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| This is what I image prolonged meditation should feel like.. floating on a cloud… in a bathrobe.. |
In the last few days, it seems there have been little reminders to meditate everywhere I look…
Mindfulness Meditation Training Changes Your Brain
Meditation, Your Key to a Stress-Free Life
The #1 Health Habit You’re Not Doing … Yet
OK, Universe, I get it! Meditation can change your brain … It will help you calm down, manage stress, and focus–not to mention a whole slew of other positive benefits! So, why is it so hard to commit to just a few minutes of quiet reflection every day? I don’t know… It shouldn’t be so difficult, should it? I’d like to think I can do ANYTHING for five minutes.
This week, I’m starting a daily meditation routine–not because I feel guilty, but because I want to see if it’s really lives up to all the hype! (The last time I was able to meditate every day it was only for about 30 days, and I really enjoyed it.. but what if I could do it for 60?) I’ll start with just 5 minutes a day, and I hope to build from there. Every Monday, I’ll let you know what I’m focusing on and update you on my progress! Sound good?
Do you sit to meditate daily? Do you just sit in silence following your breath or follow a guide of some sort? Do you have a mantra? Do you use mala beads? What changes have you noticed in yourself after long stretches of daily meditation?
I love this!
I meditate every morning, as soon as I wake up, or at the end of my daily home practice. I have noticed a HUGE improvement in my disposition and my mood. More than anything, I just feel more grounded, stable and calm. It took me a while, but I've worked up to 15 minutes a day. Where I used to fear my daily meditation, I now look forward to it so much that sometimes I'll even sit twice! (I reached my personal best of 4 meditation sessions in one day when I was at Kripalu…)
My m.o. when I'm sitting is usually to pay attention to subtle body energy and kundalini. Usually I sit with a healing crystal in one hand and focus on a specific chakra. Eventually I get to a place of total quiet. I've done mantras and mala beads as well, but my crystals are really where it's at when it comes to my meditation.
Can't wait to read more about your meditation practice! Good luck!
<3
Jenny (alongfortheflow)
I meditate daily for 20-30 minutes. I start my sessions with Japa (mantra meditation with a mala) and do breath-centered meditation for balance of the time. When I first started my practice, I used a method called 'passage meditation and found that it really helped to calm my busy brain!
I credit daily meditation practice with helping ease symptoms of S.A.D. and keeping my moods more stable. It's helped me sleep easier. I also find that I have a better ability to focus (on books, yoga practice, conversations, whatever…).
P.S. Is it just me or does the woman in that photo have a freakishly long neck?
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I meditate occasionally but would love to commit to a daily practice.
Give us tips as you go, hopefully it will inspire me to meditate more regularly.
good luck 🙂
daily kriya meditation! http://www.kriya.org
I can't find the determination to meditate daily. I do enjoy those times I set aside for meditation. Sometimes for me when I feel I "have to do something" the joy fades, so I've learned not to set schedules and take it as it comes.
I have set a goal to meditate every day this year. So far so good! I'm trying to meditate for 5-10+ minutes after my daily yoga practice and if that doesn't happen I meditate before I go to bed. The pre-sleep meditation has been pretty amazing and really has been helping me sleep better, so I am going to try to meditate every night before bed. I meditate in silence and chant a mantra to myself either so hum or sa ta na ma – and a few others to mix it up. The breath is the most important part and I find if I do a few pranayama exercises before I get started it really sets me up for a great meditation session.
For anyone looking for a good book on how to meditation, I read Meditation and Its Practice by Swami Rama – great instructional guide for the basics of meditation.
Looking forward to your Mindful Monday messages. Good luck!!
I practice Isha Yoga & Meditation. It's had a huge impact on my life: I'm calmer, happier, healthier, more balanced. There's now a free online practice too! It's called Isha Kriya if you'd like to try.