Meditation Techniques For Beginners - Watching the Breath

One of the simplest ways to begin learning meditation is to watch your breath. This meditation technique is perfect for beginners because it is natural, easy, and can be done anywhere and anytime. Begin by paying attention to the breath as it leaves and enters your lungs.

Take notice of any bodily sensations, thoughts, or feelings. At first, start with five inhalations and five exhalations, counting slowly and taking deep regular breaths. Make sure that you are paying full attention and giving all of your focus to the breath. If you find yourself getting distracted, do not worry or get agitated, this is a natural part of the practice. When this happens, gently bring your attention back to the breath and begin again. Once you are able to maintain a steady focus and count five breaths without becoming distracted, you can increase the number of inhalations and exhalations.

Take note of the moments when you become distracted, there you will find the greatest lessons and realizations and I always try to think of those moments as reminders and helpful reminders instead of failures. To use the metaphor of driving a car, if you momentarily drift off the road, you simply take control of the steering wheel and bring the car back to the center of the road. It is exactly the same with this meditation technique. Watching and counting the breath can be done frequently and in short bursts, and you may find that even a five count will dramatically reduce stress and anxiety while calming, clearing, and centering the mind. As with any skill, the amount of time and length of practice will determine the benefit and mastery.

Vlad Moskovski was born in Russia and at a young age moved with first to Israel and then to the United States. Intrigued by yoga from a young ago, Vlad began his studies of yoga while attending Rutgers University in NJ. During that time, he began exploring additional meditative traditions and working with Zen, Taoist and Tai Chi practitioners. A recent graduate of the NLP Center of NY, he has recently begun writing and teaching about meditation in order to inform a wide audience about the benefits of this ancient tradition.