Meditation is the art of focusing all of your attention in one area. The practice comes with a long list of well-publicized health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness.

Although a great number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, the fact is that only a small percentage actually continue over the long-term. A possible reason for this is that many beginners do not begin with a mindset needed to make the practice sustainable.

Here’s some advice to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation over the long term:

1) Make it a formal practice. It’s important to set aside specific time to be still. Once a day is ideal.

2) Start with the breath. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is a good way to begin practice.

3) Stretch first. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching brings our attention to the body.

4) Meditate with purpose. Understand that the art of focusing your attention to a single point is hard work, and you have to be purposefully engaged. For most of us, it doesn’t just happen.

5) Notice frustration creep up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think “hey, what am I doing here” or “why can’t I just quiet my damn mind already”. When this happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.

6) Experiment. Although many of us think of effective meditation as a Yogi sitting cross-legged beneath a Bonsai tree, beginners should be more experimental and try different types of meditation. Try sitting, lying, eyes open, eyes closed, etc.

7) Feel your body parts. A great practice for beginning meditators is to take notice of the body when a meditative state starts to take hold. Once the mind quiets, put all your attention to the feet and then slowly move your way up the body, including your internal organs. This is an indicator that you’re on the right path.

8) Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. Make sure it is not the same room where you do work, exercise, or sleep. Place candles and other spiritual paraphernalia in the room to help you feel at ease.

9) Read some literature on meditation. Preferably an instructional guide and one that describes the benefits of deep meditative states.

10) Commit for the long haul. Meditation is a life-long practice, and you will benefit most by not examining the results of your daily practice. Just do the best you can every day, and then let it go.

11) Listen to instructional tapes and CDs. These are not for everyone, but some people get great benefit from them.

12) Generate moments of awareness during the day. Finding your breath and being present while not in formal meditative practice is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation habits.

13) Ensure you won’t be disturbed. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not insuring peaceful practice conditions. If you have it in the back of your mind that the phone might ring, your kids might wake, or your coffee pot might whistle than you will not be able to attain a state of deep relaxation.

14) Notice small adjustments. For beginning meditators, the slightest physical movements can transform a meditative practice from one of frustration to one of renewal. These adjustments may be barely noticeable to an observer, but they can mean everything for your practice.

15) Use a candle. Meditating with eyes closed can be challenging for a beginner. Lighting a candle and using it as your point of focus allows you to strengthen your attention with a visual cue.

16) Do not Stress. This may be the most important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. No matter what happens during your meditation practice, do not stress about it. Meditation is what it is, and just do the best you can at the time.

17) Do it together. Meditating with a partner or loved one can have many wonderful benefits, and can improve your practice. However, it is necessary to make sure that you set agreed-upon ground rules before you begin!

18) Meditate early in the morning. Without a doubt, early morning is an ideal time to practice. It is quieter, your mind is not filled with the usual clutter, and there is less chance you will be disturbed. Try to make it a habit to get up half an hour earlier to meditate.

19) Be grateful at the end. Once your practice is through, spend a minute or two feeling appreciative of the opportunity to practice and your mind’s ability to focus.

20) Notice when your interest in meditation begins to wane. Meditation can be hard work, and you will inevitably come to a point where it seemingly does not fit into the picture anymore. This is when you need your practice the most and possible return back to the book(s) or the CD’s you listened to and become re-invigorated with the practice. Chances are that losing the ability to focus on meditation is parallel with your inability to focus in other areas of your life.

Meditation is an absolutely wonderful practice, but can be very difficult in the beginning. Use these tips to help get your meditation practice to the next level. Check out www.zenhabits.net for more information about all things Zen.