Though I’ve been meditating for over 15 years; I wasn’t committed to a daily meditation practice this entire time. I have definitely made my share of mistakes along the way. I was so caught up in the hectic pace of my life that I would forget to sit; I struggled with my mind; argued with myself; and thought at times that I must be doing the practice wrong, because I didn’t seem to be getting anything out of it.
Where were the visions? Why wasn’t I seeing colors or lights? Where was the ecstasy & bliss I was supposed to be experiencing?
These issues are the things most beginners will often struggle with. And one of the worst things we can do is talk with others about their meditation experiences & then compare them to our own. Meditation is a very personal journey, because it is an inner journey. And so, your meditations may be very different than you friends.
We shouldn’t be going into it with any expectations. And we shouldn’t practice the technique yearning for experiences. If we do these experiences can become obstacles & barriers to deep meditation. Meditation isn’t about getting anywhere, it’s simple about learning to be. And in this article, I hope to give you some advice, from my own personal experience that will help you establish a strong daily meditation practice. Because the only way to reap the benefits of meditation is by working at the practice daily.
Meditation is not a hard thing to do. In fact, the techniques are actually very simple. But, it does take dedication and persistence. We must be determined to sit, even when our body & mind tell us not to. For, the only way to be a good meditator is to do the necessary work. And if you make the practice part of your daily routine, then I can tell you from first-hand experience, that your lives will be transformed.
Top 5 Tips for Establishing A Long-Term Meditation Practice:
1. Have a regular place within your home or apartment for your meditation sessions.
One of the best things you can do is create a “Meditation Space”. If you can designate an entire room to your meditations — wonderful. But, if you just pick a chair, or put a cushion in an area of a room, that is great too. The key, is if you have a regular spot to meditate in everyday, then this space becomes a constant reminder to you of your practice.
Sometimes our lives are very busy; and so it’s easy to forget to sit for meditation. And if we just meditate whenever we want, wherever we want, then the mind doesn’t associate any particular place with meditation. But, if a particular chair or a certain area of your home, now becomes your meditation space, then whenever you pass by this place it’s going to remind you to meditate. You’ll walk by the cushion & your mind will say “you didn’t meditate today.” Therefore, having a “meditation space” will make it much easier to maintain consistency & increase the chances that you will sit for a daily practice.
2. Meditate at the same time each day.
When you are just starting your practice you may want to test and see what times you feel better meditating. Try to meditate in the morning when you first arise; and then try in the evening before bed. Then whatever time feels best, meditate at that same time everyday. Think of this time as a meeting with you boss or an appointment with a doctor that can’t be missed. You might want to add it to your schedule or set a reminder/alert on your phone notifying you of your “meditation meeting”.
It just takes a few weeks for something to become a habit; and if you can get over that hurdle the main obstacle will be over come. Like having a ‘meditation space’, having a meditation time will be a constant reminder to do your practice. And what you’ll discover is that after some time you will want to sit more & more. So if you were just sitting every morning you will soon naturally expand your practice to morning & evening; or morning & afternoon; etc…. and before you know it your daily practice has been established.
3. Start Slow!
Ideally, you’ll want to work your way up to twice a day for 20-30 minutes. However, meditation is not a marathon. So, you don’t need to force yourself, or rush into it too that ideal time, too fast. In fact, most people don’t like feeling forced or that they have to do something that they feel is uncomfortable. And for a beginning meditator, trying to sit in silence for a certain period of time can feel very uncomfortable. Very often beginners may get very restless and their ego may even try to fight their intention to sit. So, feeling like you must force yourself to sit for 20-30 minutes, especially in the beginning, will most likely have a negative effect on building a long-term practice.
So start at your own pace. Remember, consistency is more important than quantity. What I mean by that is: 5-10 minutes everyday is better than 40 minutes today & 40 minutes next week. There is nothing wrong with baby-steps. They will still get you to the destination.
Therefore, starting slow; and getting your body & mind accustomed to sitting with yourself can be a very important step. And again, what will naturally happen is that your 5 minutes meditation will on its own grow to 10 minutes, then 15 minutes & before you know it you’re sitting for 30 minutes with no problem.
4. Remember Not To Look For Overnight Results.
In this age of “instant gratification” we want everything now! So, we have overnight shipping, instant messaging, immediate access to all types of information through the internet, etc… Well I am sorry to say that there are NO SHORTCUTS IN MEDITATION. That’s way it is called “a practice” – you must work at it.
After a few weeks a practice you might not think anything is happening, but changes are DEFINITELY occurring within you.
In fact, I point you to the work of Harvard Neuroscientist, Sara Lazar, who through MRI studies of meditator’s brains has shown that after just 8WKS (2 months) of approximately 30 minutes of practice – the brain starts to physically change in profound ways.
Links to some of Dr. Lazars’s research & info on how the brain changes & what areas are affected by meditation:
- http://www.feelguide.com/2014/11/19/harvard-unveils-mri-study-proving-meditation-literally-rebuilds-the-brains-gray-matter-in-8-weeks/
- https://anthonyprofeta.com/harvard-neuroscientist-sara-lazar-meditation-reduces-stress-changes-5-regions-of-the-brain/
Therefore, don’t think, or worry, about any results. Just keep pressing on; and soon you will find yourself sitting daily and your life completely transformed.
Also, be aware that although you might not see a change in yourself right away, don’t be surprised if other people notice & start to say something. I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to tell them what you are doing or not! 🙂
5. Stay Persistent & Dedicated
Many people talk about starting a practice like, meditation, yoga, exercise. etc…, but so few actually take the step to get started. And if they do, they are good for a week or two, & then sadly it fizzles out. The Buddha, once said:
“There are only 2 mistakes you can make along the road; not going all the way, and not starting.”
And in Zen Buddhism there is a saying:
“That the only obstacle to the path…is the path.”
What the second saying means is that our path is meditation & the only obstacle we have to overcome is not wanting to meditate. We just have to start & then commit to what we have begun. If we cultivate persistence & stay dedicated, eventually, our meditation session will become as habitual as brushing our teeth & taking a shower.
And although I listed it at #5, cultivating a committed state of mind is perhaps the most important ingredient to building a long-term practice. You can read all the books you want about meditation, you can go hear lectures from the greatest meditation teachers, but until you actually get started & do the work you won’t acquire any of the benefits. And the benefits can only come after we have created a daily routine.
So, there you have it 5 simple tips you can do to help create a long-term meditation practice. The easiest thing is to make excuses on why we are too busy; how we have so much to do that there isn’t enough time in the day to meditate; etc… But, please don’t make excuses (we can all find 5-10 extra minutes) & don’t allow what others tell you about meditation being difficult to cause you not to take that first step. Just do your best.
If you do miss a day or two – no shame in that. Don’t judge yourself — just get back on the path — and above all — DON’T GIVE UP!
With time your sessions will become part of your daily routine & if you follow the tips in this article it will be much sooner than later.
Good luck with your practice. And may your days always be filled with love, happiness, & peace,
Anthony
