set aside a quite time to meditate in a place and at a time where you know that you won't be distracted by others.
early morning and evening are ideal times (although if you're into getting up between 3am and 4am
) as the craziness of the day will not be an issue.
unplug phone ... turn off computer ... radio, t.v., etc.
creating a space that is just for your meditation can be helpful and, if you're religious or spiritual, creating an "alter" can be helpful.
candle ... image(s) of a deity that you resonate with, etc.
it's definitely not necessary though.
sit in a relaxed pose with your spine straight.
you don't need to be in a lotus position.
if your body is able, sit in a half lotus position.
or sit in a chair that is comfortable but that encourages you to keep your spine straight.
a very simple and essential meditation technique is the observation of your breath.
breathe deeply and evenly .... through your nose .... fill your belly with the inhale and then exhale through your nose.
observe your thoughts without attachment ... as if your mind were a blue sky and every thought a cloud passing by.
feelings come up ... observe them without attachment ... let them go.
block nothing ... attach to nothing.
one of the main challenges is having thoughts and feelings and perhaps "visions" (at some point) that catch you ... mesmerize you.
intense feelings, whether "good" or "bad" will be a distraction.
interesting thoughts or "visions", etc. will be a distraction.
an itch will be a distraction as will be hunger, discomfort in your body, etc..
the key is to continually bring yourself back to your meditation focus which, in this case, would be your breath.
if you lose awareness of your breath because, for example, you get distracted by a thought that leads to another thought and to another thought and so on .... at some point, you'll remember that you're to be focusing on your breath.
no judgment or thoughts about why you got distracted, etc. ... just come back to your breath.
it's really simple and really challenging.
people often want cool experiences in meditation and will get mesmerized by them and attached to them.
that's part of the challenge.
(if you want cool experiences, take some mushrooms).
also, the more physically relaxed your body, the more easy it is to sit and meditate.
so, if you don't practice hatha yoga (postures / asanas) do some simple stretches and anything else that will help you to be relaxed in your body so as to avoid restlessness and fidgeting.
set a timer.
start with a relatively short sitting.
maybe 20 minutes?
whatever feels right to you.
the timer will allow you to focus on your meditation without being distracted by linear time.
bon voyage.
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So much information to absorb in one sitting. I've been reading for 4 hours about it's history, techniques, methods and so on.
, just basic physical stretching. Just like a runner would do. 
. I've read a few books and been going to temple for a while so I guess I'm a real Buddhist. Maybe that makes me not-Buddhist, I don't know, does it matter? 
