Welcome.
The following meditation series is brought to you by MindfulScribe,
Owner and founder Joel Gaitis,
Licensed professional counselor,
Trauma therapist,
And meditation teacher.
Throughout my practice,
Both as a therapist and meditator and meditation teacher,
There are times when individuals who are seeking to bring mindfulness into their daily lives struggle with getting their practice started.
For those of you who are struggling to get a regular daily practice,
It should never be underestimated that it isn't the amount of time that you spend as much as the frequency.
I advise many of my clients that even starting with one minute on any given day is the beginning of a larger practice.
Start with one minute each day and even one minute of mindfulness is not to be underestimated.
From that one minute,
Do that every day for three to five days and then try to slowly increase to two minutes each day.
As much as this might seem trivial or insignificant,
I assure you it's not.
I've seen clients use this strategy to get them to upwards of 30 minutes every day.
We also want to work effectively with the habits and patterns that support regular practice.
For example,
There are two times a day where we're already in the right position.
When we wake up and before we go to bed at night.
Either one is not better than the other so much as which one works better for you.
Some choose to start with a morning practice as a way to start the day,
Create the tone for their day.
Others like to use their meditation in the evening,
Helps them wind down,
Reflect on the day's experiences or help them to relax to prepare for sleep.
Try not to pick a time that's random.
Some individuals I've worked with have picked six o'clock and I would talk to them and ask,
How's that going?
Well,
It's not going very well.
What's not going well?
Well,
There always just seems to be something that interrupts it.
Dinner or sometimes that's when company comes over.
So many times our attempts to get something started gets disrupted from the very beginning.
So we have to think very carefully and strategically about what will help this practice to flourish.
Sometimes individuals are skeptical as to whether one minute will do anything for them.
This is a bit of the ego wanting.
We want something right now out of thin air.
We want meditation to be that magic.
You may or may not have an otherworldly spiritual experience in one minute's time.
You may not necessarily get the most relaxing experience you've ever had from one minute's time.
But as part of the long-term practice,
What you will get is the first step,
Creating a foundation for a meditation practice to flourish.
So start with one minute if you're struggling.
I have meditations that I will provide in this series to help support that daily practice of incremental increase.
Some individuals like to have a guided practice and that's what these sessions are meant for.
So good luck in your efforts and hopefully you will find benefit and utility from these exercises.
Thank you.
