not to be in pain either, as this will
disrupt your meditation experience.
• In the beginning it can be a little
hard to start meditating in silence.
I suggest you start out with some
relaxing meditation music (you can
find a great deal on YouTube) or
even listen to a guided meditation.
• Start with 15-20 minutes and
gradually increase your meditation
time to whatever suits your life and
schedule.
• Try meditating in a group. It’s easier
to keep up the energy in a group
because everyone is helping each
other. It can be like pushing a car up
a hill – this is very hard to do alone,
but easier in a group.
• Close your eyes and take some deep
breaths to connect with your body.
Feel your body; is there any tension
or discomfort? Notice what’s going
on as you move your focus up and
down your body, like a CAT scan
done by yourself.
• Focus on your breath, breathing
in and out of your nose. Feel the
sensation in your nostrils when the
air enters and leaves again. Accept
that there can be noise around you,
but preferably meditate in a quiet
environment without disturbances.
• Be present in the moment. Commit
to being right here, right now for the
time you have agreed – it doesn’t
matter if it’s 15 minutes or two hours.
Turn your phone to silence mode,
not vibration. Know that it’s OK
to fall asleep, fall off the chair, be
bored, have thoughts, worry about
your grocery shopping, etc. It’s
completely normal in the beginning
and sometimes later on as well –
we’re still human, after all.
• When you have a thought,
acknowledge that thought and let
it go, let it drift away like clouds
in the sky. If you keep thinking, “I
must clear my mind and think of
nothing,” guess what? You’ll have a
stream of thoughts coming your way,
so just relax and let them slowly float
away.
• Find a meditation place that suits
you. I often travel to different places
in order to meditate in nature.
Nature has the ability to really
ground you and fill up your energy
deposits.
• Just do it!
Dr Kamilla Holst is a chiropractor and
lifestyle coach. To learn more, visit
meditation journey, here are my
pointers for getting started:
How do I meditate?
• First of all, forget about sitting
crossed-legged or in lotus positions
unless you are an experienced yogi
or hyper mobile. There are many
meditation traditions that tell you
that you must sit in a certain way to
experience enlightenment and the
benefits of meditation, but I don’t
agree with this. It’s perfectly OK
to sit on a normal chair with your
feet on the ground in an upright
position. But do try and sit upright,
as this ensures the chi (the life-giving
energy that unites body, mind and
spirit) in your body to flow freely. It’s
quite important to have a balanced
spine with no blockages. If you’re
out of alignment in your spine, your
chi will be disrupted and you’ll feel
discomfort during meditation. Have
your spine checked by a chiropractor
and make yourself ready for
meditation.
• Try to avoid supporting your
back with pillows, because in my
experience, you’ll find yourself
snoring after five minutes if it’s too
comfortable. But it’s very important
BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
• Better sleep
• Sharper descision-making
• Improved concentration
• Greater productivity
• More control of emotions
• Stress relief
• Connection with yourself
• Improved ability to be present in the
moment
• Takes us beyond our worries, fears and
judgements
• Better knowledge of our inner-self
• Increased production of anti-ageing
hormone DHEA
February 2016
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