The following is written by a member of The Stop Smoking Center called Wobbly and reprinted here with her permission. (Thanks, Wobbly!)
Hi guys,
Site director suggested I give some tips after I mentioned meditation in one of my posts. Here are the basics.
Find a quiet time where you won't be disturbed. (Unplug the phone; it always seems to ring when I'm trying to meditate!) Sit in a comfortable position (Indian style or on a chair). Take a few deep breaths and relax. Then, breathing through your nose, focus your entire attention on your breath going in and out your nostrils.
Sounds simple, right? Ha! It takes a lot of concentration to do this for 10, 15, or 20 minutes. Inevitably, stray thoughts will creep into your mind. You may even find yourself suddenly in the middle of a big daydream and not remember how you got there. This is OK. It happens to all meditators. When it happens, just mentally shrug and refocus your attention on your breath. Don't beat yourself up for having stray thoughts. The goal is not to NOT think for 20 minutes, it's to become aware of what your mind is doing. It sounds wacky, but it works.
Also, if you are Catholic, praying the rosary can be very meditative and relaxing and help take you out of yourself and refocus your energies.
Hope this helps!
-wobbly
