Published by Zencare Team on September 5, 2025. Written by Michael Lydon, LCSW.
What Is Meditation & Why It Matters for Mental Health
To feel good from working out, do you need “Instagram-ready” abs first? To feel good from yoga, do you need to bend so far back your head touches your heels? Of course not. Similarly, with meditation, you don’t need to be a monk or have years of training to feel inner calm. Even a few minutes of practice can bring a glow of well-being.
As a somatic meditation teacher and trauma therapist, I’ve seen people surprise themselves after just one session. A client might arrive feeling wired and restless, and ten minutes later notice a level of quiet that they didn’t think was possible for them. Meditation doesn’t require perfection, it simply offers a way to reconnect with something steady inside you.
Principle 1: Think of Meditation Like Exercise
Any workout can boost your mood through endorphins. Similarly, almost any meditation can increase well-being, even five minutes of steady breathing. But just as some workouts build strength while others improve flexibility, meditation techniques are designed with different goals in mind.
Some cultivate awareness of each passing moment. Others guide us into a sense of deep stillness. A few blend both. The takeaway is that you don’t have to choose perfectly at the start. You’ll benefit no matter what, and with time you’ll discover which practices feel most natural to you.
When I teach beginners, I often say: you don’t need to train like an Olympic athlete. A light jog is enough to experience the benefits of exercise. In the same way, a few minutes of meditation is enough to begin.
Principle 2: Skepticism Is Normal
Plenty of people worry meditation won’t “work for them.” That hesitation is normal. I’ve even had clients say, “I’m just not wired for this.” Yet many of those same people eventually found it transformative.
Science backs this up. Research shows consistent practice can reduce anxiety and depression symptoms, lower stress hormones, improve emotional balance, sharpen focus, and even reduce chronic pain. For trauma survivors, body-based methods in particular have shown promise in restoring a sense of safety.
Even if you’re skeptical, the remedy is to try it. Like tasting a new food, no amount of description replaces direct experience.
Principle 3: Flow Practices vs. Ground Practices
Meditation styles often fall into two broad categories: flow and ground.
- Flow practices invite you to observe the continuous stream of sensations: breath, sounds, or body feelings. Common in Vipassana, Zen, and modern mindfulness apps, these practices help us loosen our grip on thoughts and respond to life with more balance.
- Ground practices encourage us to rest in a deeper, unchanging presence beneath shifting thoughts and feelings. Different traditions describe this as buddha nature, tao, Self, or divine ground. For mental health, ground practices foster a steady sense of being at home in yourself.
Some contemporary approaches, like Judith Blackstone’s Realization Process and Loch Kelly’s Effortless Mindfulness, combine both. They teach us to enjoy the flow of present experience while also uncovering a fundamental stillness that doesn’t change. This integration is especially supportive for those healing from trauma, since it offers both movement and stability.
How to Start Meditation: What Beginners Should Know
You don’t need special equipment, just a willingness to pause. Here’s a simple way to begin:
- Choose a spot. A chair, cushion, or bed is fine. Outdoors works too. What matters is that you feel safe.
- Set a timer. Five to ten minutes is enough for your first sessions. The timer frees you from worrying about the clock.
- Sit upright. Think “aligned” rather than rigid. Your posture should feel steady but comfortable.
- Notice your breath. Feel the air moving in and out of your nose. Let it be natural, about three counts in and three counts out.
- Expect wandering. Your mind will drift, that’s part of it. Each time, gently return to the breath.
- Explore stillness. Rest your attention in the back of your head, as if you’re sitting behind your thoughts. Many find this brings them to a naturally quieter place.
- Sense your whole body. Feel into your hands, chest, legs, and feet from the inside. Notice the aliveness in each area.
- Rest in presence. Rather than trying to manufacture peace, notice the subtle calm that may already be there.
- Reflect. Ask: was that stillness something I made up, or something that was waiting in the background?
Pro tip: Meditation isn’t about forcing thoughts away. It’s about finding the levels of yourself that are already calm.
5 Easy Meditation Techniques to Try
1. Box Breathing, aka Square Breathing
Used by athletes and even the military, this simple breath practice can quickly settle your nervous system.
- Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
- Repeat 3–4 rounds.
- Breathe gently, not forcefully.
Pro tip: Imagine breathing through the center of each nostril. Many find this balances the body.
Benefit: Within a few minutes, heart rate slows, the mind quiets, and a sense of steadiness returns.
2. Body-Scan Meditation
Reconnect with your body and release tension.
- Sit or lie comfortably.
- Start at the top of your head. Notice sensations without judgment.
- Move slowly down to your face, neck, shoulders, chest, belly, legs, and feet.
- Spend several breaths in each area.
- If you feel tension, imagine gently loosening your mental grip around it.
Benefit: Increased calm, grounding, and deeper connection to your body.
Many people notice their body feels “more real” after a scan, less abstract and more alive.
3. Guided Meditations
Sometimes structure helps. Apps and recordings guide your focus so you don’t have to think about what to do next.
- Flow-oriented: Insight Timer, Headspace, Peloton.
- Ground-oriented: Realization Process (Judith Blackstone), Effortless Mindfulness (Loch Kelly).
Choose a voice and style that feel supportive. If one doesn’t resonate, try another.
4. Visualization
Engage imagination for healing and calm.
- Picture a wise, compassionate figure, real, fictional, or symbolic.
- Let their qualities surround you.
- Imagine their presence touching the parts of you that need rest or care.
Benefit: A felt sense of guidance, safety, and renewal.
5. Loving-Kindness Meditation
This practice expands compassion and softens self-criticism.
- Begin with yourself: “May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be safe.”
- Extend the same wishes to loved ones.
- Then to neutral people.
- Finally, to difficult people and all beings.
Pro tip: Rather than forcing an emotion, look for a subtle warmth in your chest and let it grow.
Many people report that this practice shifts how they relate to both themselves and others in everyday life.
How to Build a Habit
Meditation benefits grow with consistency, not perfection.
- Link it to routines. Meditate after brushing your teeth, before morning coffee, or after your workday.
- Use reminders. A phone alarm or sticky note on your desk helps.
- Start small. Three to five minutes daily is plenty. Gradually extend to longer sessions.
- Create a space. Even a designated chair signals to your body: this is where I settle.
- Track your practice. Use a journal or app to notice patterns.
- Be compassionate. If a day feels “bad,” remind yourself: showing up counts more than how it felt.
One client told me she built her habit by pairing meditation with her dog’s morning routine. Every time the dog finished breakfast, she sat for five minutes. That small link made the practice stick.
Matching Practice to Mental Health Needs
- Stress & Anxiety: Rest your attention in the back of your head, then feel subtle stillness spreading through your body. Many describe it as a thread of calm weaving through their system.
- Depression: Settle into your inner space as if it’s gently lit from within. Even behind closed eyelids, a felt sense of light can soften heaviness. This doesn’t cure depression, but it offers moments of safety and relief.
- Chronic Pain: Sense your body as a whole, then notice what feels steady beneath the pain. Judith Blackstone describes finding a level “subtler than the injury.” Many clients find this reduces their mental struggle against discomfort.
- Sleep: A body scan or Yoga Nidra before bed helps many people release tension and transition to rest.
When Meditation Feels Hard
- Racing thoughts: Let them run, but anchor your awareness in the body. Thoughts will often soften on their own.
- Emotions surfacing: This is usually progress, not failure. If it feels overwhelming, pause and seek support.
- Boredom or restlessness: Notice how boredom feels in your chest, belly, or throat. Sometimes what we call boredom is actually a new stillness we’re not used to.
- Physical discomfort: Shift your position. You can meditate lying down or walking if sitting feels difficult.
Resources to Explore
- Flow practices: Insight Timer, Mindful.org, Peloton classes, YouTube videos.
- Ground practices: Realization Process, Effortless Mindfulness.
If you’ve experienced trauma or intense anxiety, look for trauma-informed teachers. They can guide you gently and help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Your Meditation Journey
Meditation isn’t about achieving perfect bliss. It’s about developing a friendlier relationship with your experience. Even a few minutes a day builds resilience for life’s ups and downs.
Try a 7-day challenge: meditate 5 minutes daily. At the end, reflect on how your mood, sleep, or stress may have shifted.
Remember: the peace you’re seeking isn’t something to create. It’s something to uncover. A client of mine who grew up with deep abandonment trauma once described experiencing his own foundation for the first time. He said it felt like “coming home” after years of being disconnected from himself.
With time, this inner calm can become your new baseline. And it doesn’t require retreating to a cave.
FAQs
What’s the easiest meditation for beginners?
The easiest meditation for beginners is to sit comfortably, breathe smoothly, and sense your body from within. Rest in the stillness already present. Five minutes is enough to start.
How long should I meditate?
You should meditate as long as you need, depending on your goals.
- For busy schedules: 5–10 minutes daily.
- For deeper well-being: 20–30 minutes.
- For intensive change: 45–60 minutes daily.
Can meditation help with anxiety or depression?
Yes, meditation can help with anxiety or depression. Studies show consistent symptom reduction. In my experience, meditation also reveals underlying beliefs driving anxiety or depression. Once those are resolved, often with therapeutic support, relief tends to last.
What if my mind won’t stop wandering?
It's totally normal if your mind won't stop wandering. The essence of practice is noticing wandering and gently returning. That cycle is the training.
Do I need an app or teacher?
An app or teacher is not required to practice meditation, though many people find them supportive. If a technique doesn’t resonate after a couple of weeks, try another. Different practices are designed for different outcomes, and it’s okay to explore.