As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, meditation has gained notoriety for being objectively good for us … yet can be quite challenging to put into practice. That post is dedicated to exploring simple steps to start building a meditation practice. So if you’re new to meditation, I recommend starting there!

Meditation has taken me to all kinds of places in the past three years. It has taught me to sloooow down, and tune into my body and its rise and fall of breath. It has allowed me to become aware of my body’s abundance of sensations. It has provided me access to deeper emotions, blockages that needed healing, and states of blissed-out transcendent joy.

Establish your intention

There are so many ways that we can use meditation — to connect with our breath, develop a richer relationship with ourselves, expand the perception of our inner landscape, process emotions, and … much more. Deepening a meditation practice can start here: what do I want to get out of this meditation? From there, seeking out resources (such as guided meditations, videos, books) to align with that intention. For example, I happened upon some really intriguing chakra work in my own journey, this led to some unexpected and beautiful deepening of my practice.

Create a meditation altar

As you meditate more regularly, start adding more meaningful touches to your space. This could look like more candles (truly, you can never have enough candles), crystals, little mementos, etc. My meditation altar is comprised of a vintage mirror tray, a crystal wand, homemade candles from friends, and a Morroccan jar gifted from a dear friend. I didn’t have a “vision” of what my altar could look like, it just sort of unfolded naturally. Play around with what feels right to you. Maybe creating a specific vibe will lend more energy to your practice, or maybe just piecemeal collecting feels like the right path for you. Get curious :)

Explore meditating in silence, or with gentle soothing music

Some people prefer meditating in silence from the start. I salute you! That was not the case for me. Guided meditations were essential for developing a practice with my busy mind. However, as time went on, I started to embrace meditating in silence, or with music. I often use the Chakra Balancing Meditation app (which features music tuned to the 7 chakra energy centers) with clients during guided meditations in sessions and I use it for my own practice as well. If you’re just dipping your toe into the freeform style of meditation, using a phone timer can be a helpful “container.” Setting your phone timer to 5, 10, or 15 minutes can be a beautiful way to let the meditation unfold, knowing you will come back out once the timer goes off. Experiment with what feels right to you!

Remember how we talked in Part 1 about habit stacking? Well, another way to deepen your practice is to stack reading and writing onto the experience.

Add reading & journaling to your practice

If you established an intention such as “access more of my spiritual self” through meditation, adding a book to your practice is going to be really beneficial. Find a spiritual text that inspires you, and read a bit before or after you meditate. This is a choose-your-own-adventure piece — some folks love to read before meditation, others prefer after. My personal preference is to read beforehand, but take time to try each way.

Journaling can be a beautiful addition to your practice — whether to document experiences, process things that came up, or to explore ourselves more in depth before meditating. As with reading, your choice as to whether it feels more fitting to journal before or after. I challenge myself to stay flexible with this journey; the labels “right” or “wrong,” “correct” or “incorrect” don’t have a place when it comes to the practice of knowing ourselves.

Above all, this practice helps us to hone the skill of tuning inward. Instead of the outward focus many of us are accustomed to, this allows us to lead from the refreshing waters of our intuition.

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About the author: Jaclyn Zeal offers couples counseling, marriage counseling, and relationship therapy for individuals, couples and families. Her services are offered in Montgomery County and Chester County — including Phoenixville, Limerick, King of Prussia, Main Line, Trappe, Collegeville, Royersford, Kimberton and surrounding areas. She sees clients in-person and virtually in PA + NJ. Learn more about Jaclyn here.

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