3 short meditation exercises for beginners

What are good meditation exercises for beginners?

If you are not yet an experienced meditation practitioner, it is wise to start with a short meditation of a few minutes. These short meditation exercises are perfect for beginners.

1-minute meditation

1 minute of silence a day can already have a great effect. The benefit? You can do this meditation exercise anywhere and at any time of the day. At the office, in the doctor's office or waiting for the train.

1. Sit up straight with both feet on the ground.
2. Place your hands on your thighs with palms facing up or down.
3. Set a (gentle) timer for 1 minute.
4. Close your eyes and breathe in and out deeply.
5. Stay focused on your breathing for a minute.
6. When the minute is up you can open your eyes again.

You can also do this exercise very well with the Meditation Moments app. The app contains guided meditations of 3, 4 or 5 minutes in which you are guided. That way you know exactly when the time is up.

Walking meditation

A walking meditation is a more active version of the body scan meditation and therefore a perfect meditation exercise for beginners. It helps you feel your body better and shift your attention to this moment. You can easily do this meditation at home, but also, for example, when you walk to the train station in the morning or have a break at work. It is best to do this exercise in a quiet environment, though.

1. Stand up straight and bring your attention to your feet.
2. Then start walking, slowly.
3. Still focus on your feet. Feel how your legs move, how they carry your body.
4. Then bring your attention to the rest of your body. Become aware of all the movements your body makes while walking.
5. Tune your steps to the rhythm of your breathing. For example, 2 steps for inhaling and 2 steps for exhaling.

You will notice that you become calmer and more aware of your surroundings. You can do this exercise very nicely in the forest, but certainly also in an urban environment.

guided visualization

A guided visualization helps you bring your full attention to the here and now. During visualization you train your imagination. A voice takes you on a "journey," so to speak. All you have to do is listen and let your imagination take its course.

Because you concentrate on a visualization, such as a tropical beach or your ideal morning, there is no room for disturbing thoughts. Because you are guided, this is a good meditation exercise for beginners.

The Meditation Moments App contains a number of fine visualizations. These are handy to use if you find it difficult to visualize "just like that" in your head. Using the meditations, Michael Pilarczyk's voice guides you through the visualization.

This is an example of a guided visualization: