How to Establish Your Meditation Practice
How to Establish Your Meditation Practice
by E. W. Shannon
The benefits of meditation are numerous and range from the mental health area of stress reduction to impacting physical ailments exacerbated by stress. Meditation trains the brain not to interact with everything that comes along. But we can only benefit from meditation if we make a habit of practicing it. In my own practice, I generally meditate for a minimum of twenty minutes in the morning right when I wake up. And I have for the past eighteen years.
Find 'your' time.
The first question people ask is, "How long should I meditate each day?" The answer is a vague, "As long as you need to." Having read many articles on the subject, the duration that most often seems to pop up is twenty minutes. If you only find fifteen minutes, don't feel bad. If you end up with a meditation practice of an hour a day, congratulations.
Many people cite not being able to find the time to meditate. Really? We find the time to wait in line to get a huge coffee drink, to scroll through Pinterest for an hour, and to binge watch all the episodes of a show in one sitting. Except, all those things feed the ego in some way. Meditation doesn't feed the ego, therefor the ego makes sure we don't have the time. But we're stronger than our egos.
Think about your daily schedule and find that time that is always yours. Maybe it's after everyone else has left for the day or maybe it's before everyone gets home. Perhaps there is fifteen minutes that you always wait to pick up your kids in the afternoon. Take part of your lunch time and find a place you can be alone. Perhaps you have a new baby? Once they've developed a sleep schedule, then you have blocks of time where you may be able to insert your practice. If you can't find your time, you may have to make your time. This can be done by getting up fifteen minutes early or going to bed fifteen minutes later. Just make sure you use that time for meditation, and don't let your ego tell you there is something more pressing you need to do. There is nothing more important than a practice of self-care. Without it, you can't adequately take care of others.
Some meditation practices encourage meditating in the morning and then again in the late afternoon or evening. Ignore that for now. Later, when you've discovered the benefits and already have a meditation habit, then you can think about adding another practice into your day.
Find your space.
Your meditation space doesn't have to be pretty. I've seen a lot of people create exquisite meditation areas in their homes and never use them. If there aren't jarring noises or smells and you can regulate the temperature to your liking, then you are good to go. Think outside the box. Heck, you could even meditate in a big box. If you're a nature lover, meditate outside. If you are trying to get your fifteen minutes of mediation in before the rest of your family wakes up, try a walk-in closet. It may sound odd, but it's buffered for sound and light, and it probably smells like your favorite laundry detergent or fabric softener. Even the car can be a good space to meditate if you know that there is always a time when you are in it waiting with nothing else to do. And, no, Candy Crush does not qualify as something else to do.
When you are practicing your meditation, try to make sure to not wear restrictive clothing. Elastic pinching your skin will pull you out of your meditative head space.
Some people sit on a cushion in what yoga teachers call Easy Pose or Sukhasana (the way we typically see Buddha seated), while others get comfy in a giant recliner. Choose a seated stance that will be comfortable for the duration of your meditation practice.
You may find that your pets will want to be near all the good energy you're creating as you meditate. Some pets will just lay nearby as you meditate while others will think you have free time and will want to play. After a few sessions meditating you'll be able figure out a situation that works for both of you.
Sounds and silence.
Whether you listen to something while you meditate or just let the ambient noise continue in the background is a personal choice. If you choose not to have external sound, then make sure the noise where you are practicing won't be too much of a distraction. Although, I have meditated amongst the din of a transatlantic flight, so anything is possible.
If you do choose to have music or other sound here are some things to consider:
- If you are listening on your phone, make sure your device is on silent and won't be flashing notifications on the screen.
- Music without words is preferable. Remember, you are trying to have less thoughts running through your head. Don't let your music insert more.
- Try Isochronic tones or binaural beats rather than music. These make your brain operate at a consistent brainwave rate. They are often tailored to help with relaxation, meditation, and focus. The main difference between the two is binaural beats require stereo headphones while Isochronic tones do not.
Duration and Commitment.
Start off small with your meditation. Don't start with fifteen minutes, but rather with just five. Once you've successfully completed a week of five minutes a day, then increase the time by a minute or two. Also, by completing just five minutes a day for a week, you trick the ego. Suddenly your ego that didn't have enough time for meditation is saying, "I bet we can do six minutes a day." Remember, we are stronger than our egos.
Also, remember that your meditation may bring up thoughts you have been suppressing or weren't even aware were present. These thoughts can make you feel uncomfortable. That's ok, it happens to everyone. Recognize the thought and let it go. A quote from Shunryu Suzuki, a Sōtō Zen monk, says it best, "Leave your front door and your back door open. Allow your thoughts to come and go. Just don't serve them tea."
Another reason to start off small is that you have plenty of time to build up to a goal of twenty minutes. We have a misconception that habits are formed in twenty-one days, but one study found a more realistic number to be sixty-six days (Lally, Van Jaarsveld, Potts, & Wardle, 2009). While a little over nine weeks might seem daunting, the effects of meditation start the instant you start practicing and the effects are cumulative (Thorp, n.d.).
So, what are you waiting for? You clearly have the time to start a meditation practice; you just spent time reading this article. Start now and keep practicing until meditation is so much a part of you that if something threatens your meditation time, you will fight for it. Once you have your own practice well under way, share meditation with the ones you love, especially your children. We can all benefit from training our minds to ignore the noise of the world and focus on the now.
Works Cited:
Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2009). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 998-1009.
Thorp, T. (n.d.). On Again - Off Again Meditating: Does It Do Any Good? Retrieved from The Chopra Center: https://chopra.com/articles/on-again-off-again-meditating-does-it-do-any-good