Meditation 101: A Beginner's Guide to Starting Your Practice
I am a beginner; how do I start meditating?
Lots of people ask this question before they start meditating.
When you’re new to meditation, you might wonder how to start. Many people think about this before trying it because when we’re new to something, we want to know how to begin.
First, it’s time for a story.
When I was young, my dad decided it was time for me to learn how to ride a bicycle. He brought home a used bicycle one day and took me to the park near my residence, in Mumbai. He told me to get on the bike and push both pedals with my feet. He held onto the bike to help me feel secure.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got the cycle. You won’t fall,” he said.
As I pedaled, the cycle moved faster than my dad could keep up. He let go of the handle without me noticing. After a while, I realized he wasn’t holding on anymore. I got scared, lost control, and crashed into a rose bush, hurting myself.
Dad came over, helped me up, and said, “That’s enough for today. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
We practiced every day despite a few more crashes into rose bushes. After about a week, I was able to ride on my own.
Soon, other kids in the neighborhood formed a riders’ club, and we rode together. But my dad started getting complaints about the crazy things we were doing on our bicycles after a few months.
Why did I tell you this story?
When we decide to learn something, whether riding a cycle, writing, math, or even more complex subjects like economics or computer science, we understand that there’s a learning process involved. We start learning some things, like riding a cycle or basic math, when we’re kids, and we know we’re students at that time. Later, when we tackle subjects like economics or computer science, even though we’re a bit older and expect more from ourselves, we still acknowledge that we’re students.
Meditation follows a similar pattern. When you start, you might not know much. If you set high expectations, you might feel disappointed when you can’t meet them. For example, you might aim to focus on your breath for five minutes but find your mind wandering after just ten breaths.
That’s normal!
Learning to meditate is similar to learning to ride a bicycle. In the beginning, you might feel unstable, and that’s okay. Just like you need a certain speed for your vehicle to be stable, gaining momentum in meditation requires some confidence. That’s why children often find it easier to learn to ride a cycle when someone gives them a push to get started, so they’re already moving at a good speed. Similarly, having a Guru/teacher to guide you in meditation can give you that initial push and help you get into the right mindset.
When you’re finding it tough on your own, remember that meditation isn’t easy for everyone.
Some of the best meditation techniques focus on your body, like paying attention to your breath or focusing on specific body parts like your chest, palms, abdomen, or nose. These techniques help you connect with yourself rather than something external. Since your body is always there, it’s a reliable anchor. When your mind starts to wander, just notice it and gently bring your focus back to your breath or the body part you’re concentrating on.
Success isn’t just about what you’ve accomplished; it’s also about what you’ve done.
If you fell off your bicycle ten times but got back on each time, that’s an achievement in itself. Even if you didn’t manage to ride 10 meters in a straight line, you still did the important work of getting back on your vehicle after falling. If you haven’t fully achieved a calm mind during meditation but consistently returned to focusing on your breath, that’s still progress. Setting the goal of staying with and returning to the breath as soon as possible is a success in itself.
Being a lifelong student, open to learning from both successes and failures, is a wonderful approach to life. There’s always something new to discover and ways to grow, no matter where you are on your journey.
Right now, there’s no specific part of your brain ready for meditation or bike riding. But through regular practice, you can change your brain so it learns how to do these things. It’s similar to dealing with a fire. You might not be a professional firefighter, but if a fire breaks out, you have to act fast. You improvise with whatever tools you have to put out the fire. By doing it over and over again, eventually, you become skilled at it, and it becomes second nature without much effort.
One of the main ideas in economics is that people are rational and logical. But if you look at history, especially with all the stock market crashes, it’s clear this isn’t always the case. In reality, we’re more like smart primates with big brains. We can act on different levels.
We can be ruthless, like animals, or we can do amazing, god-like things. We’re human “beings” because we have the capacity for both.
When I talk about the three levels of how your mind works—instinctive, intelligent, and intuitive—it’s like looking at different sides of yourself.
·Your instinct is like your animal side, the part of you that acts on basic urges and instincts.
·Your intelligence is your human side, where you think, reason, and make decisions based on logic and knowledge.
·And then intuition, tapping into something deeper and wiser, almost like divine guidance.
Level 1 is all about instinct, which is our animal side.
Here, our main goals are simple: survive and pass on our genes. We’re also influenced by things we’re unaware of—like our unconscious desires, our society, and our own ways of thinking that might not always be accurate.
You’re focused on finding mates, having sex, and eating—all very animal-like behaviors. There’s nothing particularly human or special about it. Most animals and a lot of people in the world operate at this level.
Once we’ve taken care of our basic needs, we start thinking about bigger things, like the meaning of life. That’s when we’re starting to move towards the next level.
Level 2 is all about intelligence, which is our human side.
Success is the name of the game. Maybe you’re someone who’s smart, worked hard, and went to college. Then you started your own company, and it’s doing well. You might even sell it for a ton of money and retire rich. At this point, you’re like an intermediate player in the game of life. Lots of people are at this stage, too. Your family and society expect you to be doing well at this level.
Level 3 is all about intuition, which is our divine side.
The goal is self-realization. You’re aiming to be kind and compassionate, like a divine being.
At this level, you’ve gone beyond the selfishness of levels 1 and 2. Instead, you’re in a selfless state, where you put other people’s needs before your own. It’s kind of ironic: people who only care about themselves and their own happiness are often less happy than those who care more about making others happy.
Meditation When you start meditating, your mind might say, “Skip today, it’s just one day.” Don’t fall for it!
Next, find a technique. A simple one is counting your breaths up to 10, then starting over. It’s been used for thousands of years, and it’ll work for you too.
Then, get a calendar. For the next ten days, commit to meditating at least 10 minutes each day. Start today, close your eyes, focus on your breath, and count. If your mind wanders, gently bring it back.
Don’t worry if it’s hard at first; it’s you learning to ride a bike as a kid.
Are you interested in exploring meditation? If you’re looking for a spiritual guru to guide you, join me on this journey today. Let’s connect and embark on the path of meditation together. You can also visit Samarpan Healing Spa in Vakola, Santa Cruz, Mumbai, or schedule an online meeting by visiting www.samarpanhealingspa.in.