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One of the questions I get asked is how to create and sustain a consistent meditation practice. It’s a good question to ask, because it can be a challenge to make time to meditate, especially when you’re working a full time job, have kids, and other responsibilities that can eat up your time. And maybe you have none of those things. Maybe your challenge is simply around the act of meditating and you struggle to make any progress with meditating. Regardless of what the reason is, it doesn’t have to be hard to develop a consistent meditation practice.
The first thing that needs to be realized is that there’s no idealized state of being that says your meditating. A lot of people get caught up in the idea that they have to empty their minds in order to successfully meditate. While a state of no-mind is one example of a state of meditation, you can also be meditating in other states of mind. For example, I regularly do Taoist meditation, which among other things includes the dissolving of internal tensions and blockages. Sometimes thoughts and emotions come up during that process and then I’m working through them in meditation. That is still a viable state of meditation.
If you want to develop a consistent practice to meditation let go of the idea that you need to achieve a specific state of mind. Focus instead on being present with the state of mind you are in, when meditating. It may be frustrating to realize you’re having some thoughts as you learn how to meditate and work through whatever comes up, you’ll get more experience and achieve deeper states of mind.
It’s also helpful to sometimes use an external aide to meditate. You might listen to specific sounds or instructions that are recorded to help you meditate. And you can mix it up and sometimes meditate without anything. You’ll learn what helps you achieve deeper states of meditation, but you’ll also learn how to adapt yourself to different situations. I’ve learned to meditate without any aides, but I still sometimes listen to record meditation topics because its a good way to explore a given topic.
When you have other responsibilities in your life it can be hard to make time to meditate. I recommend trying to pick a time of day when you know you won’t be disturbed such as in the morning when you first wake up, or right before bed time. Make that your dedicated time for you to meditate and take care of yourself. If you can’t do that, get creative. For example, when I used public transportation to commute to work, I’d meditate during the commute.
Another approach you can take is to try and make the meditation part of your family practice. See if your partner and kids are open to meditating with you and then dedicate a specific time to the meditation that all of you can follow through on.
The other suggestion I have is to recognize the benefit. For me, the benefit of meditating each day is that I always feel better, more clear headed and focused after I meditate. On the very rare occasions I miss meditation, I can feel the difference in my mind and in how I experience the day. When you meditate, pay attention to the benefits and compare how you feel and experience the world on day when you meditate versus on a day when you don’t. That will provide you further incentive to meditate.
