The main ingredient for meditating is the art of concentration and leaving stray thoughts out of your mind. So anybody who participates in meditation should really learn to control this aspect before they venture deeper into this practice. Meditation doesn't need to be complicated and no need for 3 hours constantly meditating as the longer you persist it becomes quite ineffective as the average person cannot sustain total control and concentration over long periods.
A simple 21day long exercise specially designed for concentrating and building up a mental stamina starts with day 1 and only lasts for 5 minutes. You stare at a candle flame and think of only one word, "sun" the sun is a powerful image and helps to keep a calm balance and neutral tempo.
Before you start i would find a quiet place or room and sit comfortably in whatever position feels good for you. Then get yourself ready and concentrate on the lower part of the candle flame at eye level 3 feet away for the initial 5 minutes.
During the first 5 minute you tried to concentrate on the candle, breathing in calmly through the nostrils but not thinking about breathing also not attracting those stray thoughts that enter the mind due to lack of concentration skills as a beginner in meditation. Any stray thoughts that came into your mind like "did i lock the door" etc will slowly dissipate over time when you build up that mental strength and keep the outside world away from your meditation.
Day 1: 5 minutes sun
Day 2: 6 minutes sun
Day 3: 7 minutes sun
Day 4: 8 minutes sun
Day 5: 9 minutes sun
Day 6: 10 minutes sun
Day 7: 11 minutes sun
Day 8: 12 minutes sun
After practicing to meditate for 12 minutes you then have to block everything out of your mind and think of thoughtless, this is a real test to see if you have built up a better concentration technique.
Day 9: 12 minutes thoughtless
Day 10: 12 minutes thoughtless
Day 11: 12 minutes thoughtless
Day 12: 12 minutes thoughtless
Day 13: 12 minutes thoughtless
Day 14: 12 minutes thoughtless
On day 15 you have to concentrate on a red or golden rose
Day 15: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 16: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 17: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 18: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 19: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 20: 15 minutes red or golden rose
Day 21: 15 minutes wishful thinking
This exercise will build up your mental approach to meditating and benefit from inner peace. You will react accordingly to situations in a more peaceful manner, it's not an easy task to learn in under 1 month but keep practicing everyday then add other meditation techniques when you are ready to learn more.
