Now that you know more about the different types of meditation, you can choose the type you want to practice depending on the one that best suits your needs.

If you are having problems with stress and depression, then mindfulness meditation is one of the types that you should consider starting. However, others can still help you find relief from stress and depression.

While meditation might seem like a simple practice, in reality, it requires a lot of discipline and diligence to realize the many benefits. To have effective results with your meditation practice, there are different things that need to be put in place.

As a newcomer that is just starting out with meditation, you need to know how to prepare for the process, which can be helpful in ensuring that the process goes well. It is important to take the time and prepare for your meditation session just like you would when planning for other activities.

Some of the things that you need to have before starting on your meditation journey include motivation, goals, expectations, posture, diligence, and the elimination of distractions.

Firing Up Your Motivation

When you first begin the meditation process, you need to take the time to remind yourself why you’ve chosen to meditate. Your purpose should be clear, so you know whether your practice is successful or not.

Your goal for starting meditation could be to gain more peace, joy, and happiness, to improve your mental skills, or even to achieve some level of awakening. Whatever your purpose for meditating, it needs to be clear as it is what will help make you more motivated to find success.

Having the motivation will help you to deal with feelings of restlessness or any form of resistance that may arise during the process.

Set Reasonable Goals

Goals will help give you direction and setting realistic goals is essential if you are to be successful in your meditation practice. You need to ask yourself what you want to accomplish with each meditation session.

Start out with simple goals, like trying to stay patient as the mind wanders or as you get sleepy. You can think of some of thecommon challenges that you face during your meditation, like getting distracted with simple things or yielding to distracting thoughts. Then, you can set a reasonable goal that will enable you to overcome the given challenges.

As you set goals, you need to be aware of your expectations. Once you realize your expectation, then you can diligently work toward accomplishing them. The expectations, however, should not be too ambitions, such as believing that you will be able to achieve a raised level of consciousness with just a few sessions.

You have to understand that you may practice for several weeks without seeing any tangible transformation. So, you need to set reasonable goals so that you aren't discouraged when practicing.

As you begin your meditation practice, you may lack the stability that will enable you to concentrate or attain mindfulness. However, it is vital for you to know that it is normal and that your level of attention will gradually improve as you continue with the process.

Regardless of how you practice meditation, you should know that there isn’t a specific way to follow and there is no such thing as bad meditation

Diligence

The results that you desire will only be realized when you are diligent with the practice, so make sure you get fully committed to diligence. This means that you are fully involved in the training and not wasting your time daydreaming.

When you lack diligence, you will lose too much of your time thinking about issues that don't interest you, instead of being focused on the problems that you are trying to solve through the process of mediation.

When you lack diligence, you may also find that you begin judging yourself for the quality of your meditation practice. This can lead to you starting to resist your practice, engaging in procrastination, and feeling a sense of doubt.

You must resolve your heart to diligently practicing meditation for the entire process, regardless of how the process turns out

.Identify Potential Distractions

As you take the time to prepare for each meditation session, you need to perform a quick inventory to identify some of the things that can cause you to become distractedCheck if your mind might be preoccupied with thoughts about the things that may not have gone well for you during the day. You also need to check to see if your mind is focused on worries and stressful thoughts about the future.

To be successful, you need to clear your mind of any form of anxiety or worry, acknowledge the thoughts that might be going through your mind and the emotions you may be experiencing.

You then need to work to resolve them. You can even set a clear intention that will enable you to rise above the distractions to stay focused on the process. To adequately prepare for your meditation practice you will need to gather the following items before you begin.

A Timer

When you first begin your meditation practice, you will need to choose a convenient time to practice. You need to select a time that is most convenient for you as meditation is supposed to be a time of relaxation.

You should choose a time when you feel the freest and when you won't have any distractions. You can select a time that centers around hours of transition, such as sunrise and sunset. These are great times to practice your meditation due to the calm thatprevails around these times. For a timer, you can use your phone, or download a meditation app to help you with your practice

A Quiet Place

The place that you chose for your meditation practice should be comfortable and convenient. You need to decide on a place without any distractions. It needs to be a place where you can have some privacy during the meditation session.

Avoid distractions from the television or any other form of noise. The area you choose should also be kept clean and free from clutter. Being in a quiet and peaceful surrounding can make a huge difference in the meditation process.

Choose a Comfortable Posture

The posture you choose for your meditation practice can either lead to you feeling more focused and relaxed during the process or could lead to discomfort.

The kind of position that you use should be one that you're comfortable with and one that is ideal for your body type. You need to have proper body alignment and stability of your spine, shoulders, and neck. Maintaining the appropriate alignment is vital for the process and can help in lengthening the time you are able to meditate.