As the 40-day Feast for the Soul soon draws to a close, you may be asking yourself, “How will I keep up my meditation practice?”
Perhaps you have heard that meditating twice-daily is ideal (meditating in the morning, and again in the afternoon or early evening), and the studies show that the benefits you receive are directly proportional to the regularity of practice.
So, you might even ask yourself, “How will I keep up my meditations twice a day?”
Yes, it can be challenging to establish two regular periods for meditation each day. However, it has been proven that meditation only works if you do it!
Just as you probably wouldn’t think of skipping brushing your teeth, you won’t want to skip your meditation once you get into a regular routine. Your mind and body will thank you and you will see the benefits.
That being said, it’s important to simply start where you are. A little bit of meditation is better than no meditation at all. Appreciate yourself for what meditation times you have been able to do and fit in.
Here are tips on getting in your regular meditations:
Tip #1: Create a meditation log. Log your meditation sessions, especially in the beginning. This can be helpful in establishing your meditation habit. You might even make notes about your duration, your experience, and the benefits you received during the day when you weren’t meditating!
Tip #2: Keep it easy. Be sure that your meditation remains easy, effortless, and comfortable. You’ll naturally make time for your meditation practice when it’s more enjoyable. Remember if you don’t have enough time to meditate for the full 20-30 minutes, 10-15 minutes are better than nothing. Just be sure to take enough time to come out slowly. When you have another break in your schedule, you can finish with another 10 minutes.
Tip #3: Take your time coming out of meditation. It is important to set aside enough time for your meditation – and making time to slowly and fully come out of the meditation before going back into activity. This is the integration period – taking time to transition from the quietness of your meditation into your activity.
Tip #4: Make meditation a part of your routine. Sticking to a regularly scheduled meditation time each day, whenever possible, is helpful in establishing a solid routine. Your body likes rhythm, so set up a schedule you can stick to. It’s best to meditate, if possible, before breakfast, and again, before dinner.
Tip #5: Anchor your meditation to another activity so you’ll remember to do it! When you couple meditation with an activity you already do during the day, such as eating your morning and evening meals, or exercising, or commuting, or showering, your meditation is connected to something else that is already a structured part of your day.
Tip #6: Make an appointment with yourself to meditate. Just as you would for a meeting, lunch date, or doctor’s appointment, make an appointment for your meditation. Feast for the Soul Co-Director Sarah McLean says that meditation is office hours for your soul. By making an appointment and putting it on your calendar, you can make it to soul office hours.
Tip #7: Be flexible and creative with your meditation setting and time. You don’t have to wait for a for an ideal setting or time to do your meditation. Meditation is portable and goes anywhere you go. You don’t have to skip it just because you don’t have a quiet or private place. Those things are nice, but not required. As long as you can sit comfortably with closed eyes in a safe place, you can meditate.
Tip #8: Plan ahead. If you have a busy week ahead of you with meetings, appointments, or travel, think about when and where you can take a break and recharge for the next part of the day. Some places to meditate on-the-go are: planes and cars (either as a passenger or in a parked car), and universities and hospitals which often have empty meditation rooms. Libraries and places of worship are ideal places to meditate as well.
Tip #9: Meditate with others and/or listen to a recorded guided meditation. Meditate with family, friends, or a sangha/spiritual community to gain the support a group offers.
Check out the no-cost, live adjunct meditation programming that continues after the Feast is over, including: Suzi von’s Mindful Monday Sangha, Certified McLean Meditation Teachers’ It’s All About Love Wednesday Meditations; and Swellheart Monday Meditations with Lauri Kriva. Visit this page for details.
You can also revisit the many recorded practices from years gone by here. You’ll also find many from recent years on You Tube here: https://www.youtube.com/feastforthesoul
Tip #10: Notice the benefits you are receiving from meditation. Ask yourself the following questions during the days you do meditate and reinforce your practice with all of the benefits:
- Do I have more energy and stamina?
- Does my life seem to go more smoothly?
- Am I more efficient and effective?
- Is my mood better?
- Are my relationships more nourishing?
- Do I make better choices?
- Do I feel less stressed and more calm and present?
- How creative do I feel?
Taking a moment to notice the results you experience helps reinforce regular practice. It’s likely that your meditation does not just make you more effective at what you do, it also enlists nature’s support so that the flow of life and your good fortune increase. Maximal benefit will be achieved from minimal effort, and the results of your actions will often exceed your own planning.
Bonus Tip: Meditation helps create a more peaceful world. It not only benefits you, but when you meditate, you create a ripple of peacefulness, awareness, and coherence that affects the environment. Just when you think you might have to skip a meditation, you could remember all the good a single meditation does for the world.
By Karen Allen, Faculty, Feast for the Soul
Karen Allen is a McLean- and Chopra-certified mindfulness and meditation teacher, and an Ayurvedic wellness and lifestyle teacher. Retired as an immigration attorney, she resides in the California Bay Area.