Do you want to improve your quality of life and reduce stress? If so, chances are you’ve considered learning to meditate. However, many of us are not quite sure what meditation is, and we are uncertain how to start. There are some differences between various styles of meditation, but all the styles center around sitting still and practicing the meditation technique for a certain amount of time every day. In return, it is said that the practitioner will experience benefits ranging from increased relaxation and improved daily function to a better understanding of life. Many of us would be delighted to function better, but it’s a challenge to include another activity in our busy lives.How do we develop and strengthen a daily meditation practice? There are lots of wonderful books about meditation available, but it is useful to get practical, hands-on instruction from someone who already has experience with meditation practice. Such a person will be able to answer your questions and help you learn the meditation technique fully and properly.

Look for a meditation center in your city which you can visit, and find out if they offer meditation instruction. Large cities often have several different centers, and you can find a meditation group and technique which suits you. Most meditation centers that provide meditation instruction also offer group practice sessions which offer an opportunity to become familiar with meditation practice and to make friends with other meditators.It is also useful to learn to practice regularly at home. Take advantage of the power of habit. Develop a routine by meditating at the same time every day. Choose a time that suits your schedule and stick to it, so that your daily routine helps you establish your practice routine. You may want to meditate when you first awaken in the morning, when you get home from work, or just before you go to bed at night. People often find that meditating before they go to sleep helps them rest better.Set up a special place in your house for your meditation practice. It needn’t be large – a corner of your bedroom will do. If you like, you can put together an altar or a shrine, but keep it simple. You don’t want the shrine to distract you. Many traditions have special pillows or cushions for seated meditation, but you can simply sit in a chair. If your back needs support, place a pillow at the base of your spine or in the small of your back, rather than slouch or sag against the chair. Although you are resting your mind, it is better to be relaxed and alert. If you are too tired to sit up straight, do some stretches or take a brief rest before starting to meditate.In addition to having a regular time and place to practice meditation, remind yourself why you are meditating. Classic meditation teachings explain that human life is a precious opportunity to increase our understanding and learn to be of benefit to others. The teachings also remind us that this life is short, that things change constantly, and that no matter how hard we work or how many possessions we accumulate, we will age, deal with sickness, and die. According to these teachings, if we work with our minds while we are healthy, we will be better able to deal with the surprises life brings us. Working with our minds through meditation also helps us to go beyond seeing ourselves and our own temporary struggles and interests as the center of our universe. Thus we can more accurately decide what is truly important to us, and how we can best use our lives.All of us understand how important it is to take care of our bodies. But we often forget to take care of our minds, even though the health of our bodies depends on the health of our minds. When we allow our minds to rest in meditation, just as we allow our bodies to rest in sleep, we strengthen our ability to think clearly.Meditation also allows us to train our minds and observe our habits of thinking. We discover habits of mind which were once useful, but which now no longer served us well. Once we recognize such habits, we can consciously choose whether we wish to act on them, or whether we prefer to make freer, more meaningful choices. In this way, regular meditation helps us learn to be present, reduce unnecessary and unproductive ways of behaving, and live our lives in a fuller and more satisfying way.