When starting to meditate, it doesn't matter if you meditate for a minute or for an hour; just that you take the time to commit in whatever way you can to this powerful practice. If you are new to meditation, I recommend that you start by simply sitting comfortably in a quiet place and breathing deeply in and out for a minute. Rather than thinking about your to-do list, just focus on the words "IN" and "OUT" as you breathe in and out or just pay attention to what is going on for you. That's it for now!
I often hear, "I am a bad meditator" or "I could never sit still to do that," but that is usually a sign that meditation is exactly what you need! Everyone's mind wanders, but the practice of simply returning to the breath is a great analogy for getting back on track again and again in life. Here are five tips to help you get a meditation practice going:
1) Guided meditations are so helpful and I love to experiment with different ones all the time. My favorite is the Deepak Chopra/Oprah Series but there are also some great apps out there like Headspace, Calm, and The Mindfulness App. I also love recordings by Jack Kornfield.
2) Consider moving meditations. Walking a labyrinth, Qigong, and Tai Chi are all forms of moving meditations that you may have heard about. Walking and dancing, however, may be more accessible to you in your daily life. Just being mindful, focusing on your breath and your body rather than all the chatter in your head, can make any activity highly calming and clarifying.
3) Try a meditation class or circle. "Meditating in a group is very powerful," says author and motivational speaker Gabrielle Bernstein. "The shared intention of the group elevates each individual. When one or more gather with the intention to heal and grow, great shifts can occur. The group's collective energy has a massive impact on the world."
4) Meditating with a partner. When I finally convinced my husband to start meditating with me, my practice went to a whole new level. Not only do you encourage each other to commit to the practice, but also it may take your relationship to a place of deeper connection and intimacy.
5) Find an accountability buddy. As with any new habit, an accountability buddy can help you stay on track until the habit is set in place. Perhaps you text each other each morning or email each other each night, just knowing someone is waiting for a box check from you, may very well keep you on track!
-----------
HuffPost's GPS for the Soul app is based on two truths about human beings. First: We all have a centered place of wisdom, harmony and balance within us. Second: We're all going to veer away from that place, again and again and again. What we need is a great course-correcting mechanism -- a GPS for the Soul -- to help us find our way back to that centered place, from which everything is possible.
Because no one knows better than you what helps you de-stress and tap into that place of peace inside yourself, it's important for you to create your very own GPS guide -- a personalized collection of whatever helps you course-correct. Email us at GPS@huffingtonpost.com and we'll set you up with your very own HuffPost blogger account to share your guide on the site. If you're already a blogger, we encourage you to upload your personal guide today. We can't wait to see what you have to share.