MEDITATION POSITIONS: SITTING UPRIGHT

If you are starting to meditate for the first time, try sitting in the cross legged position with your spine comfortably straight, your hands resting palms upwards on your thighs, your face slightly upturned, eyes closed with a gentle focus between your eyebrows (the third eye area).  If you need to use a backrest then you can, but do not use a headrest unless you have a particular need.

You can lie down if you prefer, but it is easy to lose awareness and fall asleep. Conversely, if we sit in an alert position we are more inclined to remain awake, and be able to focus on something, be it an image, a word, or the way our breath flows in and out... [1]. 

.So How Does the Meditation Actually Work?

This incredibly beneficial ancient practice is all about keeping our mind still while simultaneously keeping our body awake and in a relaxed state. So what is the key? The first thing to do is to make our body perfectly still - and when this happens, mental stillness follows.

Soothing a Busy Mind

When you are new to meditation, you will most likely find that your mind will be all over the place. - Thoughts about what you are going to have for dinner, an issue that is troubling you, and a million other scenarios can come in here. So when they do, rest assured that this is completely normal!

Focus is Key

By focusing our mind on a single thing for example, using a mantra, mentally concentrating on a symbol, or focusing on the movement of the breath going in and out, or counting the in-breaths (either out loud or silently), we can calm our mind  and stop it generating even more thoughts... 

Reference

[1]. Stibich, M. (2020). "How to Sit When Learning Meditation." VeryWellMind

.https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-sit-when-learning-to-meditate-2224121#:~:text=Sitting%20is%20the%20best%20position,where%20to%20put%20your%20feet).