Making It To The Cushion Pt. 3

This *Cushion Chat* is an offering to anyone beginning practice and having trouble with consistency. In this four-part mini-series, I’ll share some short and sweet advice to help you combat the first obstacle to developing a consistent meditation practice. Listen in for some tried and true methods to help you make it to your cushion, day after day. How can you make meditation a staple in your routine?

Transcript

Welcome to part 3 of making it to the cushion.

So now that we've created a space that we want to return to and we understand our motivation for showing up,

We're getting closer and closer to the thing that we came to do.

One of my teachers recently said,

Don't fit meditation into your life,

Fit your life into meditation.

What we really want is to be able to create a habit.

And the first step is to actually make it on the cushion.

Sit your butt down on the cushion,

Plain and simple.

And the last cushion talk,

We spoke a bit about setting a goal.

I find that when my goal is to simply sit every day,

No matter how long I'm better able to attain that goal.

On the other hand,

When I've set a goal to meditate,

Let's say three times a week,

I fall into the loop of saying,

I'll just practice tomorrow.

When your practice is an everyday thing,

There is no space for excuses,

For confusion or for questions.

There are no gaps.

So gem three,

Figure out your meditation routine.

As you start to develop a consistent practice,

You'll notice when you prefer to sit.

Some people swear by morning or rising meditations while others are loyal to the night.

A midday sit could also serve to realign you in the middle of a busy day.

Keeping a journal really helps here.

Be sure to take note of the time of your meditation and the quality of your sit.

And of course,

Include any insight that you may receive.

Associating your practice with something you do every day is also really helpful.

Every day when I rise,

The first thing that I do is brush my teeth and then I head straight to the cushion.

It's now second nature for me.

I don't give myself the option to wander into other things because I know myself.

And I know that if I don't do it,

Then it'll get lost in the movement of my day.

I'm a mother.

And once my daughter is up,

It is go time.

So give yourself grace and allow your routine to be simple to begin.

As you steadily build the habit,

You can gradually add in new aspects to strengthen your practice.

Your sadhana,

Your practice,

Doesn't have to be rigid.

And you can definitely find ways to make it fun.

So make your way to the cushion,

Even if it's for one or two minutes to focus on your breath.

Returning again and again will build a habit that tells your mind,

This is something worth doing.

Until next time,

Be well.