10 Tips for a Successful Meditation Experience

Here are my 10 tips that I use when I go to a group meditation that I have learned with time. It has helped my meditations to be more positive and successful.

1) Don’t go meditate on an empty stomach!

It happened to me a few times that I started to feel hungry during a group meditation session and because of that I got very distracted. My mind and body were telling me “you are hungry.” I was ending up buying junk food, as it was on my way back home instead of starving to death and to wait to prepare supper. Of course, I didn’t feel good about myself after eating that type of food. I felt guilty. Now, I eat supper before going to my meditation or I bring it with me so I can eat it right away after the session if I was not hungry before.

Make sure that you eat something healthy that will give you energy, focus and that will keep you full during the session, so you don’t have any distractions. You can eat the same food that you would have before a workout. Have a protein smoothie as a meal replacement, which will make you full faster or eat something with that, such as a salad or a colorful vegetable plate. Bring with you a snack in case you have a craving later, such as nuts or a nutrition bar. Eating healthy before meditating will definitely help you to have a successful and positive experience.

2) Wear comfortable clothes.

Wear the most comfortable clothes that you can! Especially, do not wear jeans or tight pants, as I found that it wasn’t into my advantage. Have socks and jacket as sometimes you might feel cold during a session. To be more comfy, bring your yoga mat and a blanket if not provide at the location.

3) Find your best posture.

There are different alternatives when it comes to meditation postures. You can decide to meditate by crossing your legs and putting your hands on your thighs or knees, or if it is too harsh for your back, you can lie down on your back and have your arms side by side, palm hands facing up. It is up to you! What is the most important is that you are comfortable.

4) Don’t have any expectations.

Let go of any expectations of what may occur during your meditation experience. Mainly focus first on your breathing that you will feel everywhere in your body and that will make you relax and get ready to meditate. Just from the breathing itself, we can actually heal. You will feel that you are letting go of things that do not serve you anymore, and your energy expanding and opening in different areas of your body. All experience are unique and so it can be different for one person to another person. Focus also on your teacher’s voice while guiding you through meditation.

5) Be open to people’s opinions.

You will be surrounded by different kinds of people that will share their opinion on life and their experiences with meditation, for example. Listen to what they have to say, you might relate to one of them and be able to help each other, or simply you might learn something knew. Have an open mind. Respect each other. This is a sacred space where we can freely express ourselves. You can share your opinion/story, but you don’t have to. At the beginning I was not comfortable to share, but later on I started to express myself.

6) Don’t judge yourself.

One of the worst things that you can do to yourself is to judge. Instead, be the observer of your mind like if you are watching a movie. Be in the present moment. Let go of any negative thoughts or worries that were present during your day. Instead, clear your mind and focus on relaxation. This is the perfect time for you to connect with your true self and to take care of your mind, body and spirit.

7) Repeat to yourself positive affirmations/mantras.

To help you remove any negative thoughts, replace for each of them a positive affirmation or mantra. For example: I am sad –> I am happy. Also, you can use simply a word as a mantra, such as Harmony, Balance, Happiness, Peace. Use any words that do resonate to you. Repeat them many times during your meditation. It will help you focusing on only positive thoughts. I use them during meditation, but also at anytime during the day when I feel that I need to shift my negative thoughts to positive thoughts. You can create your own positive affirmations or get many examples online, they are everywhere and are beautifully well-written! I am sure you will see yourself while reading them.

8) Let your emotions come out.

Many times, I experienced crying while meditating. At first I was holding to it, because I didn’t want the emotions to come out and I did not want others to notice. Today, I have been letting out any emotions, crying without judging myself or thinking what others could think of me. It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I understood throughout my experiences that we need these emotions to come out, because they are talking to us, they want you to listen and to look at the problem. You will definitely heal yourself and feel better right after.

You might know sometimes why you are crying and other times not. I actually had an amazing experience during a restorative yoga + massage class and I couldn’t stop crying. All I knew was that it was good what I was doing; I was healing myself by letting go anything that was not serving me. I could feel it deep in my hips and low back that it was healing, as at that time I was suffering from low back pain due to a work injury. I felt so good after the end of the class.

9) Ask questions.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your teacher, they are there to guide you and to answer your questions. However, sometimes it is only you who can know the answer regarding specific questions about your life situation, or which decision to take. Through meditation, you can actually get your own answers by asking these questions. Be patient, you might not find what you are looking for right away. It takes practice, so don’t give up!

10) Meditate in a quiet place.

Last but not least, meditate in a quiet place if you want to experience it alone. Make sure no one disturbs you while you free your mind and connect to your true self. To help you meditate, look for meditation music on YouTube or even guidance meditation. There are different types of meditation for every needs.

Let your imagination guide you. Find ways to make this experience special to you. Meditate with scents, crystals…. Which part of your body do you want to concentrate on? Which chakras you want to focus in particular? Ask and listen to your body what it needs to heal.