Tips
- Meditating for 10 minutes a day is infinitely better than meditating for 70 minutes once a week. Try to meditate frequently (every day if possible), even if that just means sitting for a few minutes.
- Start small. If you try to meditate for 30 minutes right from the start, I can almost guarantee that you will get frustrated and discouraged. I recommend starting with five minutes, and only increasing that time when you're comfortable. Even if you sit for five minutes, and you find that your mind wanders the whole time, you will still receive incredible benefits from meditation.
- Pick a gentle alarm. If your timer is loud and jarring, anticipating the alarm will distract your attention during meditation.
- Meditate in a quiet place. Having less distractions around you will naturally allow you to concentrate better, and will make your meditation much more productive.
- It's easiest to lose your attention during your out-breath. Your in-breath is very pronounced and easy to concentrate on, and most people's minds wander on their out-breaths (me included). This is worth keeping in mind.
- Be easy on yourself when your mind wanders. It's easy to become frustrated with yourself when your mind wanders, but don't. Your meditations will be much more productive when you gently bring your attention back.
- If you can't concentrate, try counting. Count your breaths, until you reach five, and then start again. I use this trick when I'm having a tough time concentrating.