How to Do Meditation Daily?
December is around the corner. A new month, new possibilities. Why not start practising mindfulness daily from this December?
There are lots and lots of ways to meditate. But our concern is not to find a perfect form of meditation — its to form the daily habit of meditation. And so our method will be as simple as possible.
1. Commit to just 2 minutes a day: Start simply if you want the habit to stick. You can do it for 5 minutes if you feel good about it, but all youre committing to is 2 minutes each day.
2. Pick a time and trigger: Not an exact time of day, but a general time, like morning when you wake up, or during your lunch hour. The trigger should be something you already do regularly, like drink your first cup of coffee, brush your teeth, have lunch, or arrive home from work.
3. Find a quiet spot: Sometimes early morning is best, before others in your house might be awake and making lots of noise. Others might find a spot in a park or on the beach or some other soothing setting. It really doesnt matter where — as long as you can sit without being bothered for a few minutes. A few people walking by your park bench is fine.
4. Sit comfortably: Dont fuss too much about how you sit, what you wear, what you sit on, etc. I personally like to sit on a pillow on the floor, with my back leaning against a wall, because Im very inflexible. Others who can sit cross-legged comfortably might do that instead. Still others can sit on a chair or couch if sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. Zen practitioners often use a zafu, a round cushion filled with kapok or buckwheat. Dont go out and buy one if you dont already have one. Any cushion or pillow will do, and some people can sit on a bare floor comfortably.
5. Start with just 2 minutes: This is really important. Most people will think they can meditate for 15-30 minutes, and they can. But this is not a test of how strong you are at staying in meditation — we are trying to form a longer-lasting habit. And to do that, we want to start with just a two minutes. Youll find it much easier to start this way, and forming a habit with a small start like this is a method much more likely to succeed. You can expand to 5-7 minutes if you can do it for 7 straight days, then 10 minutes if you can do it for 14 straight days, then 15 minutes if you can stick to it for 21 straight days, and 20 if you can do a full month.
6. Focus on your breath: As you breathe in, follow your breath in through your nostrils, then into your throat, then into your lungs and belly. Sit straight, keep your eyes open but looking at the ground and with a soft focus. If you want to close your eyes, thats fine. As you breathe out, follow your breath out back into the world. If it helps, count … one breath in, two breath out, three breath in, four breath out … when you get to 10, start over. If you lose track, start over. If you find your mind wandering (and you will), just pay attention to your mind wandering, then bring it gently back to your breath. Repeat this process for the few minutes you meditate. You wont be very good at it at first, most likely, but youll get better with practice.
And thats it. Its a very simple practice, but you want to do it for 2 minutes, every day, after the same trigger each day. Do this for a month and youll have a daily meditation habit.
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@SunFern
Awesome post Ferny. Liked 2 minutes plan. :) thank you for sharing
Great idea. I'm definitely going to try to do this.
that is a very good way to start as a beginner, very usefull post
@SunFern I agree having a daily practice is a great way to start mindfulness because it gets us using the tools when we don't need them so when we need them we know what to do.
Another way to practice mindfulness is to set an alarm at intervals. say 1/2 to 1 hour or at a certain time of day and then when the alarm goes off, ask am I practicing mindfulness. if not focus on one aspect of mindfulness like the breathing or what the senses are aware of. Eventually you may start doing these self checks habitually and you may not need the alarm.
@soulsings
wow, never thought about that idea but it sounds very good, programming yourself for mindfulness.
thanks soul, i will try that.
@amiablePeace77 let me know how that works!
@soulsings
i wanted to do it so much and then i forgot about it, thanks for reminding me. I will start right now and see how it goes. My wish to meditate during the day became very naturally, i do not have to remind myself, i automatically do it which is a good sign for me.
@amiablePeace77 well be gentle on yourself. It is as easy as breathing
@soulsings
I like where you say that =====eventually you may start these self checks habitually ===
I have been a mindful practitioner for a long time and I can vouch for the fact that self checks do become habit. They can really be helpful in altering our focus and perception of things as we suddenly look and actually see, listen and actually hear and touch and actually feel.
====Another way to practice mindfulness is to set an alarm at intervals. say 1/2 to 1 hour or at a certain time of day and then when the alarm goes off, ask am I practicing mindfulness. if not focus on one aspect of mindfulness like the breathing or what the senses are aware of. Eventually you may start doing these self checks habitually and you may not need the alarm.