Building a meditation practice may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Taking a daily pause can reduce your risk of chronic illness and improve your work-life balance. Meditating can also help you lose weight, improve your productivity, sleep habits and self-confidence. It’s a health practice that will provide you comfort in the worst of times – as opposed to a habit you let slide when times get tough.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a state where you are contemplating and reflecting, but yet with a very clear mind. Learning to meditate with a mantra is the perfect starting point to getting you to free your mind, and feeling happy and healthy. By repeating a mantra, you focus your brain activity on something outside of the typical mind-chatter. You learn to “zone-out” the interfering thoughts/stressors/interruptions while you reach a state of deeper and higher concentration. The key piece about meditation is that it requires practice, and proper instruction, to learn what the mind is doing and how to achieve those deeper states of consciousness.
Meditation has the potential of offering you life-altering daily experiences – that can either take you from surface thought to deeper thought. It can take you from deep thought to a space of peace, bliss and eventually enlightenment. Wherever you want to go, meditation will take you there – and this is a lifelong journey. To develop such a practice will take you through the birth of your child and the death of your spouse, and everything in between.
The Research On Mantra-Style Meditation
In the Episode on The 5 Myths About Meditation, I briefly touched upon the health and wellness benefits that mantra-style meditation provides. You may also want to listen to Satori Radio’s 5 Interested Facts About Meditation for more information. I’m a huge proponent of knowing the facts because it enhances your “why”, which I’ll talk about in a bit.
When you practice meditation regularly, you can develop a super mind (episode 17); one that is boosted with creativity, and productivity while being at rest and peace. Dr Norman Rosenthal, a well-known Psychiatrist and meditator, actually wrote an entire book about this concept. Check it out here on amazon. You may or may not experience or perceive these results right away…until you actually miss your meditation. But this pause actually rejuvenates the brain and the mind goes to work for you, instead of the feeling you get after a nap…sometimes you can feel sluggish.
Here’s How To Build A Meditation Practice In 4 Easy Steps:
1. Consider Your Meditation Goals
First things first, figure-out why you want to begin meditating. The “Why Factor” is key when you’re contemplating any new routine or practice. Considering your meditation goals will also help you build a meditation practice that’s sustainable. Otherwise you risk it feeling like a long and drawn-out process. You want to enjoy that special time in your day. This way you’ll make it a part of your daily self-care habits. When you consider why you’re doing something…the practice has the potential of lasting you a lifetime. This will become your go-to system forever.
Do you want to learn new things about yourself, or is this a new skill you want to obtain strictly for stress management?
Or…is your goal to establish a spiritual practice to go deeper within?
2. Question Your Motivations
To be honest, this is probably the most important part of developing a long-term meditation practice. Your “Why”!!!! Above understanding your goals, knowing what motivates you to actually learn this technique can help you improve your process. The important thing is to do what suits you best and to have fun with it. When you meditate regularly, it instantly creates better health and balance (it’s even proven!). That means that meditation is healing and can provide you with longevity.
Is health & longevity a motivating factor for you to learn this style of meditation?
Are you struggling with sleep and need to set yourself as a priority?
Here’s what motives Dave to meditate each morning:
I discovered a path to create times of calm, creativity and relaxation. Having never experienced any form of meditation, I approached it with uncertainty as to the results. I had a lot going on in my life as I prepared for a new career and it was hard for me to settle my brain and escape anxiety. This is where Lynn’s program came in! Through this course, I discovered a path to create times of calm, creativity and relaxation unlike anything I had experienced before. I meditate daily as part of my morning routine and it has become my “mind sanctuary” that brings insight and stillness which propels me into the day with confidence and invigoration!” D.B.
3. Create A Balanced Meditation Routine
The best way to create a balanced routine is to schedule it. You also want to avoid being rushed. Once you make that commitment to yourself and you have your meditation in your schedule, you need to live in integrity and follow-through with that routine. If you follow-through each day, with ease and persistence, you truly elevate your standards of living – based on values of health and balance.
With a balanced routine, the important thing is to go easy on yourself – but not let yourself off the hook. You don’t want to be rushed to get your meditation in. You want to feel balanced and whole. But again, by scheduling this as a part of your day, you know that you’ll be able to do this one activity at the best time in the day for you.
When you build a meditation practice that’s consistent, and balanced, it’ll feel good to do this each day. You’ll want to set it as a priority, just like making your coffee in the morning or running a hot bath at night. I tend to meditate each night around 6pm, when my daughter is winding down for bed. I know the house is calm and she won’t need me for anything. My morning meditation is less consistent but I’m flexible enough and fit it in when it’s best. You should do the same.
4. Work With A Meditation Coach
Now that you’re ready for action, head over to The Mantra Studio and check-out our next group. In order to begin, you’ll want to learn from a mentor with enough experience with meditation and with teaching. For me, meditation is not just the “flavour of the month”, a quick and easy strategy that I teach my clients. I’ve spent a lot of time refining my course and how I teach it to offer my students the best experience. I’m always grateful to be a part of people’s journey as a teacher. Having said that, you want to work with a meditation coach that’s experienced enough to take you through this journey. The mind is a powerful thing, but it also has the ability to be faulty.
I’ve been meditating for over 20 years. I’ve still not cracked the code to the almighty powers of enlightenment, but I know that when I take my last breath, I will have lived a deep and enriching life – as a direct result of my daily meditation practice (one that was build on the foundations of sustainability).
If you liked this post, share it, and go ahead and leave me a comment about what you’d like to get most out of a meditation practice.
If you’re a Workplace or Hospital and would like our digital meditation program, have a look at this page and send me an email at info@themantrastudio.net
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