Meditation for beginners: where do I start?

Starting meditation comes down to four small choices: when, where, how long and with or without a guide. Make each one easy, and you have already begun.

You do not need to settle on the perfect method first. A few honest minutes this week will teach you more than another hour of reading.

What am I actually choosing?

You are choosing a simple object for your attention, such as your breath or the sounds in the room. You are choosing a time and a place. You are choosing a length. And you are choosing whether a voice guides you.

That is the whole menu. Everything else on this site is a closer look at one of those four.

Which moment suits a busy day?

Attach the practice to something you already do. Right after the first kopi. Before the engine goes off in the car park. Once the children are in bed.

If your days change with shifts or traffic, pick a “when X happens” cue rather than a clock time. Our practice cue planner helps you write one in a minute.

How long should it be?

Start with one to three minutes. The aim in week one is to show up, not to impress yourself.

A calm, short practice that you repeat is easier to keep than a long one you dread. If it goes well, add a minute. If not, stay where you are.

Try this: a three-day first taste

1. Choose a cue, for example sitting down with your morning drink.
2. Set a timer for two minutes. Our meditation timer runs in your browser.
3. Sit comfortably. Feel the breath at the nose, chest or belly.
4. When you notice your mind has wandered, say “wandering” to yourself and return.
5. When the timer ends, take one slow breath and carry on with your day.

Repeat for three days, then ask yourself one thing: was it easier or harder than I expected?

What should I expect from the research?

Be curious, not hopeful to the point of pressure. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that much of the research on meditation and mindfulness (paying attention to what is happening now, kindly) is preliminary or not scientifically rigorous, so results should be read cautiously¹.

In practice, that means treating meditation as something to try and observe, not something promised to fix you.

Adapting it to your life

In a noisy flat, use the noise as your focus: fans, motorbikes, a neighbour’s television. At work, a minute in a quiet stairwell is enough.

Observing fasting or prayer times? Fit your practice around them in a way that suits your faith. Our guide on meditation and faith goes further.

If a practice brings up distress, dizziness or painful memories, it is fine to stop. A doctor or counsellor can help, and our support page shows where to start.

What next?

Read what meditation actually is if you want the basics in plain words. Compare options in guided and unguided meditation. When you feel ready, your first seven minutes of sitting still tells you what to expect.

Everything sits together on the meditation for beginners hub.