1. Learn Why to Meditate
Understanding the benefits of meditation is what sustains your motivation to meditate. Without knowing why you are doing something it is easy to give up. Make sure you understand the reasons to meditate. You can find a brief video of Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche discussing the benefits of meditation here.
2. Learn How to Meditate
There are many types of meditation. If you want to develop an authentic meditation practice that actually improves your life, you need to start by learning a specific technique. Making sure you know what you are doing is a prerequisite for being effective at anything, and this applies to meditation as well. You can find a brief introduction to meditation here.
3. Sit Down Comfortably and Relax Your Body, Speech, and Mind
Regardless of the type of meditation you do — whether it is Calm Abiding meditation or Pristine Mind meditation or some other form of meditation — always begin by sitting comfortably and quietly and settling your mind.
4. Follow the Meditation Instructions
Whatever the instructions you have learned, follow those instructions. This short 3-part video series provides an overview of different types of meditation.
5. Develop the Actual Experience of Meditation
The point of following meditation instructions is to develop a genuine experience of meditation. It is this experience that gives meditation its true power. Without meditation experience, you are not truly meditating. It is the experience of meditation that transforms our minds and our lives. You can learn about the experience of Pristine Mind meditation in this short article.