Tips for Developing a Meditation Pracitce

Peaceful Meditation

"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solution." --Deepak Chopra

Where do we begin to find the time, the space, the motivation to be alone and to be quiet? I have found the easiest way to create a new habit is to attach it to an existing one i.e. I use my tongue scraper after I brush my teeth; I do my evening practice after I brush my teeth at night.

I sit in the same spot each morning and evening to do my practice. I repeat the same practice over and over until I know it by heart. 

 TIPS:

·      connect your meditation time to an existing habit

·      sit in the same place and at the same time if possible

·      repeat the same practice for at least a week (start with 5 minutes)

Students some times tell me after a week that they are bored with doing the same practice. I tell them that I too felt the same way before I had faith that my teacher knew more than I. She said, "Trust me, do this practice for 90 days and then we'll talk about it." I did. What happened? The benefits of discipline, peace and clarity started to enter my life. Instead of feeling bored, I looked for new ways to be mindful during my practice. I felt safe and a level of comfort in the repetition.

I also found it necessary to have a teacher. I tried for a long time to sit on my own. It wasn't until I started to accept guidance and sit with others that my experience moved to a deeper level.

I agree with Deepak that it is scary to sit in quiet. We have so many amazing distractions available to us. The thing is the consequence of not spending time with yourself, is that you won't really ever know your true self.

I am offering an online opportunity for you to practice meditation on your own yet in the safety of a group. Click here for more information. 

Over the next few weeks, I will continue to offer helpful tips on meditating. Stay tuned and let me know if you try any of them and how they work.

Brain Washing Needed?

Photo Courtesy of absurdwordpreferred.deviantart.com

gyan mudra

Whenever I see an article about meditation, which there are many lately, they always have a photo of a person holding a hand mudra (gesture).  
While mudras are very effective (more in a later post), probably the most effective part of meditation is our intention, see previous post, Intention is Everything. If our intention is clear, the next step is how to meditate.

Many people come to me seeking help with meditation. Of course, it's best to have a teacher to guide you in beginning a meditation practice, but it's okay to start on your own and see where it leads you. I suggest starting with a 5-minute commitment each morning as part of your morning routine, maybe right after you brush your teeth. How?

• Find a spot to sit upright--it can be in a chair or on the floor. Sit in the same spot each morning.
• Choose an intention.  It is good to stick with the same focus for a while. You might also find an inspirational daily meditation to work with until you figure out what you want to focus on.
• Get comfortable, yet remain upright.
• Set a timer so that you are not continuously looking at the time.
• Close your eyes.
• Focus on your breath. Notice the inhale and the exhale.
• If your mind wanders, return back to the breath.
• When the timer goes off, you are done.
• Continue this practice for a week then decide if you are ready to add 5 more minutes.

Discipline is a huge part of the practice as many of you already know. We can do almost anything for 5 minutes once or twice. 

The benefits of meditation have been proven by science over and over, increase clarity, focus, concentration, happiness, while decreasing heart rate, anxiety, depression, and violence, just to name a few.  

George Dvorsky writes, "Meditation yields a surprising number of health benefits, including stress reduction, improved attention, better memory, and even increased creativity and feelings of compassion," in his article, The science behind meditation, and why it makes you feel better.

After you try sitting for a week, let me know how it goes. I'd also love other tips from long-time meditators.