Meditation

When most people hear about meditation, the first picture in their heads is a monk sitting cross-legged, thumb pinched against middle finger. To most, meditation is a mystical experience — either unattainable or useless.

Growing up in a Buddhist family, my grandmother would meditate every morning. Sometimes, I would sit right next to her, copying what she was doing. But simply copying her actions never really taught me the essence of meditation.

But don’t worry — meditating isn’t actually very hard, even if I wasn’t able to do it by just copying my grandmother. And once you understand how to meditate, it’ll improve your concentration, make you feel more present in day-to-day conversations, and help you become more mindful of your thoughts, words, and actions. In this guide, I’ll show you how to start.

How It Works

Meditation is simple: sit in a comfortable position, place your hands on your lap, and just breathe. Focus on your breath. Nothing else.

Start with five minutes. Set a timer so you’re not checking a clock. Sit somewhere quiet, breathe naturally, and focus your attention on the sensation of air moving in and out. Feel the subtle flow at the top of your lip, or your chest rising and falling.

Your mind will wander. Don’t worry — that doesn’t mean that you’ve failed. When you notice you’ve drifted, thinking about homework, an itch, anything outside of your breathing, acknowledge it and bring your attention back to the breath. Don’t judge yourself for drifting in the first place.

Do this daily if you can, even for just five minutes; consistency matters more than duration.

Why Bother

Meditation is the practice of mindfulness. It helps you be more aware of your words, actions, and thoughts in life. It helps to prevent you from doing things you regret, and lets you make more intentional decisions.

The first time I experienced true meditation was short but unforgettable. As meditation began to work its magic, it felt like I was entering a new state of mind. My excitement from coming to this realization made me lose focus, but that short session made me realize I could actually do what my grandmother had done so many times — stay mindful and concentrate on just one thing.

This concentration has real benefits. Without feeling present, people tend to experience “mind wandering,” or thinking about topics entirely unrelated to what they’re doing. A 2010 Harvard study by Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert, published in Science, found that how often a person’s mind wandered was a stronger predictor of their happiness than what they actually did.

Follow-up analysis suggested the wandering came before the unhappiness, not just alongside it. This shows that meditation, beyond helping you concentrate, can actually help make everyday life more enjoyable — all for just five minutes of your time.

What To Remember

Meditation isn’t automatically easy or comfortable for everyone. Some people find sitting with their own thoughts genuinely difficult at first, and that’s perfectly normal. But it’s a skill worth building: focusing on your breathing can help you grow more mindful about your words, actions, and thoughts in your daily life.

Once you’re comfortable with five minutes of breathing meditation, feel free to experiment with other types of meditation! You can try paying attention to sensations throughout your body, meditating while walking, or simply observing your thoughts and sounds as they arise without reacting to them. To learn how to, check out UCLA’s guided meditations.

And don’t forget — meditation really is for everyone. You don’t need to be a monk; all you need is five minutes.