Recently, my little sister asked for some basic instruction on how she could begin meditating. I wrote up a simple how-to about it, and sent it off to her. I also put out a little Twitter update stating I wrote one up and IntegralChaotic, a friend on Twitter, said they would be interested to read it. So, I have added it here as well.
Keep in mind, this is a very basic starting point. Much more detail can be put into a how-to of meditation, but I’ve always found this is a good place to start. And, even if you have meditated for years and get out of practice, this is a good beginning point.
If you would like to start – try this for 15 minutes:
- sit (this could be on the floor, or on a chair [to start with])
- keep your back straight, like you are holding the ceiling with the top of your head (but don’t over do it, you want to be comfortable)
- let your eyelids relax a little, not closed, but relaxed.
- rest your hands together in your lap
- breathe in slowly
- breathe out slowly
- clear your mind. (believe it or not, this is the hardest thing to do.)
an easy way to start is counting your breath. This is one of the basics, and to me, one of the best ways to start. To do so, you would inhale, then count the exhale. Inhale, then count the exhale. A full in, then out would be 1 cycle. Next full in, then out would be 2. I’ve found that with my relaxed breathing, when I count my breath to 100, approximately 15 minutes have gone by. So, not only does the counting help with timing your 15 minutes, it also helps you clear your mind. If you are concentrating on breathing and counting, and nothing else, the mind is therefore nearly clear. 
I am always open to additions, comments, and any replies. May it be helpful to you…
…joining palms
