The following are some tips on how to develop a consistent and meaningful home meditation practice.
Us humans are creatures of habit and will always revert back to the path of least resistance,
Returning to our ingrained habitual behaviors even if they no longer benefit us.
The only way to change an existing habit is to create a new behavior that will replace the old one.
Here is some advice on just how to do that.
Number one.
Pick a specific time slot when you will do your meditation and for how long.
I strongly suggest getting up 10 minutes early and doing it in the morning before your day gets overwhelmed with other activity.
Use the bathroom,
Have a coffee if you need one,
But do not look at your phone.
My experience here is that if I say I will do it later,
I never do.
Number two.
Designate a space and have it set up ahead of time.
It is important to create a ritual.
Same time,
Same place.
Find a place that is free of clutter and distractions if possible.
You can even make a little shrine if you like,
Even if it's just a candle.
It is the ritual aspect that helps us develop consistency and the desire to practice.
Number three.
Be comfortable.
Wear something comfortable and find a way to sit that is comfortable for your body.
If you have flexible hips,
Maybe you can sit cross-legged on pillows or a meditation cushion.
But how you sit is not important.
It is okay to sit in a chair.
If you do so,
Sip your back away from the chair and your feet firmly planted on the ground.
Number four.
Use a timer.
I highly recommend using the timer here on this app.
This will allow you to make a custom 5-10 minute session including the sound of a bell.
It is important that your practice has a definitive beginning and end.
I suggest only sitting for 5-10 minutes for the first few weeks.
Better to succeed at small goals than to fail at big ones.
This will build confidence and faith in yourself and the practice.
And last but not least,
I like to think of this practice as making friends with yourself.
So if you miss a day,
Don't beat yourself up about it.
Every time we meditate,
We're starting over anyway.
This practice is about changing our relationship with negative thought patterns and it is most important we keep a curious and gentle approach.
And the most important advice I would give you is to not think of meditation as just another self-improvement project but rather to think of it more of a line of practicing self-acceptance.
Carl Rogers said,
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am,
Then I can change.
