Meditating is a beautiful way to not just bring peace into your life, but to bring overall balance. There are so many ways that meditating can benefit your life. The first of course being that it can make you happier and help you better appreciate life. Additionally, meditating can keep you free of stress, add more hours to your day, help you sleep better, increase your attention span, and even help you feel more connected to those around you.

But guess what else meditating can do for you—it can increase immunity and help your body fight diseases, improve brain function, and even improve your metabolism and help you lose weight!

There are several different kinds of meditation methods. No matter what position you are in, don’t worry too much about your hands. Many people like to bring their palms together in front of their chest. If this doesn’t help you to relax, try resting them on your knees palms up instead. Or even try just placing the palms on your knees. If you worry too much about your hands, you’ll lose focus on your breathing and finding peace of mind.

Here are a few positions to help you get started.

Quarter Lotus

This might be the posture you imagine when you first think of meditating. It is often represented in a sitting, cross-legged position. You can sit with your legs loosely crossed and both of your feet resting below the opposite thigh or knee.

Half Lotus

This is a variation to Quarter Lotus. Instead of crossing both legs, cross one with the foot resting on top of the opposite thigh, with the other leg straight out in front of you.

Full Lotus

Full Lotus position is done by performing Quarter Lotus and then bringing your feet to rest on top of the opposite thigh.

Supta Baddha Kona

This is a beautiful position very different form the more common sitting positions. Begin in Baddha Kona (Bound Angle pose) by bending your knees to your chest and pull your heels close toward your pelvis. Then drop your knees out to the sides and press the soles of your feet together. From here, exhale and lower your back torso down to the floor—lean on your hands. Continue down to your forearms, then use your hands to spread the back of your pelvis. Bring your torso all the way down to the floor, supporting your neck and head with a blanket roll or bolster if you need to.

Rotate your inner thighs out by pressing your outer thighs away from the sides of your torso. Push your hip points together to help widen the back pelvis, narrowing the front pelvis. Now lay your arms on the floor about 45 degrees from the side of your torso with the palms up.

As you focus on your breathing, try bringing your arms back in to your torso and place your hands on your belly focusing on your breathing and the rise and fall of your stomach.

Reading

A fabulous alternative to meditating is reading. If you find that you have a hard time focusing during meditation or if you prefer an alternative, try reading instead. Reading helps bring about the same kinds of mental benefits. It helps to decrease anxiety, improve emotional stability, and help you to gain a better peace of mind.