How to incorporate meditation into your daily life.
What's Inside?
One of the most common things that I hear from my clients when I ask whether or not they meditate is that they don’t have the time or that their mind cannot possibly settle because of all of the things they have to do. They sit there and think about their never-ending to-do list and give up on meditation all together thinking that it’s something that isn’t for them since it seems too difficult.
Incorporate Meditation Into Your Daily Life – Bite-Sized Moments
The thing with meditation that I’ve said before many times and I’ll say again is that you do not have to be a monk on a mountaintop seeking enlightenment. There is no need for the proverbial Bodhi tree. With a bit of intention and consistency, you can add bite-sized meditation moments into your day.
Incorporate Meditation Into Your Daily Life – In The Morning
I have recently started using mantra meditations where the same sound or word is repeated many times, usually with soothing music in the background. I particularly like I Am Thine by Jai Jagdeesh (which is available on Spotify). It was suggested in a book I read by Gabrielle Bernstein and I thought hey, why not try it? The beautiful thing is that it fits perfectly into the time it takes me to drive to and from work. I will put it on in my car before I leave my garage and I finish by the time I park in the parking lot at work. Yes, I am driving, so no my eyes are not closed! Ha!
I chant along with the meditation as I’m driving and I’ve actually noticed a really big difference not only in how the course of my day flows by starting it this way but also in my ability to manifest things in my life. My business has never been busier and I’ve been wondering to myself what it is that I have done to bring about this change. Yes, I’ve been working and doing a lot of readings, but I have also started focusing my intention in the morning using these mantras.
Incorporate Meditation Into Your Daily Life – In The Evening
I’ve also started doing mantras as part of my evening meditation. One that I love is Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Se So Hum. Ideally you want to chant the mantra in one exhalation, but it takes me a few minutes to really calm my breath and get into it. I use the one by Snatam Kaur (also available on Spotify). It takes about 15 minutes and is a good end to my day. Sometimes I cap it off with 20 minutes of silent meditation, sometimes I don’t. Depends on how I’m feeling that particular day.
Okay Amanda, you’re talking about like 35 minutes a day of meditation. I don’t have that kind of time. I’m busy. I have kids, I have a job, I have a spouse and I can’t even go to the bathroom by myself because I never get any privacy!
Incorporate Meditation Into Your Daily Life – Mindful Breaths
Here’s where I want to introduce the concept of mindful breaths. Remember, no monks, no mountaintops… this is meditation on a time budget. Set a silent alarm on your fitness tracker or on your phone for three times throughout the day. This is your mindfulness moment.
When that timer goes, you stop what you are doing and you take a deep breath. Fill your lungs with life force energy and feel your belly expand. If you can, put your hands on your belly so you can feel the expansion and feel that life force filling you up. Focus on that breath and bring yourself into this moment for the inhale. Count as you inhale to four. Now, also on a count of four, slowly release that breath.
Your eyes can be open or closed, it’s up to you. If they’re open, look around the room and make a silent list in your mind of your observations (I see the sliding glass door, I see the flowers in my hanging basket outside the window, I feel the breeze on my face, I feel my heart beating, I feel my shoulders coming down, I feel my body relaxing). Repeat this two more times and you have completed three mindful breaths and you should feel refreshed and recharged.
These are just simple ways to bring more mindfulness into the everyday and incorporate meditation into your daily life. Let me know how they work for you.
Until next time keep your thoughts positive and your vibration high!
– Amanda (A Happy Medium)
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