You are about to begin the single greatest daily habit you could ever do. Meditation improves every single aspect of a person’s life in countless ways. This is the only reason meditation has been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.

I believe that everyone can have a peaceful, calm, and stress-free life. When our mind is peaceful, we are able to direct our mind in one direction — the direction of personal and professional growth. Through meditation and mindfulness, you will experience better focus and concentration, better productivity and creativity, improved physical and mental health, control over addictions and anger, as well as greater joy and lasting happiness.

If you’ve recently started your journey, you’ll need guidance. As you already know, your mind can easily be distracted, and it’s easy to get off track. Here are my 7 tips for that:

1. Keep Your Back Straight
This is a general rule of life: if you always have a crooked back, you’re going to have back problems, posture problems, and problems related to posture.

So, just like in life, keep a straight back. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a chair, on the floor, in bed, or lying down. Make sure your back is straight, and you’re in a posture that is sustainable for health.

2. Relax Your Mouth
Unclench your jaws, slightly separate your teeth, and ensure that you’re not holding onto any stress. Rest your tongue where the roof of your mouth meets the back of your top front teeth, and just let it rest in that little corner. Try not to clench your jaw or fidget with your mouth.

In addition, certain Eastern religions and cultures believe that placing your tongue at the roof of your mouth, behind the teeth, connects an energy circuit in our body and frees up a significant amount of energy. It helps the energy flow more freely in your body, eliminating any blockages, according to their beliefs. An extra bonus can’t hurt, right?

3. Poses for Meditating
The normal style sitting is a very great choice for sitting posture. I have my legs slightly spaced apart so I have a slightly wider, stronger base this way, and I never get a foot falling asleep because I’m not weighing down the other leg on top of it.

Any other pose, whatever you like, is perfect for you. Some people prefer to go full yogi and do the full lotus pose, where each foot is on top of each leg. The pose commonly used in the West is called half lotus pose, where one foot is above the other in a cross-legged style.

In Tibetan Buddhism, they will sometimes use a little bench where they can sit down with their knees folded in front of them. This is a very common and acceptable meditation pose as well.

There is also nothing wrong with using a couch, a chair, and a few pillows to prop you up against the headboard in bed. Choose whatever is comfortable for you, whatever is within your skill set.

Westerners, unlike Easterners, have not lived sitting on the floor as they have, and we’ve become accustomed to chairs, which has changed our bodies. So, be patient with yourself and be gentle. If you want to start on a couch or a bed, start there. If you want to move slowly to the full lotus pose, that’s wonderful — whatever pose is right for you at each time.

You can change it up. You don’t have to be rigid; just allow a non-judgmental approach to however you like sitting, as that is the most important thing here.

4. Hand Positions
What to do with your hands is also entirely your choice. Having them on your knees is totally acceptable; folded in your lap is also totally acceptable. If you prefer Hindu mudras, which are hand positions such as three fingers resting on your knees, you can do that as well. You can explore various hand positions; there are endless possibilities.

As long as you have your hands in some place, there won’t be fidgeting. So, palms down on the knees is perfect, or hands folded in the lap with your thumbs touching, or whatever is comfortable. Just make sure that you’re not likely to fidget.

5. Use a Pillow
Use a pillow under your bottom, and it just makes it a little more comfortable. You’re in the same position, still cross-legged on the floor or however you like, but with a little extra back support, making it nice and comforting.

6. To Have a Back Support or Not
Can I sit up against a wall? Should I sit without back support? Should I sit in a chair, bed, or couch? As mentioned earlier, it’s really up to you and depends on what you’re comfortable with at this moment.

If the position you choose is causing a lot of stress and discomfort, making meditation unnecessarily challenging, then by all means, listen to your body and find a comfortable setting.

It’s crucial to create a habit, and if the position becomes unbearable torture and pain, it’s not sustainable. Find what works for you. Do that, push yourself, but not too hard. Listen to your body, your mind, and your heart, and you can’t go wrong.

7. Head and Shoulders
Get your shoulders back and then drop them down; you don’t want them tensed up by your ears. Relaxed is the way you want. Your head, try to have it aligned with your back. Keep everything in alignment from the lower back to the shoulders to the tip of your head. Everything in straight alignment.

It doesn’t have to be vertical if that’s difficult for you, as long as everything is aligned and in good posture, then you’ve got nothing to worry about.