Learning to meditate for beginners – a little break from stressful everyday life
What exactly is meditation?
"Meditation aims at inner contemplation and is a spiritual practice," explains Nadja Schäfholz-Wetter,- and mindfulness trainer. "It's about calming your thoughts and detaching yourself from your world of emotions and thoughts and experiencing and promoting peace, stillness and concentration." Also scientist and psychologist Dr. Britta Hölzel describes meditation as a kind of “mental training” or a kind of regulation and training of attention. This doesn't necessarily have to mean chanting mantras - which so many people mistakenly think - but there are many different forms: "For example, there are meditations for cultivating compassion and loving-kindness, meditation for gaining insight into our human existence, meditations for contemplation and many more," says the psychologist.
That's why everyone should meditate
Over the last ten years, scientific research has increasingly focused on the question of what positive effects meditation (especially mindfulness meditation) has. "These studies report a variety of effects on mental and physical health, attention regulation, stress reduction and social behavior," explains Dr. Britta Hölzel. "In neuroscientific studies we also see that changes in the structure and function of the brain go hand in hand with these improvements. So it's not some esoteric nonsense, but meditation can be scientifically studied and the effects proven!"
Meditate? You can do it too – here’s how!
You don't have to be afraid, meditating is not difficult. "We learn to write, calculate, cook, drive, ... Why shouldn't we also learn how to manage our own minds in a way that makes us happier?" argues Dr. Britta Hölzel. "We exercise to keep our bodies healthy and strong. Why shouldn't we also train the mind so that we can participate in life attentively and presently? We shower every day and brush our teeth. Why shouldn't we also do exercises, to keep our minds clear and to face the feelings so that they don't have a hold on us?" All it takes is a few minutes a day and we are mentally fitter and stronger for everyday life.
Practical tips from Nadja Schäfholz-Wetter for getting started with meditation:
- create a quiet, feel-good place
- Turn off your cell phone and phone
- comfortable clothing
- Find the best time, for example early in the morning or before going to bed
- practice regularly, ideally meditating daily
- correct sitting posture (straight back, etc.)
- If necessary, booster seat in the form of a meditation cushion, blanket, meditation bench
This is how you can get started with meditation – even for beginners
“To get started, I recommend guided meditations,” says Dr. Britta Hölzel. “This is particularly important at the beginning, because otherwise misunderstandings and mistakes quickly creep in.” In guided meditation you are guided as if by a teacher or speaker, usually on a specific topic and sometimes with background music. Nadja Schäfholz-Wetter's tip: "It is important that during a guided meditation the speaker's voice and his choice of words seem pleasant to you, and that you do not build up any internal resistance and can really find peace - if that is not the case, you should change the line urgently." After a while you can practice on your own.
There are also many books, instructions on CDs, apps and courses for beginners that guide you through the exercises for about ten minutes. This works very well at home. If you want to start on your own without a teacher, Nadja Schäfholz-Wetter recommends a relaxed, playful introduction: "For example, take three conscious breaths in the supermarket queue and really enjoy it. You should start with small meditations in everyday life and yourself Then start practicing with a meditation trainer to get started properly. After that, you can also do it at home!"
But be careful, you should only practice alone if you are healthy: "If you suffer from a mental illness, it makes sense to talk to your therapist first. You should be particularly careful if you have a history of trauma, acute depression and schizophrenia." , warns the psychologist. “Although mindfulness can be very helpful here, it should be used with therapeutic support!” she advises.
This exercise is suitable for beginners
A nice meditation to get you started and to find peace is the following one from Nadja:
"Sit in an undisturbed place in a cross-legged position (or a seat of your choice) with your spine straight. Do not lean your back so that the energy can flow well. You can either place your hands on your knees or thighs or fold them in your lap. Close your eyes gently and relax your shoulders and face. Your buttocks connect to the surface and the top of your head rises towards the sky. Your breath flows calmly and evenly in and out through your nose. As soon as your thoughts start wandering, stop looking at them and let them pass like a cloud in the sky. Then concentrate on the calm flow of your breath. Stay with this meditation for about three to five minutes and observe how you slowly find peace inside ."
Tipp:
There are courses for getting started with meditation here:
Since there are countless types and techniques of meditation, meditation can look very different. First you should find out whether you want to meditate spiritually, with singing or for a specific purpose and then look for the right courses.
The MBSR course, for example, is very suitable for beginners. It is an eight-week course in which a group comes together once a week for 2.5 hours, practices together and exchanges experiences. The exercises are then practiced daily at home. It begins with a body scan and a breathing mindfulness meditation. These are good for getting started. Underwww.mbsr-verband.deyou can find teachers near your home. In Munich, Nadja Schäfholz-Wetter also offers guided individual meditation. More on this belowwww.frau-shanti.de
