How to maintain a daily meditation practice

[Tine]

As a meditation teacher embodiment is vital.

I face the question of how to maintain my daily practice regularly. Here are some of my approaches and I hope to hear more tips and explore more ideas with you.

- Develop a routine: Most days I practice before I even really leave the bed. I wake up, open the balcony door, wrap the blanket around my shoulders and start with a 20 minute guided meditation.

- Be kind to yourself: do not beat yourself up over having skipped a day or two. This is the same as losing your focus during the meditation. Simply begin again. Your best is good enough, and sometimes your best didn't include the meditation.

- Use the moments you have:  It doesn't have to be a perfect time, perfect location, perfectly silent. Learn to see opportunities for meditating. When you are doing the dished, commuting, walking the dog, ... learn to check in with yourself at random moments during the day.

[sb****]

Thanks for this advice, Tine. I'm struggling with building this routine, but your suggestions might help! I will try ?

[Li****]

These are some great tips, thank you for sharing! ?

[Guest User]

Love the tips!

Do you find that there are optimum times to meditate and that these times are different amongst people? I often find it very difficult to meditate in the morning and have always preferred evenings and before I go to bed at night. 

[Tine]

1 hour ago, Sadalsuud said:

Love the tips!

Do you find that there are optimum times to meditate and that these times are different amongst people? I often find it very difficult to meditate in the morning and have always preferred evenings and before I go to bed at night. 

Yes, I think finding YOUR prefered time and place is essential and personal. It changes over time too, depending on your daily routines, the time of year. Even if you have found your time and place the experience during the meditation will vary from day to day.

Having said that I would recommend doing the meditation as the first thing in the morning for a while. It allows you to be fresh and concentrated without the many things that accumulate during the day that you should do instead of meditating. It also gives you a sense of achievement - you start the day already having done something for yourself.

In the evening, most of us are tired, and due to that the meditation becomes more of a relaxation session, then the mental exercise at least the mindfulness meditation is supposed to be. Then again, a relaxing meditation before bed to wrap up the day and calm the mind is a form of self-care too.

You are the expert of yourself, so it's up to your judgement what is needed. Be open, keep experimenting.

Personally for me the sentence "If I do not have the time to meditate I need it most" sums up what I have to look out for. I see meditating a bit like physical exercise: If it doesn't take effort, it won't have that much of an effect. So I try to choose a bit of a challenge when selecting the time and kind of meditation.

[Re****]

I've been following the Miracle Morning routine (by Hal Elrod) it is Fantastic! The premise is to "win the morning and you win the day", develop morning routines of Mindfulness Meditation, Exercise, Affirmations, Visualization, Reading and Writing. All can be achieved in one hour if you set this as a goal to begin each day. Check out his website and podcasts - life changing!

[Na****]

My routine for mindfulness meditation is following Jon Kabat ZIinn mindfulness meditation early in the morning. Help to control my emotions during my daily challenges. After meditation. 30minutes of Ioga. Perfect recipe for peaceful day

[Ga****]

Well said!!!

Really... Daily meditation practice should be a part of your life to live life peacefully and happily.