A Basic Guide to Meditation by Jay Requard

Let’s discuss meditation.

There will be a lot of blog posts where I talk about topics relating to fantasy, books I’m reading, travel, science, maybe a little spirituality here and there if you’re good—but of all the things I care about, the most important thing I can share with you here, right now, is the practice of meditation.

I think meditation is more important than you or others reading my books. My books may please you and the story may help you, but meditation is a lifelong practice anyone can take up to make their individual journey better.

Therefore, if this is the only time we spend together, I would like to convince you to take up the practice of meditation. This is not a small thing to ask, so instead of throwing facts and anecdotes and images that will only confuse the goal I’ve set, let us act.

Here is how we will meditate:

1. Find someplace relatively quiet and neat—but if you can’t do neat now, that’s fine. Try your best to find a place secluded to yourself for at least ten minutes where you will not be interrupted or aggravated.

2. If you have your phone with you, please put it away for right now. An exception could be made if you want to use the timer or an alarm to hold yourself accountable for the time which you plan to meditate for. I would also suggest picking an alarm tone that is gentle to your ear and will draw your attention, not interrupt your focus. *

3. Sit down. You can sit on the floor with your legs crossed or in lotus position, or in a chair that allows you to remain seated with your back straight and your hands in your lap. Some people lay down, but I wouldn’t suggest this for beginners as it is important to stay awake and aware of your breathing.

4. Close your eyes and breathe. The simplest method for the breath and the one taught to many when they first meditate is to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth at a deep, steady, comfortable pace that you set. Remember—“In through your nose, out through your mouth” counts as one breath. You may also take the breath in and out through your nose and keep your mouth closed.

5. Count the breaths you take during the allotted time you’ve set to meditate. Focus on the breath above all other things—not on the number of breaths you take, or how deep they are, or whether you are doing this correctly. Focus on the breath until the time you’ve allotted for yourself has passed. You will find your own rhythm that is comfortable for you.

(If you need help finding a comfortable rhythm to count your breaths, one method that is easy to learn is the “1-2 method”, where you quietly count in your head “1” when you breathe in, and “2” when you breathe out. There are many other combinations one can use with this method, including “in-out”, “red-green”, “within-without”, or whatever combination that works in easing your breath.)

6. When finished, gently open your eyes. Take as much time as you may to reflect on your session before rising from where you are seated.

*Here’s a ten-minute digital timer from YouTube with a “cricket” alarm. I think this is a good example of a tone that draws your attention from meditation instead of interrupting it:

Let’s consider a few questions that people often ask (or are afraid to ask) before they meditate for the first time:

How much time should I meditate for? I hold the position that beginners should try to count their breaths for at least three minutes a day and then work up from there. You don’t have to meditate every day, but you should try to build upon the amount of time you spend in practice in every subsequent session. How much time and how you define your success is up to you in the end. When I first started using this method of practice, I was advised to start at three minutes and work toward ten minutes. At ten minutes you’ve built a stable foundation for many other ways of practicing meditation and multiple techniques that span a myriad of traditions across the world. Ten minutes of solid meditation by simply counting your breaths is real work to be proud of. Many people struggle for those ten minutes to achieve the focus needed to count without distraction, and further to develop the focus where they aren’t counting at all, simply breathing. This technique hopefully provides a foundation to achieve that goal.

What happens if I start thinking about things as I count my breaths and become distracted? The goal of this meditation technique I’m sharing with you is for you to focus on your breathing, which is no easy task. The things we worry about, the things we sense and don’t sense in the world around us while our eyes are closed, and even the initial awkwardness of meditation (as making a habit of anything often is in the beginning) can tug our attention away from what we are doing in the present. By focusing on your breath, even when you are thinking about other things, you are allowing yourself a moment of discipline to stay focused. Focus, with work and effort, allows us to maintain a sense of calm. The practice of meditation at its basis is about seeking this calm from the chaos within us and around us.

How should I feel when I meditate/what should I feel? This is another important question that is difficult to broach. Again, much of what the results of your practice will be is up to you—the practice of meditation is a continuing process of development once you begin, and the way you develop is often individualized, much like the way you feel about yourself and within the places you exist. For many around the world, meditation is their form of prayer and communing with forces that have deep psychological, spiritual, and cultural significance. For those that live completely secular lifestyles, meditation can be used for a variety of reasons including mental and physical wellness, healing, or simply because they want to include meditation. In short, the way people meditate has personal significance to them. What you feel is what you will feel, but sometimes you will come across meditations that guide you along a way of thinking that may make you feel differently. I take the stance that as long as you are not harming yourself or driven to harm others, what you feel from meditation is yours to do with and share as you please.

What if I want to focus my meditation on something before or during meditation, like in a guided meditation or chanting? Please do. Often people that practice meditation will envision themselves in a calm, natural landscape, in their favorite room or building, or any setting no matter how wild or wonderful, so long it is meaningful to them. If it helps you focus on your breath to achieve calm, please use it. As for guided practices, many are often good sources of healing and thoughtfulness, and they are also a great way to learn principles of the meditative process. Chanting is also a powerful tool for any meditation practice, and I would attest to the positive benefits of the many mantras and breathing techniques I practice alongside the technique I’m sharing here. However, it’s important to remember that devotional chanting and guided meditations many times require deeper development into the fundamentals we’re covering here. Many practices that use devotional chanting and guided meditations require the guidance of a proper counselor, be they medical, psychological, or spiritual. If you’re unsure of something you’re attempting, seek advisement from knowledgeable sources before you attempt them. While the internet is a wonderful resource of information, many goals still require the hands-on effort and educated guidance of an honest instructor. It also gives you a chance to learn more about meditation and its many forms from those that share the same passion as you.

The practice of meditation is what you make of it. Your practice can be that momentary spot in your day where you disconnect from this stressful world or a lifelong adventure of discovering the calm we need to endure the storms we’ll find along the way.

And if this is the only piece of myself I am to share with you in our momentary rest from that adventure, I hope this gave you something worthy of that time.

Safe journey.