Calm meditations is paying attention to your breathing, being mindful of each inhale and exhale without changing the pattern.

When focusing on your breathing you do not want to judge your respirations and you do not want to alter them what so ever. You just want to sit quietly and listen to each individual inhale and exhale. This will put you in touch with your whole body, finally your physical and mental state are combined and working on the same goal. After some time you will begin to feel calmer and more centred. Once you have achieved this awareness of your breathing we turn it into mindful awareness of the body, feelings, mind and thoughts, this is sometimes called the four foundations of mindfulness.

Here a few tips to help you stay focused on your breathing; for each complete breath, inhale and exhale, count that as one, and continue counting tow, three, four and so on. When you begin to think about something else, take a deep breath in and start counting again beginning from one. If you like to visualize, picture your breath moving along with the waves of the ocean lapping against the beach. Some prefer to think of a word as they in hale and a different word as they exhale, for example, when you inhale think peace when you exhale think calm. These are just a few examples to help you concentrate on your breathing, they may work for you and the may not, the key is to find a system that works best for you and allows you to remain calm and focused.

When preparing for meditation many think this only involves the exterior, such as our surroundings, many forget to prepare for the change of your inner self. Inner preparation is like evaluating your current feelings and state of mind, you want to make sure that your are not overly tired or mentally caught up in something to the extent you will not be able to concentrate on meditating. If this is the case put of meditation until your conditions will allow the proper concentration your meditation deservers.

Below you will find simple instructions to follow for proper calm meditation.

• Settle quietly into your meditation position (cushion, stool, or chair). Set a nearby clock to go off in ten minutes, and then forget completely about the time. Make sure your entire body is relaxed and calm and your back and spine are completely straight.
• Go into each meditation session with the commitment to make the most out of it. Let your thoughts, memories and concerns go.
• Begin to pay attention to your breathing, your inhaling and exhaling, if you need to, try one of the tips noted above. You may find paying attention to your abdomen rising and falling is easier. Remember you want to pay attention to your breathing not changing it.
• When a thought arises, let it go, this is ten minutes for you to concentrate on breathing and meditating, you can address the thoughts that surface after your session.
• Do not be too hard on your self if you do find yourself getting lost in a thought, it will take some getting used to at first. Just let the thought disappear, get your mind back on track, and listen to your breathing.
• When the alarm goes of shift your position slightly at first, allow your mind to shift to reality slowly. Open your eyes and reflect on your experience, did it feel too long or short make any adjustments you may need and prepare for your next session.