How to make meditation a daily habit

We all juggle multiple roles in a day that our personal and professional lives demand of us. This leaves us feeling tired, exhausted, and burned out.

In such a situation, it becomes very tough to motivate ourselves to get up and meditate.

Are you also someone who is struggling to find the time to meditate?

If yes, then here are some tips to help you. These tips are designed to initiate some gentle shifts in your life so you can make meditation a regular part of your routine smoothly and easily.

1. Managing time:

You’re super busy and taking out time every day to meditate is just not practical. The reality is that the deep rest that you get in meditation enables you to be much more dynamic and effective in your activities. This enhanced energy and mental clarity ensure that you perform your activities more efficiently in the same amount of time. Also, because of the deep rest and the sense of wellbeing that you get, you may find that instead of avoiding it, you will look forward to doing your practice every day!

Protip 1: Make smaller commitments: You may have heard that you need to spend a lot of time meditating to get the benefits, e.g. sitting for an hour. The good news is that just 20 minutes of meditation (ideally twice a day) is all you need to go deep inside and have that refreshing dip into stillness.

You can save this guided meditation from Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Protip 2: If you can somehow manage to do your meditation practice two times a day, the effects you feel will be more profound.

Protip 3: Remember, you are not being selfish in isolating yourself from your family during your meditation time. In fact, by taking time out for yourself and meditating you will have so much more energy and joy to give your family.

2. Sneak it in your day:

Traditionally meditation is done at the same time and in the same place daily. However, this may sound too good to be true for many of us. Fret not, the good news is that there are plenty of ways to sneak meditation into your day.

Find small windows of opportunity in your day. For example, commuting in the cab or bus or train, you can slip in and out of meditation as time permits. Even if you fall short of 20 minutes, it is okay.

You can do the same during those extra 15-20 mins of lunch break. However, it is advisable that you meditate before lunch, else you will fall asleep!

3. Group meditations:

The people around us have a tremendous impact on us. Group meditations are all about this principle. The vibrations from the collective meditation of everyone will leave you feeling refreshed and re-energized. Group meditations are very powerful and they will inspire you to be consistent in your daily practice. You will also enjoy the company of other meditators.

Involve your friends and family too. Create your sangha (group) with them. You will find your relationships improving with more love and joy around.

Learn more about meditation

Meditation is a skill, just like any other skill - cooking, driving, singing, painting, etc. And just like them, you get better at it with practice.

However, it is easier said than done. Many a time, we fall short on motivation and procrastination takes over. In such times, nothing can be more inspiring than to take a dip into knowledge. It instantly refreshes our mind and brings us back to our raison d’etre on why we started doing meditation in the first place.

Here are some pearls of wisdom by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

4. Choose a technique that’s right for you:

Many meditation techniques are popular. Find out which technique is right for you. And then, stick with it. We recommend the Sahaj Samadhi meditation practice.

5. Prepare for your session:

It’s worthwhile to spend a few minutes calming the chattering mind before beginning your meditation. A few yoga stretches and some pranayama, such as bhastrika and nadi shodhana pranayama will work wonders. However, if you don’t have time to prepare, just chant om three times and begin your practice.

6. Keep going:

Don’t be discouraged if you get interrupted or you sometimes have to shorten your meditation. Make a conscious decision to turn off your internal phone before starting. That means you’re not interested in receiving any incoming“calls” from any of your senses – you don’t want to hear or see anything. You’re not going to activate your to-do list and you are dropping whatever you want, including wanting a “good” meditation. Feel that for the time that you’ll be meditating you are not going to do anything. You’re simply going to rest.