4 Tips for Staying Committed to Your Mindfulness Meditation Practice

By Charles A. Francis

These days there is much talk about mindfulness meditation. You often hear about how the practice will transform your life, and how you’ll achieve a multitude of health benefits.

While there are indeed many benefits of mindfulness meditation, for many people, these benefit seem elusive because they’re having trouble getting started and staying committed to their practice.

Which of these statements best describes your experience with meditation?

• “I’m having trouble getting started, and staying committed to my practice.”
• “I’ve tried different ways of meditating, but I still don’t see much progress.”
• “I’m not sure of what to do when I’m meditating.”
• “My mind is racing, and I have trouble sitting still.”

If you answered “yes” to any of these statements, then you’re not alone. I had all these problems when I started, and so have most of the people I’ve talked to. The good news is that there is a simple approach to overcoming these problems.

There are 3 main reasons why most people have trouble getting started with their mindfulness meditation practice:

• Lack of clear goals.
• Not using proper mindfulness meditation techniques.
• Lack of support from peers.

In this article, I’ll share with you some tips on how to get your mindfulness meditation practice off to a good start, and help you stay committed to a regular routine. They will ensure that you see immediate results, and help you stay committed to your practice.

Tip 1: Set goals for your mindfulness meditation practice.

Most successful people set goals for themselves. Whether they’re personal or career goals, they help them follow through with their commitments. In the case of your mindfulness meditation practice, set some modest goals for learning how to meditate and committing yourself to a routine, and write them down.

They don’t have to be elaborate or grandiose. In fact, simple goals will be much easier to accomplish. If your goals are too ambitious, then you’ll never stick to them. I suggest perhaps practicing for 20 minutes daily, for the next month.

It’s important to write them down, because the writing process will help solidify your commitment in your subconscious, which is exactly what you want. We’ll return to this shortly.

To make things easy for you, I’ve developed a meditation goal exercise, which will guide through the process. It even includes a sample goal statement you can use. Click here to download the exercise.

Tip 2: Begin practicing writing meditation.

If you’re not yet familiar with writing meditation, it’s an exercise we’ve developed that will transform the way you relate to other people. It will reprogram your subconscious to be more loving, understanding, compassionate, and forgiving without any conscious effort.

The best part about the writing meditation is that it takes just 10 minutes a day. What you do is simply copy the affirmations of the loving-kindness meditation in a notebook. That’s all.

Now, to increase the impact of the writing meditation, include your goals as part of the exercise. In other words, each time you do the writing meditation, begin by copying your goal statement, and then proceed with the loving-kindness affirmations. This will reinforce your goals in the most powerful way possible.

You can download a printable copy of the writing meditation here. It includes instructions and the loving-kindness meditation.

Tip 3: Begin practicing sitting meditation.

The basics of mindfulness meditation are simple. Our goal is to develop our skills of observation, concentration and mindfulness, so that we can see the world and our relationships with greater clarity. 

Don’t worry about trying to be perfect with these meditation techniques. Remember, you’re still learning, and you’ll certainly improve with practice. Also, don’t worry about minor lapses in your goals. If you miss a day, just continue practicing the next day.

Tip 4: Get involved in a mindfulness meditation group.

A mindfulness meditation group is vital to your continued spiritual growth. While meditating alone is an important element of our practice, so is meditating with others. The group will provide you with the support and spiritual nourishment you need to grow, and help you stay committed to your practice.

If there are no mindfulness meditation groups near you, consider starting one. It’s really easy, and immensely rewarding. I’ve prepared a group starter kit that provides you with a sample format, a preamble to help you stay focused, and some literature about the practice. You can download it here.

Bonus Tip: Try the mindfulness meditation practice for 1 week.

If you’re not yet convinced that this approach will transform your life, then try it for just one week. I guarantee you’ll see immediate results. Here’ your 1-week challenge:

• Write down your mindfulness meditation goals.
• Do the writing meditation, including your goal statement, for about 10-15 minutes daily.
• Practice sitting meditation for at least 20 minutes daily, using the concentration and mindfulness techniques described on our meditation techniques page.

The mindfulness meditation group may take a little more time to find, but I strongly recommend looking for one immediately.

If you follow these tips, you’ll soon see for yourself that mindfulness meditation can transform your life and relationships in many ways. You will also be more peaceful and serene. And you’ve probably already heard about the many health benefits such as lower stress, lower blood pressure, and overcoming depression. It’s even being used for weight loss.

The bottom line is that through mindfulness meditation you will become much happier and healthier.

Best wishes for a productive mindfulness meditation practice!

- See more at: http://www.mindfulnessmeditationinstitute.org/2012/12/4-tips-for-jump-starting-your-mindfulness-meditation-practice/#sthash.ZltseSnB.dpuf

Meditation - Which Type Is Right for You, part 7 of 7

Type 6: Contemplative Inquiry

This most sophisticated form of meditation is also the simplest. Conceptual meditation, or contemplative inquiry, focuses on one specific topic, only. Just one concept on which to meditate. Known as the “intellectual form of meditation”, the contemplation of one idea is an art practiced by scientists and inventors, as well as advanced meditators.

What is typical of this meditation is that the mind gravitates to a single thought that is simple in nature. Even focusing on your breath actually includes many levels and aspects - you may feel the physical experience of breathing, but also appreciate its enlightenment nature. Simplifying the mind is a main, and maybe most difficult goal, and it requires the appropriate amount of time. When you combine this with an open heart, you achieve the ultimate, as Robert Butera puts it: “… the person who has a sophisticated understanding of life on the one hand but who is able to remain simple, humble, and with warmth in their heart is the ultimate human being.”

And here is an example exercise, as a starting point to contemplative inquiry. See how it appeals to you, and if it does resonate, start researching, and practise consistently.

Exercise: Relaxation on Emptiness

Sit a lie in a relaxed position and unplug from technology for 5-10 minutes. Imagine all the thoughts, pressures, stresses, and distractions leaving your mind slowly and gradually. You feel a sense of peace in a state of emptiness. You may imagine an element of emptiness in your mind or a release in your heart. As soon as a thought enters, go back to the physical feeling of relaxation! Feel surrounded by emptiness, enveloped in emptiness, filled with nothingness. Breathe in space, exhale space. Allow thoughts to pass and notice the tranquility that exists between thoughts. Notice everything drifting away into pure being.

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success

www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

Source:

Butera, Robert, “Meditation for Your Life”

Meditation - Which Type is Right for You, part 6 of 7

Part 6

Mindfulness Meditation

While breathing, mantra, prayer, visualization and contemplative enquiry are types of concentration meditation, the practice of mindfulness is a combination of concentration and awareness. During this practice, we start by observing the breath and noticing its qualities – depth, duration, smoothness. Then we concentrate on the breath in a particular area, for example in the lower abdomen. This way we establish concentration. The next step is to shift into awareness. With our eyes closed, we notice and become aware of the room temperature, the noises, the draft, the ticking of the clock. But also become aware of thoughts and emotions.

In this practice, we start noticing and learn that everything has impermanent nature, and that all things are inter-connected. We learn to observe physical sensations and mental processes, and in this way we expand our awareness of interconnectivity. The purpose is to attend fully to the present moment without the usual filters we apply to everything, such as judgements, expectations or assumptions. With practice, we begin to gain clarity about our experience without our socially conditioned ways of being. We get an insight into the impermanent nature of reality. And what is more, we start seeing the constructed nature of ego. As we practice, our relationship with the ego personality shifts. Mindfulness aims at helping us discover what is inherently within.

Here is an example exercise, to see for yourself how you enjoy mindfulness.

Exercise: Focus on the Breath

Sit comfortably in a meditation posture – chair or on the floor. Set a timer for 15 minutes. You can close your eyes. Begin to notice the qualities of your breath – are your breaths deep or shallow, smooth or choppy? Is inhalation and exhalation long or short? After noticing these qualities, focus your attention on a particular area – on lower abdomen, or your nostrils, or the centre of your chest. Keep your attention focused there, and count your breaths. You may count up to ten, and then back down to zero. Repeat. If the mind wanders, gently return the attention to your breath.

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success

www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

Source:

Butera, Robert, “Meditation for Your Life”

Meditation - Choose the Type That Suits You, part 5

Meditation part 5

Prayer and devotion as mode of meditation

Prayer, as a mind quieting activity, is another type of meditation. Even though prayer is relational, it is more about listening than talking. The praying person is in a receptive mindset, waiting for the higher power, nature, deity to resonate. This is very key as you may deepen a feeling of appreciation of nature. When you say the words of gratitude you want to express, you can dwell on that thought until you get a response – a feeling from nature, a shift in consciousness, or a closeness to the divine.

You can also make a prayer of healing and hold the mind on that for a long period of time. You may ask for help from God, a higher power or nature, and then wait with appreciative patience. It is important to understand and heal the psychological dimension before you start the journey with prayer.

If praying to God or meditating on a statue or landscape gives you inner peace, keep doing it. The forms of devotion are so many. When you are able to find a relationship to the divine that is fulfilling, use these strong beliefs to dedicate all of your energy to a higher power.

Here is one example on how you can expand your devotional practices.

Exercise: Gazing at a spiritual object

Choose an object for devotion or meditation. Looking passively at a revered picture or a nature scene are both good for reaching a peaceful state. You may begin by gazing at a statue or the flame of a candle. Close your eyes and feel in your heart that your entire being is united with the object of your meditation. In profound devotion, the subject and object merge into one. If your mind wanders, you may open your eyes to come back to the meditation. Then, close your eyes to focus within again.

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success
www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

Source: Butera, Robert, “Meditation for Life”

Meditation - Choose the Type That Suits You, Part 4

Meditating using Affirmation and Visualisation

Visualisation depends not only on imagination and the mind’s eye, but, as all meditation, is linked to the intention for the meditation practice. It focuses directly on one’s beliefs system to create affirmations for the visual exercises.

Two of the most fundamental rules about affirmation and visualization are: the principle of growth and greater good/ benefit for all concerned, and the principle of non-attachment to the outcome. The conscious mind is aware of only a fraction of the potential and opportunities available to the unconscious. Focusing on a virtuous purpose will leave more doors open for your true self.

Affirmations are closely aligned with your values and beliefs. Once you understand what yours are, you can accept them. Only after you accept your values and beliefs, you can live up to them and achieve self-realisation.

What is important about formulating your affirmations, is that:

1.       They are stated in the positive (I am energetic and motivated, vs I’m not lazy)

2.       They are short and simple (so that you can remember them)

3.       They are stated in the present tense (My heart is filled with love)

4.       They are unique to you, so that you can truly believe and resonate with the state you want to achieve.

Here is an exercise for visualization:

In a comfortable seated position, close your eyes and begin to visualise how you see yourself. Paint the image, objectively and honestly. Notice areas that you want to improve in this painting.

Then, see if you can look at the picture and replace those areas of weakness with an uplifting framework. If, for example, you see a body that is out of shape, visualise that same body glowing with health and energy, and making healthy choices. If you see an uncertain person, change the picture and add a confident posture, and a smiley look.

And finally, always think of the bigger picture, and the deeper meaning of what you need:

“My spirit’s vitality fills my body.”

“I am a productive person.”

“Only good lies ahead of me.”

 “I appreciate my life as it is.”

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success
www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

Source: Butera, Robert, “Meditation for Life”

Your Daily Quote - Visualisation

In order to stay unattached and secular in your visualisations, use this powerful affirmation by Shakti Gawain:
"This, or something better, now manifests for me in totally satisfying and harmonious ways for the highest good of all concerned."
Elena Alexandrova

Your Daily Quote - Tranquility

Take twenty minutes a day to get solitude. Achieve a state of tranquility – it’s your birthright.

Elena Alexandrova

Meditation - Choose the Type that Suits You, Part 3

Using Mantra for meditation

Practising mantra is the repetition of a sacred word, or words. Sounds can actually create thought, and the sound of the mantra produces a vibration that has its own power. The repetition of a sacred word can not only enrich your meditation practice, but can be used in everyday situations to create a desired thought pattern.

A personal affirmation for healing can also be repeated. You repeat the word or phrase during your meditation, and soon actually start feeling the power of the word, as it is filling you with energy. A great book on this type of meditation is The Mantram Handbook, by Eknath Easwaran.

There are different traditions for choosing a mantra. Many mantras are derived from the sound “OM”. It comes from years and ages of experiences by sages. In stages of profound meditation, where the ego dissolves for a short time, the meditator can hear this sound. This is why its repetition can create connection to the larger universe.

Many mantra meditation practices have special rituals for receiving a personal mantra and do not recommend choosing your own mantra. Ultimately, however, mantra meditation works only when you deeply believe in the chosen word.

Here I will give you an example of an exercise, derived from yoga.

Focus on the Positive Negative

The purpose of this mantra is to transform a weakness into inner strength.

Think of a stressful situation in your life, and enquire within what causes the stress. For example, you may be annoyed by a colleague. But, when you chunk up, the true reason behind it might be that you are not happy with your job, and ultimately feel you have not reached your fullest potential.

Once you identify a deep, profound reason for the stress, the Yoga Sutras recommends focusing on the corresponding “positive attribute”. In this instance, this could be self-acceptance.

You can then use this positive concept as material not only for your meditation, but as a healing force for stress you experience in your everyday life.

Love yourself the way you are!

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success

Source: Butera, Robert, “Meditation for Life”

Your Daily Quote - Breath and Energy

Breath and energy are intertwined. .. When the breath comes deeply and smoothly, feeling of circulating energy can be felt as the systems of the body work more efficiently.
Robert Butera

Meditation - Choose the Type That Suits You - Part 2

1.       Breathing as meditation

The first type of meditation we will touch upon is breathing. What is fascinating about breath, other than the fact we cannot live without it for more than 4-5 minutes, is that respiration is the only system in the body that we control both consciously and unconsciously. This is why it is considered by some as the link between conscious and unconscious. Just think of the simplest example: when you are stressed or scared, your breathing becomes fast and shallow (unconsciously). But then, if you focus on the breathing, you can consciously slow it down, and feel the stress decreasing.

As natural as it is, breathing for meditation is not always the first choice of people both new or advanced in meditation.

All examples I will give as practice require you to sit comfortably, with a straight, erect spine. You do not have to keep your eyes closed, but it helps.

Here is an exercise that can give you an idea of how comfortable you feel practising that:

Unstructured Awareness on the Breath

Sit comfortably, let yourself breathe, and observe how your mind follows and reacts to your breath. Simply witness what occurs in your mind with a natural breath. Observe your thoughts and observe your feelings:

-          Does a familiar prayer come to mind;

-          Do you feel energy moving into and out of the body, with every breath

-          Do you visualise light or colours with every breath you take?

Notice how you feel after two minutes, after ten minutes or longer.

Another breathing exercise I love is the Smile Breath Meditation. You start sitting straight, and make a huge grin on your face. As you keep breathing naturally, the smile will fade into a gentle grin, but the cheeks and eyes remain in a position that radiate positive attitude.

The grin or half smile you reach in this practice can be established as your normal facial expression. Another benefit this exercise brings is that you can feel the smiling vitality and energy lightening up your face, and then flowing into your brain and nervous system. Breathing the “smiling energy” in allows your muscles, your bones, your every fibre get charged. Allow the “smiling body scan” to cover your mind and body, and become more open to receiving positive energy.

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success

Source: Butera, Robert:"Meditation for Your Life"

Meditation - Choose the Type that Suits You

“Saying that you have no time to meditate, is like saying you have no time to find your car keys, and walking 100 km.”

The journey of introducing meditation into your life starts with your reasons why, choosing which meditation type or types suit you best, and implementing consistent practice which is in harmony with your lifestyle – a lifestyle that complements the values, the peace and harmony that meditation ideology promotes.

Your needs, wants and vision of the world are very individual, and so will be your meditation practice and lifestyle. There is no one right, perfect method – if there was, most meditators would have discovered it by now. This is why you want to choose the style of meditation that you feel most comfortable with, one that offers maximum focus to your mind.

There are many types of meditation, but the main ones can be summarised into the following six:

1.       Breath

2.       Mantra

3.       Visualisation

4.       Mindfulness

5.       Prayer, devotion

6.       Contemplative enquiry.

Over the next few posts I will briefly describe every one of them.

Elena Alexandrova
Your Coach to Success

www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

I AM THAT, I AM - Powerful meditation by Dr Wayne Dyer

Join Wayne Dyer with this powerful meditation tool!

Represent whatever it is that you want to attract in your life...

Your Daily Quote - Meditation

Spiritual Life

Another major area from the Wheel of Life we discussed earlier is Spiritual Growth.

And what it actually means to you, is a very individual choice and path – do you read The Bible or The Quran, do you pray to a God, or thank Mother Nature; do you believe in the existence of spirit and providence? Whether you meditate, pray, go for a walk, practice tai-chi or follow the principles of feng-shui, we all look for ways to surround ourselves with positive energy, and connect to our higher self.

What is important is that you practice and reach for that connection consistently, and learn more about the principles, the mentors, the history and infinite possibilities of your chosen path.

In the next few days I will focus on meditation, as both a universal, and very individual, way to focus, and quieten down your mind. Because, as Buddah says:

“Meditate for 20 minutes a day, unless you are too busy, in which case meditate for one hour.”

Elena Alexandrova

Your Coach to Success

www.envisionlifedesign.com.au

What You Think You Become

Let us remember the quote from Earl Nightingale, "We become what we THINK about most of the time." This may seem outright ridiculous when we are hearing this for the first time; but the impact we have on the physical world with just our minds is very real.

This fact has been proved scientifically. Just look at the many eye-opening studies done in the 1980s by Dr. Masaru Emoto. These experiments actually demonstrate human beings shifting physical structures with their minds! These were not super humans, nor angels, nor magic tricks. These experiments were performed by regular, average people, and the results were incredible. Dr. Emoto scientifically proved that we all have physical powers beyond anything we've ever known. By the way, this power is NOT anything mystical or supernatural. This is the way we were created in the womb. We are all created to have the same potential and power as the richest (or poorest) person in the world. No one is better than anyone else, we were all created the same.

How can we practice this power for ourselves? There are a couple ways, however, do not expect to begin shifting your physical reality after one sitting. In our microwave, fast food, popcorn society, we lose sight of the importance of patience, practice, and relaxation. Enjoy your life. Understand that the first step to realizing our destiny in our own lives is acknowledging that we create our destiny. If you can wrap your mind around that, you have already placed yourself in the top 10% of the population. Many of our loved ones will never learn (or believe) this concept in their entire lifetime.

One of the best practices you can incorporate in your daily activities is a short 15-minute meditation. Do this everyday. Set a timer on your phone, and right before you go to bed, or just as you awake, or even during your lunch break, sit down in the quietest place you can find for just 15 minutes. What should you do during this 15 minutes? Close your eyes, and just breathe. Breathe ALL the way in, FILL your lungs with the oxygen your body has been craving. Breathe as though each air molecule is packed with ageless knowledge and healing vibrations. Then, breathe ALL the way out. Expel the toxicity that the body has been keeping trapped inside. Release the garbage that was being held for much too long, and make space for the new, delicious, vibrant powers that are making their way to you. OUT with the old, IN with the new. Practice this for just 15 minutes each day. Monitor your progress. You may notice a small (subtle) difference after Day 1, however by Day 7, you will begin to feel tremendous improvements.

What will the improvements be? This question is similar to asking how a flower smells, or what ice cream tastes like; the only way to really comprehend this is to try it for yourself, especially if you have never EVER done this before.

Why haven't most of us learned of the power of our mind? Maybe the same reason why 95% of the population is poor and middle income, while only 5% are considered rich or wealthy. This is a major secret that will never be talked about in schools, at work, nor on television. There are plenty of secrets that keep us in the dark each and everyday. Another secret is that the media subconsciously teaches the masses to use their brains in ways that will forever keep them stuck in the same place, struggling to make progress in life. Many people can work decades in a subordinate position they extremely dislike, but consider it absolutely normal; because this is what we are taught from a very young age by almost everyone we respect (especially through media programming).

Think about our loved ones that raised us from birth, how many of these people are actually living their dream life? Usually, we don't know anybody living their dream life. Even if we find one or two loved ones that claim they are living their dream, how many of them actually have the freedom (and energy) to do whatever they wish, whenever they wish, for however long they wish? This is true happiness, the main target that remains elusive to the public.

Nevertheless, since you have now read about this knowledge, you have the power. Start with the exercise outlined above, and begin to notice the very subtle changes in your landscape. If you continue to trust and acknowledge the power you have within, eventually you will begin to walk through this world effortlessly; like a genie. Your wish is truly YOUR command.

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