Meditation

The best place to start is by asking yourself why you want to meditate—not just because it seems trendy or looks “zen.”

Some common reasons people begin a practice include:

• Greater enjoyment and gratitude for life

• Feeling more present in each moment

• Managing emotions more easily

• A deeper connection to a higher power or consciousness

• Better sleep

• Improved resilience to stress

Once you know your “why,” start simple. Try a mindfulness technique for 5–7 minutes. I have a free 7-minute mindfulness meditation you can try here.

After the meditation, take a moment to notice how you feel:

• Do you feel calmer?

• Do you feel tired?

• Do you feel emotional?

Whatever comes up is important—stay curious about it. Then decide when you’ll meditate again—later tonight before bed, tomorrow morning, or maybe during your lunch break?

Keep practicing, noticing how each session makes you feel, and explore different guided meditations to find the style that truly resonates with you.

If you’d like more guidance, I offer beginner meditation classes (1:1 or small groups of up to 3 people). Feel free to make an enquiry here—I’d love to support you on your meditation journey.

It’s completely normal to find meditation challenging when you’re just starting out. You might try a few times and feel like it’s not working—and that’s okay. Meditation is a new habit, and like any new skill, it takes patience, practice, and a little kindness toward yourself.

Sometimes, even if it didn’t feel like it, your last session may have helped more than you realised. Or maybe a different style of meditation would suit you better—have you tried exploring different approaches?

Often, it’s our own self-judgement that makes us feel like it’s not working. That’s where I can help. I offer short beginner courses in both individual 1:1 sessions and small group classes (up to 3 people). Please contact me here —I’d love to guide and support you as you begin your meditation journey.

Many people think that because their mind isn’t quiet or empty when meditating, they are doing something wrong, or it must not be working.

That’s a misconception- our minds don’t go quiet every time we meditate. Some days our minds are very loud and very busy.

What’s important is that you notice mindfully what is happening with no judgement, and give it space to be exactly how it is.

That’s the skill to learn- to be a witness to your experience each time.

Even if your mind is busy with thoughts, you can use guided mindfulness meditations to focus on your breath or your body’s physical senses, and slowly your mind will quieten.

Try some of my free guided meditations here.

I recommend starting small. Try practicing just 5 minutes of mindful breathing each day for a week, and then gradually add a minute each day the following week.

Remember, the benefits of meditation come from consistency, not length. Even just 5 minutes every day is more effective than 30 minutes once a week. Little by little, this simple daily habit can bring calm, focus, and balance into your life.

Finding the right time to meditate really depends on your lifestyle and what works best for you.

It’s worth thinking about where you could carve out 5, 10, or 20 minutes just for yourself—a little pocket of time that’s free from responsibilities and distractions. You could try meditating first thing in the morning or last thing at night, after dropping the kids at school, before starting your workday, in your car if you arrive a few minutes early to an appointment, or even during your lunch break. The possibilities are endless, and it’s all about finding what feels right for you.

You might need to experiment with a few different times of day to see what fits best. And keep in mind that the “right” time can change from month to month, season to season, or around other life factors like holidays, illness, or unexpected demands.

For me, I like to do my practise before my family wakes up in the morning. I set my alarm 30 minutes early and enjoy the quiet of the house. This works for most of the year, but I find morning practise harder during the cold, dark winter months. At those times, I often shift my meditation practise to the end of the day or during my lunch break.

Once you’ve found a time that feels good, you could set a reminder, block out a “meeting” in your calendar, or stack your new habit onto an existing routine—after exercise, before starting dinner, or once the house is quiet at night.

If you’re interested, you’re welcome to join one of my beginner meditation classes, where we’ll work together to create a habit-setting approach that fits your life.

Contact me to hear about upcoming classes.

In my opinion, building a consistent daily routine is one of the biggest challenges. Consistency doesn’t always come easily to me, and it’s something I work hard to maintain.

That’s why I feel passionate about helping beginners—supporting them as they discover their own regular meditation practice in a way that genuinely works for them.

I’ll be honest: getting started with meditation can be difficult. Many people try it, find it challenging, and eventually give up. I’ve had similar experiences along the way.

That’s why it’s so important to begin by identifying your “why.” Knowing your reason will keep drawing you back, helping you show up each day and stay committed.

I have tried many different types of meditation and some of my favourites are:

• Box breathing

• 4-6 breath counting

• Witnessing the breath

• Mindfulness awareness of physical senses (sight, smell, taste, feel and hearing)

• Walking meditations

• Chanting mantras

• Listening to brainwave frequencies layered in music

• Inquiry meditations.

• After meditating, I feel more centred, calm, and in control.

• I find I have greater patience with life’s demands and can see the bigger picture more clearly.

• With a fast-paced mind, it’s easy for me to get caught up in the busyness of life. Taking a few moments each day to gently quiet and focus my mind is a deeply nurturing and life-affirming practice.

I have been an on-and-off meditator for several years, but I have become more consistent over the past two years since completing my Teaching Diploma in Mindfulness & Meditation.

I remember, as a child, lying in my bed in the early hours of the morning, just listening and observing the little details in my bedroom. In hindsight, this was my first mindfulness practise! I would listen to the sounds of the house as my family woke up, watch the shadows that the morning sun created through the patterns on my curtains, and sometimes close my eyes to observe my thoughts coming and going like clouds floating by.

When I meet people for the first time who want to learn to meditate, my best advice is always to start with mindfulness.

I have a range of free mindfulness meditations on Insight Timer, which are listed above on this page or please visit my profile page-here.