Mindful Monday: The Beginners Guide To Meditation

Meditation is great for grounding, calming the mind, and making space for ourselves in today’s busy world. But it can be so exceedingly difficult to try and find where to begin. 

Step One: Find somewhere to meditate! This can be anywhere! (Car, Bed, Desk, Plane, etc.) But I personally recommend when you are just starting out to pick the same spot every time and use it exclusively for meditation until you are comfortable and confident in your meditative practice. For small spaces, this can be as simple as having a dedicated pillow you sit on for meditation. 

Step Two: Set a timer for 2-5 minutes- I recommend starting at 2 minutes, as meditation can be exceedingly difficult at the beginning. Sit as tall as you are comfortable, trying to stack your joints over your sit bones (you can ABSOLUTELY use a wall to lean against in the beginning), and allow your eyes to drift closed.  

Step Three: When your eyes are closed, ask yourself if anything in your body needs to be adjusted, is uncomfortable, or requires attention. Start from the crown of your head and slowly work your way down the body. This is called a body scan and can be great for athletes to see where they need to pay more attention during recovery (foam rolling, yoga, massage, etc.)! 

Step Four: And breathe! In through the nose and out through the nose, start small and build up to breathes that fill your entire belly. As a beginner, allowing your thoughts to be silent can be difficult. Instead of focusing on the must-do list, and should have done list, I recommend focusing on your breathing, how it feels, and counting your breaths. 

Meditation is not the absence of thought: it is the ability to recognize it and let it go, to fully experience the present. 

If your mind drifts to thoughts, simply acknowledge them, and allow yourself to return to counting your breaths. Over time you can increase the duration, and change where you meditate.  

Not ready to fly solo? Join an Allison Athletics Yoga class or send a DM for private coaching options!