Have you been wanting to try meditation?
Or, Have you been wanting to maintain a consistent meditation practice?
Easier said than done, right?
The beginning of the year is an opportune time to make a commitment to creating a new habit of meditation. Meditation can assist you with stress, anxiety and even health problems. You can call meditation in fact, a healthy habit.
In meditation, you transform the way that your mind is working. While you can’t say that it’s a simple process, meditation is something that you can easily learn to do and then use daily.
In fact, studies show that when you do allow yourself (especially your mind) to meditate for even just a few minutes a day, you can reduce the stress level you face thus improving your quality of life. Indeed, lowering stress levels also can improve your physical self.
Meditation can change your life. I know it has changed mine since I began at age 16. Granted, I had many peaks and valleys in my life and some terrifying rollercoaster rides, but through it all meditation helped me to stay grounded and approach life with a sense of calm no matter what happens. I had to learn this through experience and practice, and I am happy to share that with you.
Far too many people do not realize the benefits that meditation can bestow upon you, just by investing a few minutes in learning the process, and then by practicing daily.
You can learn to meditate alone, but most individuals who are successful at meditation are those that seek out resources to help them to learn the process as well as to practice it. Meditating with others can be a powerful experience.
At the beginning, you can learn various methods of meditation (there are many) until you find one method that works for you. No matter which you choose, in the long run, you will be improving your health and well being. It really is worth those few minutes you spend each day.
How to Make Meditation a Habit
- Make a Commitment – Begin by making that commitment to yourself. You may want to journal on this or even put a post-it note on your mirror.
- Meditation Benefits – As you put your commitment in your journal, also think of what you wish to achieve. Is it for health reasons? Spirituality? Artistic Expression? Work? Reduce Stress? Be clear in your intent.
- Make a Plan – To succeed, decide ahead of time when you will do your meditation. Morning is best and brings the most benefit. If you have to put it on your smartphone calendar, do so so you are reminded to take the time for you. Also, decide where you will practice your meditation. Do you have a spare room? Can you create a private nook somewhere in your home? Let this be your haven of peace.
- Start with Small Goals – In building a new habit it is best to start off with small, achievable goals. A good start is saying you will meditate five minutes a day. Five minutes is relatively easy. You do that just by checking email or Facebook on your smartphone. This can change as you strengthen your practice.
- Use Ready Resources – You may not know how to begin a meditation practice. You may need to use a guided meditation or a book to get you started on some initial practices you can use. (See our podcasts below)
- Join with Others – A sure accountable way to keep practicing is joining and practicing with others. This will help to keep you motivated as you go along the journey. (See our classes and one-on-one instruction information below)
How We Can Help
We have a variety of ways we can be helpful to you in starting or maintaining your meditation practice. You can choose guided meditations, mantra, counting breath, mindfulness and much more for you to use when you practice. I would recommend that you join one of our meditation classes or take advantage of the personal instruction available.
First, we have the 21 Day Meditation Challenge. Each day you receive an email with a short meditation to try. Simply make a commitment to yourself to follow the program. Do your best. It is your willingness that is key to your success. It only takes a little willingness to move forward in establishing your practice.
Access our Meditation Pebbles Podcast for easy five minute practices you can do easily. Also try our longer meditations podcast, Peaceful and Healing Guided Meditations.
Explore our meditation and mindfulness instruction information. We offer both personal and group instruction. Our classes in person and in our video conferencing room begin in January 2018.
Our January meditation series is “Making Meditation a Healthy Habit.” You can access this class either online or in Madison, Wisconsin. In this series, we will look at ways we can make meditation a healthy habit for ourselves. We will learn “Seven Point Posture,” Mindfulness, Clarity of Mind, and more.
If you are interested in learning mindfulness meditation, we will have a class in January focused on the practice of LovingKindness.
Be sure to join our Facebook Group so you can ask questions, share with others and receive support.
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