Tips for establishing a meditation practice

Establish a space. Before you do another session, create space for it, even if it takes an hour. Instead of just sitting in a messy corner you carve out in a rush, on some old pillows you threw together, create a real space in your home for your practice. Get a real cushion, and set up a little shrine which is personal to you. It could be just a picture of somebody who inspires you and a candle. That simple. But we need a space that reminds us of our practice every day.

Eliminate distractions. When you have family, roommates or co-workers around, distractions can be a problem. Be pro-active to prevent them. Ask the people around you for the undisturbed time that you need. Additionally, silence your phones or hang a “do not disturb” sign on the door. No matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to silence the world. Unexpected and unwanted things will happen in life. A neighbor will decide to mow the lawn or an impatient driver may blare a car horn. You can’t control everything in the external world, but you can control your internal world.  Develop an attitude of accepting the situation for what it is. Meditation can be a good practice ground for maintaining equanimity, focus and acceptance when things don’t go the way you planned. If disturbances occur, have a sense of allowing them to be there and then simply bring your attention back to your meditation.

Decide on a practice and stay with it.  There are many forms of meditation out there and we will be learning a few of them in this course.  Plan to do just one practice form in any one meditation session.  You might be tempted to change course if it isn’t going as well as you would like, but staying with the practice you decided on at the beginning will help to focus the mind and eliminate doubt and indecision.

Pick a regular time.  It’s tough to start a new habit. Picking a time to sit, and then sitting no matter what is the number one way to kick start your practice. Commit to this one thing and you’re halfway there. Many people like to sit first thing in the morning. It’s still quiet, your mind hasn’t started on the million things you have to do today and it’s a great way to set up the rest of your day. But if that doesn’t work for you, it’s fine to pick any time. Just make sure you stick to it.

Seat of the pants to the seat of the cushion.  Sometimes you may not feel like it. Sometimes you might think it will be a waste of time because you’re so tired or stressed. Sometimes you may have such a strong aversion to sitting it literally hurts to sit down.  Sit anyway.  The goal isn’t to have an amazing meditation session. The goal is to sit down. If you do that, your session is a success.  It doesn’t matter what state of mind you’re in and whether or not you feel like it. Just sit down at your allotted time. I guarantee you’ll feel better at the end of your session than you did at the start.

Keep it short.  You don’t need to meditate for hours a day to get the benefits. Meditating for just 15 or 20 minutes a day will have a profound effect on your life. And keeping it short means you’re more likely to actually do it.

Meditate with others.  Try and get a friend involved too if you can.  You don’t have to meditate together but simply having someone who’s also looking to establish a meditation routine can help spur you on and strengthen your commitment. You can also find a setting where you can sit with others: A Buddhist center or other sitting groups.

Take the Long View. There’s a reason we call this a practice. Think about the kind of relationship to our mind we want to cultivate several years from now, not 10 minutes from now. Expect resistance, expect obstacles, forgive yourself, and then show up to practice again. If you fall off the wagon, get back on it.

Know your reasons why.  If you want your new meditation practice to stick, take stock of the reasons you’re doing it. What values will this practice touch on for you— Health? Spirituality? Peace of Mind? Living life more fully and making your experiences richer? Stay connected with your ‘why’.