So we've looked at how to meditate.
Let's look now at how we integrate meditation into our lives as a practice,
Not just as a weekend thing or a monthly thing or something you binge on for a while,
But something that you can integrate into daily life on a daily basis,
On a weekly basis,
On an annual basis.
Regular meditation,
Regular times of meditation are really the key to developing this practice and making it really fruitful in your life.
The best regular practice I would recommend is to meditate each morning and each evening.
Ideally,
Early morning before you listen to the news,
Before you check your messages,
And the mind is still relatively clear,
And choose a time and a place if you can,
Same time,
The same place every day as much as possible that helps you to develop the habit.
Learning a good habit is the best way of getting rid of bad habits.
Meditation is definitely a good habit.
So early morning,
20 minutes,
If you find 20 minutes is too long,
You can begin with 15.
If you find 15 too long,
Meditate for 10.
But I would advise you to set the time of meditation so that you're not keeping looking at your watch all the time.
The second meditation of the day is ideally in the early evening.
So think of sunrise and sunset as general markers.
These were sacred moments of the day for humanity for millennia.
So the second meditation at the end of the day's work may be in before the evening meal or before the evening social activity.
During these times of meditation,
Prepare for the day in the morning and let go of the day in the evening.
That's what's happening.
Meditating with other people on a regular basis is very helpful for developing that daily discipline,
That daily rhythm.
And as a result of this virus,
Meditation groups online have multiplied exponentially.
This isn't a journey that we can make entirely on our own,
But it is a solitary journey in the sense that I can meditate with you,
But I can't meditate for you.
But meditating with you is a special experience,
A special gift,
I think,
For anyone who's on a spiritual journey.
Then I would recommend that a couple of times a year,
If you can do it,
You take a retreat.
Could be a weekend retreat,
It could be a week-long retreat.
Maybe think of allocating part of your vacation to this spiritual practice in your life.
But to go away,
Even for a short time,
On a retreat,
So you could always do online retreats as well,
Which we do here from Bongo,
But to take some time where you are out of your usual working,
Shopping,
Phoning,
Messaging lifestyle,
And you can really concentrate on this practice.
And then you'll come to realize something that John Maine understood and put in a rather challenging way,
When he said,
These times of meditation are the most important times of your day.
It may take you some time before you really understand what that means and why they are of such value,
Why they enable you to go into the day and into your life with deeper and greater openness and joy,
But that will come.
So let's take our time to meditate again now.
Remember your checklist,
Your posture.
You're sitting in a chair,
Your feet on the ground,
Your hands on your lap or on your knees.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your forehead.
If you find that you swallow too much during meditation,
You can just rest the tip of your tongue behind your lower teeth,
Just gently.
That will help to stop having to swallow so much.
Take a few moments to prepare always for a meditation period,
To be in the present moment,
To be here and now,
Body,
Mind and heart.
And then gently begin to say your word.
The word again I recommend,
Maranatha.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
Listen to the word as you say it.
Give it your attention and return to it gently and humbly whenever you become distracted.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
Ma ra na tha.
You you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you so let's end the meditation again with this short teaching of Jesus on prayer.
When you pray,
Do not be anxious about what you are to do.
Do not be anxious about what you are to eat or what you are to wear.
Do not run after these things,
He says.
Look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the field.
See how beautiful they are.
See the beauty of your own nature,
Your own goodness.
So in meditation,
This is why we let go of our thoughts of fear,
Our thoughts of anxiety,
Our thoughts of dread,
Our thoughts of being in control of the future.
We let go of those sources of anxiety and we open ourselves to the source of peace.
