How to Be Still

You don’t have to use an established meditation method to use IDYLHOUR, but it can enhance your experience if you’d like to incorporate it. If it doesn’t appeal to you, simply set aside a few minutes at the beginning and end to sit still and breathe. 

For beginners, sitting in meditation can be intimidating and confusing. The secret is that meditation can and does feel that way for advanced practitioners, too. 

To begin, find a comfortable seated position. This can be cross-legged on the floor or in a chair with both feet on the floor. It can also be any way that feels comfortable to you and that you can be in for five minutes. 

Close your eyes  or use your candle flame to softly focus your gaze. 

Breathe in through your nose for four seconds. Breathe out through your nose for four seconds. Over time, you can increase the count of your breath to six seconds. What is most important is to match the count of your inhale to your exhale. 

Breathe like this for five minutes. If your mind wanders (it will), recall your GoodWords affirmation and use it as an anchoring thought. 

It’s totally normal for your mind to wander, to feel anxiety, to want to get up and quit. The point is not to not have thoughts, rather, it’s to let the thoughts float by and not chase after them.  If to-do’s and recurring thoughts seem incessant, thank your brain for working and remind yourself that you can come back to those thoughts later. Meditation is a practice and it will change over time. 

We absolutely didn’t invent meditation, but we do find it a useful way to find stillness. The above guidance is just skimming the surface of the practice and leaves out many of the intricacies, wisdoms and spiritual connections you can find by investigating a deeper meditation practice if that appeals to you. Meditation is a cornerstone of many spiritual traditions, and you can find more tools online or by seeking guidance from spiritual teachers from practices like Yoga, Buddhism, Vipassana or Mindfulness learnings.