Doing It Every Day: The Easy Way

Ok… This post is aimed to those who regularly beat themselves about the head with large wooden posts.

There is a persistent rumor being spread by some that meditation is a great state that you reach by sitting in an uncomfortable position for way longer than you feel like and you must make yourself do it every day.

Ok, yes my friends, that is ONE way to do it. One path… and it has its own results. There are also a bajillion(I counted them once) other paths in meditation.

Guess what? Chances are that you are already doing it. There is no perfect. There is no set amount of time that will do the trick. There is no award for a perfect routine. Yes, yes routines are good; furthermore, fitting meditation into one is spiffy, but for the love of all that is holy, take it easy on yourself.

… But if you really want to do it every day and not change one single thing about your daily routine then read on.

How to meditate each and every day. Pick something that you are doing that does not involve a screen or a book. Anything
Showering, working out, tinkering or fixing, washing the dishes, clipping your toenails, listening to music, staring at a tree, walking, breathing. Whatever.
(Here’s the trick you’ve scrolled this far to read.)

…. Pay attention to that thing as you do it.

That’s it. That’s all. Just pay attention to what you are doing. When you notice that your mind had gone amuck, just bring it back to paying attention. Just practice noticing without getting too involved thinking about what you are noticing. (This may be a mind-screw at first… That is normal.)  Just keep bringing your focus back.

That’s it. You did it. And in my book, you don’t get a prize for how long you could just watch. You get a prize for when you noticed that you strayed.

And now you can check it off of your mental to do list and take a nice deep breath of relief (and if you paid attention to the breath as it went in and/or out, you just meditated TWICE today) nice. Now you can skip tomorrow.

Here’s a good one. Trying paying attention as you drive. No phones, no talking, and definitely no planning or stewing. When your mind tries to think about what to get Aunt Mabel for her birthday or the ten things you have to do, just focus on driving and paying attention to the road and cars. You will be amazed to see how much driving time you spend not paying attention. (Disclaimer, I am not telling people to meditate and drive… just pay attention to the road and your driving.) This is a form of mindfulness.

So guess what. You not only have time to meditate, but you don’t have to change a single thing in your routine to accommodate it. And if you don’t do it “often enough”, good. Take it easy on yourself about it and you will notice that is not only easier to do more often, but that you will enjoy it more.

Just my three cents.

Love and Light,

Val

To learn more about what I do or to book a session, visit meditationcounselingbrevard.com for local classes, individual sessions in person or via phone/skype.

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