Twenty meditation tips for beginners through intermediates — practical, not mystical.

Getting started (7)

1. Start with 5 minutes, not 20
2. Same time each day
3. Same place each day
4. Use a guided app for the first month (Insight Timer, Headspace, Calm)
5. Sit upright, not lying down (you'll fall asleep)
6. Timer, so you don't clock-watch
7. Close eyes or soft gaze — your choice

Technique (7)

8. Follow the breath as the default anchor
9. When distracted, gently return to the breath — that's the practice, not a failure
10. Don't try to empty your mind; notice what arises
11. Label thoughts: "thinking" or "planning" or "remembering"
12. Body scan when breath feels stale
13. Metta (loving-kindness) on difficult days
14. Walking meditation counts — attention to movement

Sustaining (6)

15. Miss a day, not two
16. Don't measure by how "good" the sitting was
17. Extend by 5 minutes each month only if natural
18. Retreat for a day once or twice a year
19. Join a community — local sangha, online group
20. Read one book a year (Pema Chödrön, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Joseph Goldstein)

Twenty tips. Meditation is simple but not easy. Pick three from Getting Started; the rest follow as the practice takes hold.