Imagine that your head looks like a laptop that has been running for far too long without a break. Everything is slowing down, programs are hanging up and you know very well: actually you would need a good restart now. Meditation can be just such a reset button for your mind – without technique, but with maximum effect. When it comes to meditation, many people first think of incense sticks, strange sitting postures or people who sit in complete silence for hours and somehow seem enlightened. Honestly, this deters many people and feels more like esoteric than everyday.

BOARDING & CLEANING UP WITH PREJUDICES

But meditation is not just something for yoga teachers, monks or people travelling to explore India. You don’t have to sit on a mountain for this, you don’t need a singing bowl and certainly no special app. There is no meditation agent who tells you how to sit or breathe. It’s not about hocus-pocus, but a very practical way to occasionally clear your head and see more clearly again – regardless of what you do for work, how old you are or whether you are spiritual or not.

What meditation really can do: it helps you to distance yourself for a few minutes from what gives you stress. It works because it’s simple and you can try it right away – without preparation, without much fuss. The only thing that matters is that you just dare to do it. Perfection doesn’t matter and you don’t need complicated technique. You will immediately receive a step-by-step guide on how to get started today – suitable for daily use, immediately applicable and guaranteed without incense rods.

THE BASIS: WHAT MEDITATION REALLY IS

Meditation is basically a workout for your mind, similar to building muscle in the gym, just for your head. You don’t go to the studio and expect to have a six-pack immediately after the first training session. The same goes for meditation: it’s about strengthening your mental strength with small, regular sessions. It may not sound spectacular, but that is exactly what changes so much in the long run.

You don’t need anything special to get started. No special clothing, no chic music, no years of experience. All you really need is five to ten minutes of time, a fairly quiet place and a little curiosity about what’s going on. No more. There is no secret formula, no special equipment. Meditation is almost boring and simple, and that’s exactly what makes it so ingenious.

What exactly is it about? At its core, meditation means focussing on the moment. You observe what is going on in your head without losing yourself in it or judging everything. Imagine sitting on the side of the road and seeing the cars, or your thoughts, drive by. You don’t have to run after every car, you can just sit and watch. Some thoughts are noisy, others are silent. Some stop for a moment, others race past. Your only task is to grab, not get in. That’s exactly what meditation is.

And more importantly, there is no right or wrong. You don’t have to meditate “well”, no one distributes numbers here. Everyone starts somewhere and there are no mistakes. It’s not about making everything perfect right away, but just getting started. If you immediately put yourself under pressure, you make it unnecessarily difficult for yourself. So: out of your mind, lower expectations, just try it! And I will now show you step by step how to do that in concrete terms.

GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY: YOUR FIRST MEDITATION STEP BY STEP

Okay, now it’s getting convenient. Find a place where you can sit quietly for a few minutes. That can be your couch, a chair or even the bed. The most important thing is that you feel comfortable. You don’t have to twist somehow or get into the perfect crossed seat. Just sit in a way that is comfortable for you. If you want, you can lean back or put your hands loosely on your thighs.

Grab your phone or a regular alarm clock and set it to five minutes. Five minutes – that’s less than a coffee break, but more than enough to really feel something. It’s not about sitting still for half an hour. Start small, as long as you start. Timer set? Great.

Now decide whether you want to close your eyes or leave them open. There is no right or wrong here – it’s a matter of taste. When you have your eyes open, find a place in the room where you can concentrate. When you close your eyes, you just drop them loose, no clamps, no pressures.

And now comes the core: focus your attention on your breathing. Feel how the air flows in through your nose, how your belly or chest goes up and down. Breathe normally, you don’t have to change anything – you just need to feel what it feels like to breathe in and out. You may notice that your thoughts immediately start to run on the carrousel: “What’s for dinner tonight?”, “Have I answered the email yet?”, “Is that the right thing I’m doing now?” That is completely normal! Thoughts will come – and that’s exactly what it’s all about.

If you notice that you have just strayed, kindly catch your breath. No hassle, no stress, just “Ah, I was gone again” and back to breathing in and out. Imagine training a dog that keeps running away. You just call him back without scolding him. That’s exactly how you deal with your thoughts.

Important: Meditation does NOT mean thinking about nothing. It’s not about an emptiness in your head, but about noticing what’s happening without losing yourself. Every time you notice that your thoughts are wandering, you have already practised – that’s the training effect! With each repetition, it becomes a little easier to stay on your breath.

If the timer goes off, stay seated for a while. Take a few deep breaths and feel: how do you feel now? Do you feel like you have a little more room in your head? Maybe it’s not spectacular, maybe it is, but you just did your first mini reset. And that is important. You have tried how meditation feels, without pressure, without esotericism. This is the most important step.

Try these five minutes for a few days in a row. You will see that it gets a little easier every time. If you want, you can extend it to ten minutes or just stay at five minutes, that’s fine. Just start and you will soon realise how something changes.

TYPICAL STUMBLE BLOCKS & HOW TO STAY

Now comes the part where many people get off again – and that’s perfectly normal. Perhaps after the first meditation you expect a kind of flash of mind or total tranquillity in your head. The truth is that this rarely happens. Meditation is not a magic trick that changes everything right away. It’s just like sports: after the first training session, you haven’t won a marathon yet. So don’t put pressure on yourself if you’re not lit after a few minutes. The most important thing is to hold on, even if it’s bumpy at first.

Many people know it: you try to sit still, but your thoughts are a party. Or you wonder if you are meditating ‘well’. A little consolation: that’s exactly what everyone does! At first I felt the same way. I sat there, closed my eyes and after ten seconds I was suddenly on my shopping list. What helped? A bit of humour and the permission that it’s okay if it doesn’t work right away. It is not a competition, but rather an invitation to try it out.

A tip that really helps: make meditation a fixed mini-habit. Choose a time that always fits – for example, immediately after waking up or in the evening before going to bed. The less you have to think about it, the easier it becomes to persevere. And if you realise you want more, there are countless techniques: guided meditations, walking meditation, body scan, and so on. However, don’t try these things until you feel confident from the basics. Too much at once usually only causes chaos.

JUST START

In the end, only one thing counts: just start, no matter how conspicuous it feels. Every day you take five minutes for yourself is a gain – and the small steps make the difference in the long run. Stay relaxed, be nice to yourself and take it with humour. And now it’s your turn: let me know in the comments below how your first meditation went or what questions you have.

If you want more practical tips and inspiration for everyday life, subscribe to the channel – here you will regularly get new ideas to try out. So, start now – your head will thank you!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS