meditate for two minutes. That’s perfect. Start with just two minutes a day for a week. If that goes well, increase by another two minutes and do that for a week. If all goes well, by increasing just a little at a time, you’ll be meditating for 10 minutes a day in the 2nd month, which is amazing! But start small first.
2. Do it first thing each morning. It’s easy to say, “I’ll meditate every day,” but then forget to do it. Instead, set a reminder for every morning when you get up, and put a note that says “meditate” somewhere where you’ll see it.
3. Don’t get caught up in the how — just do. Most people worry about where to sit, how to sit, what cushion to use … this is all nice, but it’s not that important to get started. Start just by sitting on a chair, or on your couch. Or on your bed. If you’re comfortable on the ground, sit cross-legged. It’s just for two minutes at first anyway, so just sit. Later you can worry about optimizing it so you’ll be comfortable for longer, but in the beginning it doesn’t matter much, just sit somewhere quiet and comfortable.
4. Check in with how you’re feeling. As you first settle into your meditation session, simply check to see how you’re feeling. How does your body feel? What is the quality of your mind? Busy? Tired? Anxious? See whatever you’re bringing to this meditation session as completely OK.
5. Count your breaths. Now that you’re settled in, turn your attention to your breath. Just place the attention on your breath as it comes in, and follow it through your nose all the way down to your lungs. Try counting “one” as you take in the first breath, then “two” as you breathe out. Repeat this to the count of 10, then start again at one.
6. Come back when you wander. Your mind will wander. This is an almost absolute certainty. There’s no problem with that. When you notice your mind wandering, smile, and simply gently return to your breath. Count “one” again, and start over. You might feel a little frustration, but it’s perfectly OK to not stay focused, we all do it. This is the practice, and you won’t be good at it for a little while.
7. Develop a loving attitude. When you notice thoughts and feelings arising during meditation, as they will, look at them with a friendly attitude. See them as friends, not intruders or enemies. They are a part of you, though not all of you. Be friendly and not harsh.
8. Don’t worry too much that you’re doing it wrong. You will worry you’re doing it wrong. That’s OK, we all do. You’re not doing it wrong. There’s no perfect way to do it, just be happy you’re doing it.
9. Don’t worry about clearing the mind. Lots of people think meditation is about clearing your mind, or stopping all thoughts. It’s not. This can sometimes happen, but it’s not the “goal” of meditation. If you have thoughts, that’s normal. We all do. Our brains are thought factories, and we can’t just shut them down. Instead, just try to practice focusing your attention, and practice some more when your mind wanders.
10. Stay with whatever arises. When thoughts or feelings arise, and they will, you might try staying with them awhile. Yes, I know I said to return to the breath, but after you practice that for a week, you might also try staying with a thought or feeling that arises. We tend to want to avoid feelings like frustration, anger, anxiety … but an amazingly useful meditation practice is to stay with the feeling for awhile. Just stay, and be curious.
11. Get to know yourself. This practice isn’t just about focusing your attention, it’s about learning how your mind works. What’s going on inside there? It’s murky, but by watching your mind wander, get frustrated, avoid difficult feelings … you can start to understand yourself.
12. Become friends with yourself. As you get to know yourself, do it with a friendly attitude instead of one of criticism. You’re getting to know a friend. Smile and give yourself love.
13. Do a body scan. Another thing you can do, once you become a little better at following your breath, is focus your attention on one body part at a time. Start at the soles of your feet — how do those feel? Slowly move to your toes, the tops of your feet, your ankles, all the way to the top of your head.
14. Notice the light, sounds, energy. Another place to put your attention, again, after you’ve practice with your breath for at least a week, is the light all around you. Just keep your eyes on one spot, and notice the light in the room you’re in. Another day, just focus on noticing sounds. Another day, try to notice the energy in the room all around you (including light and sounds).
15. Really commit yourself. Don’t just say, “Sure, I’ll try this for a couple days.” Really commit yourself to this. In your mind, be locked in, for at least a month.
16. You can do it anywhere. If you’re traveling or something comes up in the morning, you can do meditation in your office. In the park. During your commute. As you walk somewhere. Sitting meditation is the best place to start, but in truth, you’re practicing for this kind of mindfulness in your entire life.
17. Follow guided meditation. If it helps, you can try following guided meditations to start with. My wife is using Tara Brach’s guided meditations, and she finds them very helpful.
18. Check in with friends. While I like meditating alone, you can do it with your spouse or child or a friend. Or just make a commitment with a friend to check in every morning after meditation. It might help you stick with it for longer.
19. Find a community. Even better, find a community of people who are meditating and join them. This might be a Zen or Tibetan community near you (for example), where you go and meditate with them. Or find an online group and check in with them and ask questions, get support, encourage others. My Sea Change Program has a community like that.
20. Smile when you’re done. When you’re finished with your two minutes, smile. Be grateful that you had this time to yourself, that you stuck with your commitment, that you showed yourself that you’re trustworthy, where you took the time to get to know yourself and make friends with yourself. That’s an amazing two minutes of your life.

Meditation isn’t always easy or even peaceful. But it has truly amazing benefits, and you can start today, and continue for the rest of your life.

Source: http://zenhabits.net/meditation-guide/