The first time Marcelle Hutchins sat down to meditate, she put on a guided session, relaxed her shoulders and tried to close her eyes. She lasted two minutes. 'I had a deadline, and I thought, ’I don’t know if I can sit still this long,'' said Hutchins, who was working as a radio journalist. At the urging of her father, a longtime practitioner, she tried again and managed to finish a 10-minute video on her third attempt.
When you inevitably get distracted — everyone does — notice the thought or urge to move, acknowledge it and bring your attention back to where you are. Instead of judging yourself, get curious for a minute about the nature of restlessness, Brach said. Ask yourself, 'What does it really feel like if I want to jump out of my skin?' Then take a long, deep breath, and sit for one more minute. If you still want to move, then move. But Brach recommended doing so mindfully.
It takes a bit of experimentation to find the style of meditation that works for your particular body, mind and personality,' she said. Luckily, there's a universe of free meditation resources online. 'Nobody reading this needs to go buy anything,' she said.