The article below is an excerpt from Beth Shaw’s book, Healing Trauma with Yoga: Go from Surviving to Thriving with Mind-body Techniques. The following 4 quick tips to practice meditation are steps that will help you establish a meditation practice:

Just Do It

  1. Just do it. Commit to practicing your meditation for ten minutes (or more) each day. If that seems too overwhelming to you at the beginning, start with five minutes and tack on one minute every day. Set a timer and try to practice at the same time every day, which could be following your daily yoga practice. Find a comfortable place in your home (even if that means in the corner of your bedroom) and make that space a place of calm and love.

Style

  1. Choose a style for that day, don’t be afraid to mix it up

Visualize

      3. Visualize an object or place in which you find peace, such as a quiet beach or your favorite flower.

Journal

  1. Journal at the end of your practice so that you can keep track of your progress. For example, write down any techniques you tried and what you experienced practicing them. What were your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after meditating? Also, note if your practice revealed any solutions to questions or situations you’ve struggled to resolve. Finally, keep track of the benefits that you notice from incorporating

Beth Shaw is the president and founder of YogaFit Training Systems. The leader in mind-body education, YogaFit has trained more than 200,000 fitness instructors on six continents. Shaw and her company have been showcased in numerous fitness magazines as well as Oprah’s O magazine, Time, More, Entrepreneur, Yoga Journal, Glamour, Self and USA Today. She has also been featured on CNBC, CNN, NBC, CBS, E Style Channel, Showtime, and Donny Deutsch’s Big Idea.

For more information on meditation, pick up a copy of Beth’s book, Healing Trauma with Yoga: Go from Surviving to Thriving with Mind-body Techniques. You can order a book here or wherever books are sold.