How to Meditate: a Simple 7-Step Workout for Your Mind

Apr 2020

Being a workout junkie, today I am going to show you a great workout that you can do in just 10 minutes a day. This workout will not only help you build muscle, but it will also help you focus better. Did I also mention that it will help you remove a ton of clutter from your life? Before you click away to go watch some cat videos because you don’t feel like working out right now, here is the kicker – you won’t even have to break a sweat to gain the benefits I described above!

If you are wondering how you can build muscle without sweating, that’s because the muscle we will be working on today is the one between our ears. That’s right, we will be working on our mental muscle by learning how to meditate using simple meditation. As for the clutter I promised to help you remove, no it’s not all that junk around your house that you don’t need.

Rather it is…

The Mental Clutter That is Bouncing Around in Your Head!

I think it is safe to say that we all understand how mental clutter interferes with our focus, limits our productivity and decreases our overall happiness.

Mental clutter due to untamed thoughts can have many symptoms such as making us:

Feel trapped in anxious or negative thinking.

Waste time, productivity and focus due to overthinking things.

Feel overwhelmed, busy and stressed because we have lost touch with who we are.

Being complained to by friends, coworkers or spouse because they feel we are always distracted, stressed or disengaged.

There Are a Few Reasons That We Experience Mental Clutter

With some of the most common reasons being:

(1) Constant Stress

Just the fact that many of us always need to ‘be on’ due to our busy and hectic lives is enough to overwhelm us. Throw in legitimate worries and concerns and we can end up sick, not sleeping properly and overstressed.

(2) An Overabundance of ‘Things’

Think about all the crap we have around us – gadgets we never use, books we never read, clothes we never wear, email boxes overflowing! All this stuff not only fills our houses with crap we don’t need, but it also creates thoughts that are anxious, negative and reactive.

(3) Too Much Choice

In a recent post, we discussed opportunity cost which is something we need to consider when making choices. In the book I referenced in that post, The Paradox of Choice, author Barry Schwartz concluded that increased choice does not make us happier. Rather, it increases our anxiety, analysis paralysis, and indecision; and many times, we end up dissatisfied!

So, the question is, what can we do to reduce our anxiety and overthinking so that we may have a calm and simplified mental life?

There is a multitude of ways that we can do this. However, as I said in the introduction, today we are going to focus on one of the most popular and common ways…learning how to meditate!

Learning How to Meditate with Simple Meditation

Also known as mindfulness meditation. One of my favorite definitions of mindfulness was one I read about in a book called Search Inside Yourself. The author quoted someone named Jon Kabat-Zinn as saying mindfulness is simply:

“Paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” ²

There are many types of meditation practices, but what’s true is that most of them start with simple meditation.

Simple meditation is a practice where you engage in concentrated focus to pay attention to your breath, a sound, your body, attention itself etc. to become more aware of the present moment.

That’s it!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Before we get to discuss how to meditate, let’s first discuss…

Benefits of Learning How to Meditate

There are a ton of benefits of knowing how to meditate and practicing simple meditation:

Affects our amygdala – According to a study, when exposed to a negative sound, expert meditators (10,000 or more hours) were shown to have reduced activation in their amygdala compared to novice meditators. ¹ Basically, our amygdala is the part of our brain that looks out for threats to our survival. When it senses danger, it puts us into fight or flight mode while impairing out rational thinking. So, by training our attention via simple meditation we are able to control an important and primitive part of our brain.

Helps us be present – knowing how to meditate and practicing simple meditation can help us be more present and appreciate every moment of our lives.

Calmness – it can also help us experience clarity and calmness in our mind by helping control overthinking and worry.

Trains Our Mind – as a tool to control our thoughts and build our mind muscle both when we are meditating and when we aren’t.

Now, without further ado…let’s proceed and learn how to meditate with the simple meditation workout!

How to Meditate Using Simple Meditation

Here are some simple steps you can follow for how to meditate using simple meditation:

(1) Find a quiet place free of distractions

This means a place free of distractions where we won’t be disturbed. And P.S. turn off your phone!

(2) Choose a posture

There is no ‘correct posture’ – the best posture is the one where you are able to remain alert and relaxed for a long period of time. Some people like to sit in a chair, some like to sit on the floor.

In Search Inside Yourself, the authors offer a 7-point meditation posture that has been developed over thousands of years:

(i) Back straight “like an arrow”
(ii) Legs crossed in “lotus position”
(iii) Shoulders relaxed, held up and back, “like a vulture”
(iv) Chin tucked in slightly, “like an iron hook”
(v) Eyes closed or gazing into space
(vi) Tongue held against the upper palate
(vii) Lips slightly apart, teeth not clenched

Personally, I don’t use this posture, I simply sit with my legs crossed, back straight with my hands face-up on my lap. My suggestion is to do whatever is most comfortable for you.

(3) Eyes open or closed?

I prefer to close my eyes but opinions on this are mixed. Again, whatever works for you. If you close your eyes, just don’t fall asleep! This is a VERY common result of closing your eyes.

(4) Focus solely on your breathing

Once your eyes are closed (or not) and you are comfortably positioned, simply bring gentle and focused attention to your breathing. Don’t attempt to change it, simply pay attention to the rising and falling sensation it brings to your body.

(5) Bring your attention back

Each time your attention wanders away from your breathing, simply bring it back gently. When you start practicing simple meditation this will occur frequently, so don’t get discouraged.

(6) Count your breaths

Begin to count your breaths silently in your head. ‘1’ when you inhale, ‘2’ when you exhale, all the way up to 10, then start over again. Again, every time your attention goes away, gently bring it back.

(7) Get Ready to Finish

When you are ready to stop, notice how relaxed you feel and simply open your eyes and give thanks for everything you have in your life.

A Few Items of Note

Don’t get freaked out if your mind keeps wandering, it is normal. I’ve been meditating for years and it still happens to me sometimes. Just keep bringing it back.

The amount of time you meditate is up to you. I practice simple meditation for 10 minutes twice a day.

Practicing simple meditation 10 minutes once a day, every day will get you substantial benefit.

If you get to the point where you want to try a new type of meditation, you may want to Google some other types such as: body scan meditation, Zen meditation, transcendental meditation, and loving-kindness meditation.

There are some great apps out there that provide background music as well as guided meditation. Headspace is a popular one and Calm is the one that I use.

The key like anything else is to practice, practice, practice.

When you work out your biceps at the gym, every time you flex or contract your biceps, they get stronger. The same thing goes for your mind, every time your attention wanders away and you bring it back, your mind is getting stronger.

So, you could say that knowing how to meditate and practicing simple meditation is like working out minus the sweat.

No towel or shower necessary! But still please shower regularly!

Until next time, keep flexing your mental muscles and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

Use it Or Lose It:

Here are some simple steps you can follow for how to meditate:

(1) Find a quiet place free of distractions.

(2) Choose a posture.

(3) Decide if you want to keep your eyes open or closed.

(4) Focus solely on your breathing.

(5) Bring your attention back.

(6) Count your breaths.

(7) Finish.

When to Use It:

Every day!

What Do You Think?

Do you use simple meditation or any other type of meditation? Has it been a game-changer for you as it has for me? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

1 Declutter Your Mind: How to Stop Worrying, Relieve Anxiety, and Eliminate Negative Thinking by S.J. Scott and Barrie Davenport

2 Search Inside Yourself