Meditation is the best habit you can develop.

How to Meditate at Home

Meditation Benefits

In addition to making work manageable, meditation will guide other areas of your life.

Meditation is like a mind eraser or like taking one of those white cleaning bars--a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser--wiping down the inside walls and floor of your brain.

It may not erase bad feelings about the donut you ate for breakfast the day before but it will put the donut in perspective.

If spending ten minutes a day in silence watching thoughts drift in and out of your head would help you handle what was going on at work, with your spouse and possibly even the misbehaving children and moody teenagers living in your house, would you do it?

pink lotus flower on a lily pad — How to meditate at home in just one minute a day.

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What are the 3 Types of Meditation?

There are several different types of meditation.

I practice mindfulness meditation.

How Do You Meditate?

Sit quietly, breathe, observe each thought as it enters your brain then let the thought go.

Here are my best tips:

1. Find a quiet spot

If you've got a houseful of kids, use your vehicle. Are you a city dweller without a vehicle? Put headphones in and meditate on your commute. Go sit in closet or in the shower with the curtain closed.

2. Meditate at the same time every day

Choose a time to meditate every day that's going to be as simple as possible for you.

Meditating at the same time every day will help you form the habit.

3. Incorporate your meditation practice into another daily habit

Do you shower every morning without fail at 6:30? Get up ten minutes earlier to meditate.

Do you brush your teeth without fail the moment your feet hit the floor? Meditate immediately after brushing.

I already had a habit of practicing yoga every morning immediately after getting out of bed and using the bathroom.

Instead of creating a brand-new habit at a different time slot, I just piggybacked meditation directly after my sun salutations.

3. Set a timer

Monks up on the mountaintop will sit cross-legged for hours. I, on the other hand, have things to do and places to be. I'm sure you do too.

So, in the beginning anyway, I suggest you set a timer. I used the one on my iphone until I began using a meditation app.

4. To start, sit one minute a day for three weeks

You'll have more success if you make the act of sitting a habit first.

You might be the person who can immediately start a 20-minute practice from day one.

But, if you're really serious about making daily meditation a part of your life for the rest of your life, practice sitting at the same time in the same place every day first.

I know that I am a baby step person. So when I began forming my meditation habit I first practiced sitting every day in the same spot at the same time for one minute.

Sit daily for one minute for three weeks.

Add one minute a week until you reach ten minutes or 20 minutes of meditating or 60 minutes or whatever feels good to you.

5. Breathe

Focusing on your breath can help you empty your mind.

At the start of my meditation, I usually practice 4-7-8 breathing.

Breathe in through your nose to a count of four.
Hold your breath to a count of seven.
Breathe out through your mouth with a whooshing sound to a count of eight.
Repeat four times.

After that, I breathe in and out through my nose until practice is over. You don't need to breathe through your nose but that's what I do.

6. Observe each thought that enters your mind then let the thought go

Sometimes, I visualize being on the beach and watching each thought drift out to sea on the waves.

Of course some days thoughts are going to race through your mind faster than other days. It doesn't matter. When a thought enters, briefly consider the thought and why you might be having it then let the thought go.

Some days, meditation is a sweet little break

Other days, my head is churning so full of thoughts that I'm not aware I'm having them. It's a just a non-stop dumping of ideas, thoughts, memories.

It may take you months of sitting before you're able to realize when you're having a thought .

7. Be Flexible

You are forming a habit that has the power to change your life. It has the power to change your brain on a molecular level. That takes commitment.

If you miss a day, no judgment. Get back to sitting the next day.

If you keep missing a day, maybe set a timer on your phone as a reminder.

Or think about your schedule and whether you need to pick a different time.

8. Meditation may feel weird or not right or make you feel dumb. You're not. It's okay.

You may wonder every day that you meditate if you're doing it right. You are.

Or you might question if meditation will have any benefit for you. It is.

Just sit and breathe and let thoughts flow in and out of your mind.

Do you know how people always meet life partners when they're not expecting to?

That's kind of how you'll realize that meditation is making a difference. You'll sit and breathe and watch the thoughts flow out day in and day out.

Then something will happen and you'll react differently than you have in the past or you won't react at all.

Or you'll get assigned a big project at work and knock it out of the park under budget and on time or before it's due.

Then you'll see that something has been happening with all that sitting.

My goal is always to empty my mind but that doesn't always work.

If you need a little help, check out this quick, four-minute guided meditation video that one of my favorite yoga teachers created.

Meditation for Beginners Q&A

How Should I Sit While Meditating?

Sit however you want.

I sit cross-legged on a folded up yoga mat. But that's just me.

You can sit however you want wherever. Sit in a chair, on the floor or in the car. Or lay in bed or on a sofa. This is your personal practice. Make it work for you.

Should I use a meditation app?

You can if you want. My recommendation would be to make meditation a habit before you start introducing technology.

I practiced for three years before I added a meditation app to my phone. More on that in a future post.

How Will I Know if Meditation is Helping Me?

You won't know for some time but just know that meditation is helping you.

Other people may notice changes in your before you notice them in yourself.

For example, my husband remarked one day when I was arguing with our son that I had become calmer. It wasn't until his comment that I became aware of it.

I Started Meditating but I'm Having Really. Weird. Dreams. Is that normal?

Yes.

How Do I Silence My Mind?

I don't think there is any silencing of the mind. You can manage your mind and the thoughts that enter.

Now that I've been meditating for a few years, sometimes I fall into what I can only describe as "the deep" or a "great stillness" and my mind goes blank until the timer sounds. But that's rare.

Meditation has been of enormous benefit to me and I'd like to help you with it if you need encouragement. I still consider myself a beginner but if you can email me with questions and I'll try find answers for you or share what worked for me. Email me at jennifer@kitchenserf.com 🙂

If you do try meditation practice, I'd love to know how you do with it? Email me at jennifer@kitchenserf.com

I made you a free meditation tracker you can print out and record your practice.

How to Meditate at Home (One Minute a Day)

How to Meditate at Home

Meditation Benefits

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I'll earn a commission, which helps maintain this site. See disclosure policy.

What are the 3 Types of Meditation?