What to Know Before You Start Meditating

"Everybody can meditate. But not everybody should." Someone asked what they needed to know before starting to meditate, and Nicole liked the question, because it assumes practice is something worth respecting. Her answer is five things: what makes you ready, what makes this matter to you, and one honest caution that rarely gets said out loud. She closes with a single practice simple enough to begin today. Five things to know: 02:44 Everybody can meditate, and not everybody should. Meditation can reactivate traumatic material. If that may be true for you, practice with therapeutic support, or wait. 05:52 Know why this matters to you personally, felt somewhere along the spine, not argued in a list. 07:02 We live in our experience of the world, which means experience can change 09:44 Everything changes, and no two breaths are ever the same 11:58 The deepest intention is simply to be intimate with your own experience 14:07 Then: Choose an anchor for your attention and keep returning to it. If you would like some guidance in starting, there is a free three-day journey here: https://courses.dharmaacademy.com/fre... "Intimacy is the chemistry that's going to change everything." Tatsudo Nicole Baden is a Zen teacher. Her teachings combine traditional Zen wisdom with modern life. Subscribe to the Newsletter: Dharma Academy updates + upcoming events 👉 https://courses.dharmaacademy.com/dha... Take your first steps toward practice with the Dharma Academy. This is a free, 3-day journey: 👉 https://courses.dharmaacademy.com/fre... Visit the Dharma Sangha Practice Centers: 👉 Dharma Sangha US https://www.dharmasangha.org 👉 Dharma Sangha Europe https://www.dharma-sangha.de Learn more about the Dharma Academy: 👉 https://www.dharmaacademy.com #meditation #meditationforbeginners #zen #buddhism #howtomeditate #mindfulness #zenpractice #awareness