How to meditate: a plain guide to mindfulness for beginners

Learning to meditate does not require special equipment, a particular belief or a quiet retreat. Health services describe it as a simple, repeatable way of pausing and paying attention. The steps below follow the beginner guidance published by the NHS Every Mind Matters programme, with extra context from the NHS mindfulness page and the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). If you are unsure of the difference between the terms, What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation? explains how the sources use them.

Before you begin

You need somewhere comfortable and warm to sit. The NHS says two things matter: that you are comfortable and that you can sit upright, because good posture is more helpful than slumping. A chair works as well as the floor, and a bed is fine if it gives enough support that you do not sink into it. No cushion or mat is required, although some people like one.

It also helps to know what meditation is for. The NHS says there are many types, and that what they share is that over time they can help lower stress levels. NCCIH is more cautious about the evidence, noting that some research suggests benefits for anxiety and depression while several of the studies it reviews were of poor or unclear quality. Treat the practice as a skill you are trying out, not a guaranteed fix.

A simple breath meditation, step by step

This sequence adapts the NHS seven-step guide into a shorter list.

1. Choose a time. The NHS suggests regular sessions, ideally at the start of the day and again in the evening to let go of tension before bed, while adding that everyone needs to find a routine that works for them.
2. Sit somewhere comfortable and upright, as described above.
3. Bring in the senses. With your eyes closed, notice what the surface beneath you feels like, what you can hear, and whether you can smell or taste anything. The NHS suggests this can help you feel more connected with your body and less caught up in your thoughts.
4. Follow the breath. Breathe in while silently saying "breathe in", then breathe out while silently saying "breathe out". Keep your attention on that circular breath and the words.
5. When the mind wanders, notice it and return. Bring your focus back to the breath each time you realise you have drifted.
6. Finish gently. Stop repeating the words, stay in the same position with your eyes closed for a couple more minutes, then open your eyes and stay seated a little longer before getting up.

What to expect when your mind wanders

Expect it to wander, often. The NHS states that a wandering mind is a natural part of meditation practice and is not a failure, just part of learning, and that people with lots of experience still have wandering minds sometimes. It adds that if your mind wanders ten times, you bring it back to the breath ten times. A mind that is not blank is not a sign that you are doing it wrong, since having a totally blank mind is not the goal.

The NHS mindfulness page makes a related point from another angle. Some people find it very hard to practise because, as soon as they stop what they are doing, thoughts and worries crowd in. Its advice is to see these as mental events that come and go, which can be hard at first, and it notes that gentle yoga or walking can make an over-busy mind easier to cope with. Two other difficulties get a mention on the meditation page: finding the balance between focusing on the breath and breathing naturally, and judging your own practice. The NHS says there is no right or wrong way to meditate.

How long to sit

The NHS says there is no rule about how long a session should last, but that 20 minutes is a good guide, and that regular sessions work best. The sources opened for this page do not give a separate recommended length for someone brand new to meditation, so there is no sourced figure to quote beyond that. If you want to experiment with a length, the Mindful minutes timer lets you set a period, and the Body scan, step by step page offers another structured practice. The Paced breathing timer is a different kind of exercise that guides the rhythm of the breath.

Limits and when to get help

Meditation is not for everyone and it is not treatment. NCCIH's clinical digest describes it as generally considered safe for healthy people. The NHS notes that mindfulness is not right for everyone, and that some people find it does not help or that it can make them feel worse. NCCIH says not to use meditation or mindfulness to replace conventional care or as a reason to postpone seeing a health care provider, and suggests asking about the training and experience of any instructor you are considering. If sitting quietly makes you more anxious or brings up distressing memories, it is reasonable to stop and speak to a doctor or another qualified professional. More on this is in Mindfulness: risks and limits.

The short version

Sit comfortably, follow the breath, and return to it each time the mind drifts, which the NHS treats as normal. Twenty minutes is its suggested guide, with no fixed rule. Meditation can sit alongside professional care, but it is not a replacement for it.