MEDITATION: HELPFUL TIPS ...

Make time to meditate. Set aside enough time in your daily routine for meditating. The effects of meditation are most noticeable when you do it regularly, rather than sporadically.

Find or create a quiet, relaxing environment. It's especially important when you're staring out to avoid any obstacles to attention. Turn off the TV, phone or other noisy appliances. If you play music make sure it's calm, repetitive and gentle so as not to break your concentration. Meditating outside can be conducive as long as you don't sit near a busy roadway or another source of loud noise. Sit on level ground or sit on a cushion if the ground is uncomfortable. You don't have to twist your limbs into the half lotus or full lotus position or adopt any unusual postures. The important thing is to keep your back straight, as this will help with breathing.

Relax everything and keep searching for things that aren't relaxed. When you find them [and you will] relax them. You may find that you can't relax them unless you adjust your posture so that you are better aligned.

Let your attention rest on the flow of your breath. Listen to it, follow it but make no judgments on it. The goal is to allow the 'chattering' in your mind to gently fade away. Find an 'anchor' to settle your mind.

Try reciting a mantra [repetition of a sacred word] asingle word like 'Om' repeated at a steady rhythm is best. You can recite it verbally or just with the voice in your mind. Beginners may find it easier to count their breaths. Try counting your breath from 1 to 10, then simply start again at 1. To circumvent images that keep intruding on your thoughts, visualise a place that calms you. It can be a real or imaginary place. Imagine that you are at the top of a staircase leading to a peaceful place. Count your way down the steps until you are peaceful and relaxed.

Silence your mind. Once you've trained your mind to focus on just one thing at a time the next step is focus on nothing at all. Essentially you're clearing your mind. This requires tremendous discipline but is the pinnacle of meditation. After focusing on a single point as described in the previous step, you can either cast it away or observe it impartially and let it come and then go without labelling it as good or bad. Take the same approach to any thoughts which return to your mind until silence perseveres.

MEDITATION IS ESSENTIAL TO REACH YOUR INNER SELF AND OPEN YOUR MIND TO THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES [USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE] MEDITATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND ENLIGHTENMENT !