Sitting meditation with your eyes closed is not the only practice you can do. There are many ways to meditate, and you can explore what works best for you.
Guided Meditation
If you are a beginner, you might find guided meditations more helpful for some time than sitting in silence. You can choose YouTube or can use a meditation app that helps you work with your process more intentionally over time.
Walking Meditation
You can do a walking meditation — I used to do these often. It is a wonderful way to experience nature and connect with your body. You pay attention to what the ground feels like under your feet, and any sensations you might be experiencing as you are walking, while seeking to experience less mental chatter.
Chanting and Mantras
A chanting meditative practice is another way to learn to let go of your thoughts more. All that we are dealing with is a mind that has learned to be hyperactive. Various practices can help us become adjusted to this process of thinking less and feeling more.
Chanting is a wonderful way to do this. You can chant a mantra or even an affirmation if you find that easier for a few minutes, then do it only silently until you can let go of it.
Sanskrit mantras are like powerful little healing potions, each with its own vibration and beauty.
I first experienced the power of a mantra when I lived in London around the corner from an Irish centre — someone offered a class in chanting, and I was curious. They gave us a mantra, and I started to chant it silently in my mind as much as I could.
I didn't need to wait long to experience how powerful this practice was. My husband and I had a fight, and I was going to see my friend shortly thereafter. I didn't want to show up all torn up and teary-eyed, so I kept saying the mantra for the duration of my trip to her.
The shift was visible. I felt different. The sadness and sense of despair were gone. I felt peaceful. Emotions had come and gone. I had discovered pure gold!
There are many wonderful mantras you can try — explore YouTube and see what resonates. Then stick with one single one for some period of time.
Kirtan
Because music and dancing are so wonderfully engaging, kirtan is an ideal way to experience the beauty of letting go of the mind.
Kirtan is a practice of singing devotional Sanskrit songs or mantras. It is led by someone using a harmonium or a guitar, and it is easy to follow along.
Gazing Meditation
You can use a candle or something else lovely, such as a flower. This is quite similar, I guess, to those times when you just sit in a garden and look around, and just are.
Find What Works for You
These are some of the practices that I am most familiar with and prefer. But there are other ways to prepare your mind that you can explore, such as drumming.
My advice is to explore, but make sure you also develop practices that you can do entirely on your own at home every day. Workshops and classes can be wonderful, but five minutes of imperfect meditation daily are more valuable than relying on a special workshop once a month or every week.
The purpose isn't to become good at sitting still. It's to discover ways to become more peaceful and present in your own life.
We have been given everything we need to take care of ourselves. You carry your own most potent medicine within yourself. Meditation is the gift from God to you so you can heal and love yourself.