Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki said, in Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice, “In the Beginner’s Mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind, there are few.”

Adopting a beginner’s mind is looking at something with fresh eyes as if you have never seen it before. Buddhism calls this “Don’t know mind.” Don’t know mind is letting go of expectations. It is curious. You don’t need to let go of your experiences or knowledge, but be open to learning more and seeing things differently. The beginner’s mind does not pre-judge something before experiencing it. 

Set up a comfortable seat, and have a familiar object nearby.  As you set up for meditation, make sure you are not creating tension as you sit.  There are no “shoulds” in the beginner’s mind.  If you feel tense, create movement, you can sway your body side to side, or experiment with placing a book under your feet if your feet are dangling from the chair.

Start by anchoring your mind on your breath or the sensation of your seat meeting your chair.  

When you are ready begin to examine your object.  If you start getting into your critical, thinking mind, using words or judgments like good or bad, see if you can move to your senses.  What color do you notice?  If you are holding the object, what do you feel? Imagine you have never experienced this object before.  What do you notice most about it?  Do you notice anything different?

Try practicing this exercise with other objects, or your breath.  Just notice, like a small child who has never experienced this before.  

Enjoy!