Making Time for Meditation

With the number of so-called “stressors” in our modern societies, it’s no surprise that one of the most common reasons people give for failing to make meditation a part of their daily routines is the reason we all experience at some point – the lack of time.

However, this mindset is short-sighted as the benefits of meditation are cumulative, with regular practitioners experiencing improved disease resistance and greater overall satisfaction with their lives. Some even express that it seems as if they have more time throughout the day, which could be due to improved organizational skills resulting from meditation. Moreover, with the sustained practice of meditation, you might find that dealing with these “stressors” is less of a struggle and that life seems more effortless…

But in order to experience all that meditation has to offer, it needs to become a part of your daily practice.  If you’ve struggled in the past to make meditation a daily routine, here are a few recommendations:

Eliminate unnecessary time-wasting activities

First of all, it is important to understand that one does not need to sit in meditation for long periods of time in order to receive its benefits. Even 15 minutes of focused, silent time can be enough to bring a deep sense of ease and awareness to the body and mind.

While many feel that their lifestyles and other obligations won’t allow for even these minor breaks, you’ll likely find – if you look closely enough – that you’re wasting hours at a time on activities that bring no real meaningful value to your life! Think about it – how many hours do you waste to pointless TV watching, internet browsing or absent-minded chatter?

If you knew that making time for daily meditations could reduce your blood pressure, diminish stress and improve your overall feelings of well-being, couldn’t you find it within yourself to give up a few minutes of DVR clean-up?  It is not that you should stop doing things that you enjoy, but it is important to ask yourself, “What’s more important to me – this TV show or my health?” and see if you don’t feel motivated to take time away for yourself through meditation.

Make meditation a priority

Of course, on the surface, trading time-wasting activities for daily meditations seems like an easy choice to make.  So why is it that we often fail to align our regular activities with what we recognize to be the truth?

In part, this discrepancy between our best intentions and the actions that we perform has to do with the priorities we set for ourselves. Too often, we go through life without a clear view of what we’re working towards and how our activities must be aligned in order to meet these goals.  As a result, our actions often fail to line up with the behaviors we know are in our own best interests.

To overcome this barrier to bringing regular meditation into your life, it’s vital that you make it a daily intention to prioritize your meditation practice within your life. If simply setting this intention in your mind isn’t enough, write down your reasons for engaging in meditation on a note card and place this card where you’ll see it every morning as a reminder. As you see the statement each day, read your intention aloud and recommit yourself to making time for a daily meditation. This may help you initially in reestablishing your commitment with your meditation practice.

Meditation in motion

Now, if you’ve already pared time-wasting activities down to a bare minimum and can’t seem to get motivated through intentions alone, remember that the practice of meditation can be done anywhere, at any time!  Though meditation starts as something that you sit down for, it can bloom into an active process in whatever you do. You don’t need a darkened room and a seated lotus position to meditate – you can be in motion and still reap the benefits of meditation.

One way to start this is to go for a walk outdoors and enjoy the beauty of nature all around you, while being aware of your breath, thoughts, movements and the space around you.  Certainly, distracting thoughts and worries about present or future concerns may creep into your mind as you’re walking.  But when they do, simply watch them as you would watch clouds passing in the sky and return your focus to your active body and the joy you take in your surroundings.  By doing so, you can experience many of the same benefits of traditional seated meditations, but with the added benefit of physical movement.

Of course, if walking isn’t your thing, be aware that the practice of meditation in motion can be carried out during nearly any physical activity – from yoga to gentle stretching to more vigorous exercises.  Remember that it’s more important to find what works for you when it comes to meditation, rather than blindly heeding the varied recommendations of others.  If meditating in motion is what it takes for you to commit to a daily practice, then embrace this possibility and reap the benefits that can be found in regular meditation!

One of the reasons why singers and dancers are so passionate about what they do is because – for a few moments, when they are completely involved in a song or a dance – they experience profound states of meditation.

This is because meditation is not an activity, but a homecoming – it’s something you get in touch with within yourself. And you can get in touch with this state through just about anything – from walking to running and from cooking to watching a sunset.  Everything can be meditation. Sadhguru, mystic and yogi says, “Meditation is not a certain act, it’s a quality. If you become this quality, the fragrance of meditation will live with you every moment of your life.”

Once you begin to practice meditation on a daily basis, you can meditate just about any time you want – and no one even needs to know that you’re meditating. They will, however, wonder if you’ve become superhuman, as your clarity and efficiency in all that you do will be multiplied a thousand fold.

Invest some time for meditation and the dividends will surprise you!