Wondering how to start meditating daily? The key is dedication.
Introduction.
Today’s ‘hustle’ culture often sidelines peace and inner happiness. To feel happy again, you should explore holistic practices like meditation. Many people do but are not sure how to start meditating daily.
You’ll be happy to know that meditating daily is quite simple. The key to making anything a part of your daily routine requires dedication. This is also true for meditating. You only need to get started and the rest will follow.
But what is meditation exactly? And how can you create a regular practice? Read on the find out.
What is meditation?
Expand your awareness with meditation.
Meditation is a beautiful practice designed to raise your awareness or consciousness. It’s a way to align your mind, body, and spirit. It is a way to live a better and fulfilled life. It’s a way to remember who and why you truly are.
Meditation is not only for certain spiritual beliefs. Regardless of your spirituality, meditation can balance your mind and body. There are other benefits of meditating.
Six fantastic benefits of meditation.
Even though I recommend it, you do not have to meditate every day to experience its benefits. And what are some benefits of meditating?
- Meditating results in improved focus.
- It is great for training the mind to be proactive.
- A consistent meditation practice keeps you alert to changes in your surroundings.
- It enhances empathy and your feelings of being one with the universe.
- It helps fight diseases by boosting your immune system.
- It improves your heart rate, metabolism, respiration, and more.
Read on to learn how to start meditating and create a daily practice.
10 Tips on how to start a daily meditation practice.
Keep a daily meditation practice journal.
Meditation is a skill you can develop by following these tips. These tips to help your start meditating daily are excellent for beginners and pros. They’ll support you to create your own style of meditation and experience the benefits.
1. Begin your day with meditation.
One of the best ways to get started is by practicing meditation first thing in the morning. There’s no ideal time to meditate. Anytime you meditate is better than not meditating. However, starting the day with a calm mind boosts your mood and focus.
2. Start small to build a daily habit.
It is easier to stick to a routine when you start small. You can begin by inserting a minute of meditation into your daily tasks. Once you get used to it, you can build up to 30 minutes. Make sure you are comfortable even if you’re doing short sessions.
3. Get comfortable: Sit still, sit tall, lie down, and more.
A good posture while meditating makes your sessions feel refreshing rather than tiring. One good example is the lotus position. In this position, you sit cross-legged. You then place each of your feet on the thigh of the opposite leg.
If you cannot adopt this position, sit or lie down. You can also use a soft cushion as a comfortable seat.
Here are some other options to consider:
- Sit on a chair with your feet dangling but still.
- Stretch your legs while sitting on the floor.
- Sit straight without any support for your back.
- Stand up periodically if sitting in a chair.
The possibilities for comfort are endless. You can also lie down in bed if you intend to fall asleep.
4. Focus on your present moment.
When meditating, note when your mind has wandered off. Return your focus by grounding yourself in your present. Use your senses to ground yourself.
You can use your sight, hearing, smell, taste, or touch to return to your surroundings.
5. Tune into your body and breathing.
How you breathe says a lot about how you are feeling. Pay attention to your breath. When you do, you’ll be practicing meditation at the same time. Plus, it’s an amazing way to calm yourself down.
There are many breathing techniques you can use for calming down. The ones below are excellent for the beginner meditator. Repeat each for as long as you can.
- Focus on your breath while doing any activity.
- Come back to the breath as you inhale and exhale.
- Take a deep breath before you exhale slowly.
- Feel energy flow from the crown of your head to other parts of your body each time you take a breath
The trick is to follow your breath as it travels within your body. Maintaining a soft gaze on a specific spot helps, too. You could also hold your breath for a couple of seconds before you let it go. Feel free and be creative. It is completely up to you!
6. Add mindfulness meditation to your routine.
Mindfulness practice helps with being proactive. Begin by noticing every time you react immediately to your own thoughts or other people’s actions. Learn to choose how you act. You can even learn to let go by accepting situations without being judgmental (negatively or positively).
7. Keep a daily meditation practice journal.
Add one minute or more of journaling to your daily routine. Write down your thoughts before you meditate. And after the session, write again to see how they’ve changed.
It’s easier to track your progress by journaling. It helps answer questions about what works for you. Include information about which style you tried. And how the style helped you.
8. Take time off your smartphone.
When it comes to phone time, less is more. Scrolling on your smartphone lowers your energy levels. It’s better to focus your energy on your health and well-being.
Begin noticing things that matter like proper breathing techniques. Focusing on your breath is great for developing a more meditative state of mind.
9. Make meditation sessions a walk outdoors.
You don’t have to stay in one place to meditate. In fact, meditation can be a walk in the park. Being surrounded by nature has many of its own benefits.
You can listen to a guided meditation while walking. You can also try walking meditation. For example, use your senses to connect with the leaves. Hold and feel tree trunks. Feel the wind on your body. Listen to animals or birds. Learn to experience other natural elements around you.
10. Mark your meditation routine with a habit tracker.
Use a habit-tracking app to record your practices. Reward yourself when you reach milestones. For example, if you meditate 4 times a week.
The habit will become a part of your routine once you track it. Also, it is also an excellent way of being mindful.
Read this article for seven additional expert tips on how to improve your meditation.
Five challenges you’ll face when you start a meditation routine.
Think of meditation as a state of being. One that you work to constantly be in, regardless of what you’re doing.
When you start meditating, you’ll run into some challenges. You can mindfully overcome the challenges by thinking of meditation as more than a tool.
Think of meditation as a state of being. One that you work to constantly be in, regardless of what you’re doing.
Some meditation challenges include:
- Not being able to meditate every day or at the same time every day.
- Getting distracted by your emotions and thoughts.
- Feeling too tired or depressed to meditate.
- Not feeling that you have a good enough reason to meditate.
- Not being comfortable with strange sensations when meditating.
Use meditation apps for guided meditations to form your daily habit.
With guided meditations, you follow visuals or audio cues from a teacher. Guided meditations help you learn to meditate as a beginner. Plus, you can find many free options online today.
Great meditation apps like InsightTimer offer valuable information for beginners. Many users experience immediate benefits after a short while.
So you know, you will need to learn to be comfortable following directions to experience immediate benefits from guided meditations.
Spend time in a meditation space as part of your routine.
One good way to develop a daily practice is to have your very own meditation space at home. Creating such a space with the intention that it supports your practice is enough.
Spending a few minutes in the space can make you calmer. This is true, even if you aren’t meditating in the space. Your body and mind will learn to naturally calm down when you are in the space.
Start small to eventually meditate daily; practice makes perfect.
Be consistent with your practice.
There is no wrong way to meditate. Building a new habit of meditation is about being consistent. The practice involves more than how much you are doing it daily.
Believe it or not, even 10 minutes every day is enough. Don’t meditate simply to cross it off your to-do list. Commit to meditating by following the tips in this guide! Focus on what gives you the best results. Quality is better than quantity.
To get you started, I’ll share some simple practices you can try below.
Get comfortable with different types or practices.
Trying different types of practices helps you find which is best for you. You can access many straight from your smartphone. Below are three different forms of meditation to know.
1. Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation involves sitting in a comfortable position, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breath. Once you have focused on your breath, you will begin to notice other thoughts and sensations that arise. You should not try to control or suppress these thoughts and sensations, but simply observe them without judgment.
2. Transcendental meditation
Transcendental meditation is a form of meditation where you transcend your thoughts and achieve a higher state of consciousness. This state of consciousness is said to be beyond the limits of the mind. It transports your body into a state of pure bliss. Transcendental meditation is said to be an effective way to reduce stress. It has been shown to have numerous health benefits.
3. Breath Awareness meditation
Breath awareness meditation is a form of mindfulness meditation that involves focusing your attention on your breath and noticing the sensations of breathing. This can be done with your eyes open or closed. The goal is to simply observe your breath without trying to control it.
Breath awareness meditation can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings, and can also help you learn to control your reactions to them.
Recap: 10 tips to make meditation a daily habit.
So there you have it! Whatever meditation type you choose, remember that consistency is key. Be patient and don’t give up.
When meditating, you can sit on a meditation cushion with your feet on the floor. Or use any other approach. Don’t forget to observe and notice whenever your mind has wandered away.
Meditating is a skill you develop. Since there’s no right or wrong way to meditate, you’ll only become better with practice. Plus, regular practice will help you reap more benefits than an inconsistent one. Eventually, you will make meditation a habit and feel your mind, body, and spirit aligned more than ever! You may even remember who and why you truly are!
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