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ADDING MEDITATION TO START YOUR DAY,
Meditation has great calming effects...
GOOD STUFF TO HELP US GET STARTED
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1. Meditation also helps us to recharge so we have more energy throughout the day. The practice increases the blood flow in our brain.
2. Meditation helps our minds defragment our thoughts so we can make better sense of them, and step away from them to gain perspective.
We don’t need much to meditate, but we should have two things:
a. Something to sit on. There is such thing as standing meditation and walking meditation, but sitting meditation is the most common and the best place to start.
b. A timer. Since meditation is all about working out our “attention muscle”, having to check a clock would somewhat defeat the purpose of meditation, since it would constantly distract our attention away from our breath.
...STARTING YOUR DAY...
***WHAT TO DO
So … It is highly recommend to make this a habit. And while I’m not saying it’s
easy, you can start small and get better and better as you practice.
Don’t expect to be good at first — that’s why it’s called “practice”!
These tips aren’t aimed at helping us… they should help us get
started and keep us going. We don’t have to implement them all at once —
try a few, come back, try one or two more, but DON”T GIVE UP!!!
Sit or lay down for just a few minutes. This will seem ridiculously easy. That’s
perfect. Start with just few minutes a day for a week. If that goes
well, increase by another few minutes and do that for a week. If all
goes well, try please, increasing just a little at a time, you’ll be meditating
for 7 to 20 minutes a day in the 2nd month, which is amazing! But start
small first.
We can do it first thing each morning. It’s easy to say, “I’ll meditate
every day,” but then we tend to forget to do it right??? Instead, set a reminder
for every morning when we get up, put a note that says “meditate”
somewhere where we’ll see it. Bathroom mirror, night stand,cell phone,
cigs/vap, coffee pot, whatever works to get the ball rolling…
Don’t get caught up in the how and what the @*%#*%#@*%#— just do. Most people worry about where
to sit, how to sit, what cushion to use, should I lay down on the couch or the bed… this is all nice, but it’s not
that important to get started. Start just by sitting on a chair, or on
your couch, or on your bed. If you’re comfortable on the ground, great!
sit cross-legged, lay down, what ever is most comfortable for you. It’s
just for a few minutes at first anyway, so just relax. Later you can
worry about optimizing it so you’ll be comfortable for longer, but in
the beginning it doesn’t matter much, just sit or lay down somewhere
quiet and comfortable.
CHECKING IN WITH YOU BODY
Check in with how you’re feeling. As you first settle into your
meditation session, simply check to see how you’re feeling. How does
your body feel? What is the quality of your mind? Busy? Tired? Anxious?
See whatever you’re bringing to this meditation session as completely
OK.
Count your breaths. Now that you’re settled in, turn your attention to
your breath. Just place the attention on your breath as it comes in, and
follow it through your nose all the way down to your lungs. Try
counting “one” as you take in the first breath, then “two” as you
breathe out. Repeat this to the count of 10, then start again at one.
***ATTN***MIND WANDERING???
Come back when you wander. Your mind will wander. This is an almost
absolute certainty. There’s no problem with that. When you notice your
mind wandering, smile, and simply gently return to your breath. Count
“one” again, and start over. You might feel a little frustration, but
it’s perfectly OK to not stay focused, we all do it. This is the
practice, and you won’t be good at it for a little while.
***Develop a loving attitude. When you notice thoughts and feelings
arising during meditation, as they will, look at them with a friendly
attitude. See them as friends, not intruders or enemies. They are a part
of you, though not all of you. Be friendly and not harsh.
Don’t worry too much that you’re doing it wrong. You will worry you’re
doing it wrong. That’s OK, we all do. You’re not doing it wrong. There’s
no perfect way to do it, just be happy you’re doing it.
Don’t worry about clearing the mind. Lots of people think meditation is
about clearing your mind, or stopping all thoughts. It’s not. This can
sometimes happen, but it’s not the “goal” of meditation. If you have
thoughts, that’s normal. We all do. Our brains are thought factories,
and we cannot just shut them down. Instead, just try to practice
focusing your attention, and practice some more when your mind wanders.
***BEING MINDFUL OF OUR THOUGHTS/FEELINGS
Stay with whatever arises. When thoughts or feelings arise, and they
will, you might try staying with them awhile. Yes, I know I said to
return to the breath, but after you practice that for a week, you might
also try staying with a thought or feeling that arises. We tend to want
to avoid feelings like frustration, anger, anxiety … but an amazingly
useful meditation practice is to stay with the feeling for awhile. Just
stay, and be curious.
Get to know yourself. This practice isn’t just about focusing your
attention, it’s about learning how your mind works. What’s going on
inside there? It’s murky, but by watching your mind wander, get
frustrated, avoid difficult feelings … you can start to understand
yourself.
Become friends with yourself. As you get to know yourself, do it with a
friendly attitude instead of one of criticism. You’re getting to know a
friend. Smile and give yourself love.
***FOCUSING ON OUR BODY
Do a body scan. Another thing you can do, once you become a little
better at following your breath, is focus your attention on one body
part at a time. Start at the soles of your feet — how do those feel?
Slowly move to your toes, the tops of your feet, your ankles, all the
way to the top of your head.
***BEING MINDFUL
Notice the light, sounds.energy. Another place to put your attention,
again, after you’ve practice with your breath for at least a week, is
the light all around you. Just keep your eyes on one spot, and notice
the light in the room you’re in. Another day, just focus on noticing
sounds. Another day, try to notice the energy in the room all around you
(including light and sounds).
***STAYING COMMITTED
Really commit yourself. Don’t just say, “Sure, I’ll try this for a
couple days.” Really commit yourself to this. In your mind, be locked
in, for at least a month.You can do it anywhere. If you’re traveling or
something comes up in the morning, you can do meditation in your office.
In the park. During your commute. As you walk somewhere. Sitting
meditation is the best place to start, but in truth, you’re practicing
for this kind of mindfulness for you.
Smile when you’re done. When you’re finished with your few minutes,
smile. Be grateful that you had this time to yourself, that you stuck
with your commitment, that you showed yourself that you’re trustworthy,
where you took the time to get to know yourself and make friends with
yourself. That’s an amazing two minutes of your life.
Meditation isn’t always easy or even peaceful. But it has truly
amazing benefits, and you can start today, and continue for the rest of
your life.
Hope this is an easy way that will help… or give some ideas to
inspire you to take time to add meditation to your day, or enhance the
meditation you are already enjoying… PLEASE, SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH
US TO ENHANCE OURS…THANKS… 🙂
alifeofproductivity.com/meditation-guide/