Meditation for Beginners

Across the planet there are millions, probably billions of people who engage in some type of meditation practice on at least a semi-regular basis. For some, particularly among practitioners of Eastern religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, this is part and parcel of their religious practice.

For others, meditation practice is otherwise driven. Particularly in Western cultures, it tends to be a response to stress. With the world economy approaching meltdown and the effects of that development filtering down to people on the real level of stressing over their job or their ability to keep their home, it’s a response to a need to attain a state of peace of mind and well-being.

Of course, in Western cultures like ours, a natural response to feeling such an urge is to ask oneself, “How do I do it”? Instruction in meditation for beginners can be found in literally thousands of sources.

For years, authors have reaped a bounty by writing books on the subject. The internet offers instruction in any number of meditative techniques. One might be hard pressed to find a community college that doesn’t offer at least a beginner’s class in yoga.

Followers of the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi offer classes in all metropolitan areas and many others besides in his trademarked process of Transcendental Meditation. TM, as it is known among its practitioners, first came to worldwide attention when the Beatles began practicing it in 1967. For direct, guided, personal instruction in meditation for the beginner, TM may be the hallmark.

Part of the confusion about how to practice meditation effectively is due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of techniques championed by various groups and individuals.

As a general principle, it might fairly be said that all meditation techniques seek to have the practitioner attain a state of consciousness that is alien to our ordinary waking state of awareness. We are all aware of the ‘voice inside our head’ that offers and endless barrage of commentary and assessment of our experience. It is by training our minds to move beyond this that we are able to experience a sense of inner peace. It sounds simple enough, but the inner voice is most persistent.

Although a huge number of people experiment with meditation, not nearly so many maintain its practice over the long haul. In most cases, this is due to frustration over our inability to experience any dramatic, instantly recognizable effects.

This can hardly be considered surprising in our culture of instant gratification. However, we might do well to keep in mind that the culture that advises us that our desires should be instantly fulfilled also generates in us an expectation that if they are not, something is wrong, and maybe the fault is within ourselves.

This is quite an intimidating state of affairs, and few these days are equipped to cope with the disappointment and fear arising from such thoughts (manifest by the voice in our heads). In addition, in a culture in which demands for discipline and sustained effort are deemed unfair or discriminatory, many people abandon their efforts at meditation before they have a chance to bear fruit.

Whatever style of meditation practice a beginner may settle upon, one of the keys of TM practice is most relevant. “Take it as it comes”, they say. Maintain the practice with a sense of discipline and devotion, and eventually the beginning meditator will come to be a meditator.

Some people enjoy meditating to soothing sounds. Here is a video with just such a soundtrack.

Below, you will find some of the more popular books related to a variety of meditation techniques. Clicking on any of the images will take you to descriptions and detailed reader reviews of each book’s method. One thing is for certain, meditation for beginners should not ever be a stressful endeavor. Read the description of each technique and then go with what seems right for you. You can always try more than one method as you go along, if you are so inclined.

Some people really don’t like to read and just want to be able to listen to direction as they learn a new skill. For them, guided meditation may be the best path. These can be purchased in a variety of places, but one of the most common ways of getting these is simply to download them so that they can be used immediately. The cost for these is quite low. You can find several different guided meditationsonline.

I hope you have found this short article helpful. Please stop back often to check for new topics.

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