Some days meditation comes easy - and others days, not so much!
So we want to offer 26 suggestions to help with your practice and to keep in mind while meditating.
- Eating before meditating inhibits digestion and a full belly can be uncomfortable. It is best time to meditate is early morning on an empty stomach
- Create a fixed time that you meditate. Creating a routine around it will help you stay consistent as well as let others in your household know that it's your own personal quiet time.
- Stick to soft music and avoid heavy metal or complex melodies that can be distracting.
- When getting started meditating, practice only for short duration (try starting with 10-minutes and building up to 20-minutes).
- Change up the type of meditation you do. Try different styles, apps and instructors.
- Drink plenty of water before and after. Water is a conductor!
- Use various grounding techniques to keep you grounded before and especially after meditation. This will aid in integration (and help you "come back" from a deep mediation!
- Don't forget to breathe! Breath creates the connection to your Soul by opening up - and soothes your nervous system and has other physiological benefits.
- Create a sacred space for your meditation practice. Make it your own with lighting a special candle, incense and creating an altar.
- Focus on your position, posture, and mudra. Don’t sit in painful positions, you must be comfortable. Try sitting cross legged if you are flexible, or sit with your back against the wall if you want to keep a straight back. You can also be seated on a chair (soft or hard) with your feet firmly on the ground.
- Make time for yourself. Don’t berate yourself if you miss or forget to meditate, and don’t berate yourself if you cannot get into the meditation. This time is for you - be kind and present.
- Prepare yourself mentally for your practice. This is where a scared space, gentle music and a solid routine help - they get you into the meditative mindset.
- Wear comfortable clothing.
- Release frenetic energy to help you relax. This could show up as fear, anxiety, sadness. Try some ecstatic dance, tapping, chanting/mantras or just movement to release any pent up emotions.
- If you have time constraints use a timer or there is an App called Chakra Chime for I-phones there are similar ones for Androids.
- Don’t allow outside distractions to annoy you, they are part of life! A practicing yogi will be able to meditate anywhere and anytime. Consider them challenges (not annoying disturbances) if you can’t completely shut them out.
- Meditation while under the influence of alcohol, drugs is not in your best interest.
- Emotions WILL arise; do your best to not block them. They are coming up for a reason. When they do arise, examine them, have a conversation with them and promise to deal with it. This is a perfect opportunity for your emotion to get your attention – that’s its job!
- What you see and experience can include lights, colors, twinkling, dizziness and more while in meditation (often I see an eye looking at me, I have become familiar with it and acknowledge that is is the Eye of God watching over me). I find it comforting. Know that each meditation will be different.
- Falling asleep is common and my Guidance has suggested that we honor this and include it as meditation time.
- Meditation will take time to master. It does not look the same for everyone – this is a practice to get in touch with yourself not a contest, not a reason to be hard on yourself and certainly not something to compare – this is your natural way to get in touch with yourself, your soul, your guides, Spirit! This is not something for the ego this is the exact reason why we meditate to allow space for your soul and have the ego step back. You are communing with the divine and it is a spiritual experience.
- Stretching works (think Yoga!)
- Breathwork is important and amazing and can be an amazing meditation in itself.
- Try not to feel hurried. Perhaps aim for a different time if this feeling comes up and you can’t get on with it.
- Evaluating your progress is not necessary. We all move at our own pace and rhythm.
- Avoid self-judgement. Accept yourself and your mediation practice for what they are, and let all else go.
What are your best meditation tips? We'd love to know!