5 steps to creating a meditation practice!
I was talking to a group of women a while back about meditation. They all said they knew about meditation! Great start I thought!
Then as I dug deeper, the excuses started to appear. Even greater I thought as now the energy is shifting. When we start to tell the truth it always does!
Meditation is no doubt as old as mankind and while I cannot date that exactly, let’s just says it is a very long time.
The deeper I got talking to these women the more I realised they wanted to meditate, they wanted to allow themselves to experience the benefits that meditation brings but something(s) just got in the way.
The most popular excuses for why meditation gets missed:
- Time
- Not sure I am doing it right
- Unsure if it is actually making a difference, the emperor with no clothes on syndrome, don’t want to say I don’t get it in case I am ridiculed and laughed at!
Meditation is a wonderful thing. For me it is:
- The greatest act of self-love
- A healing tool
- An empowering experience
- And so much more…
Quite frankly talking or knowing about something is not the same as experiencing it and / or aligning with it.
Moving from knowing to being in meditation
Let’s start at the beginning. It doesn’t matter if you love meditating or, used to or are just trying to find a compelling reason to join the meditation revolution that has been simmering in the heart and soul of mankind for eons, meditation requires that you meditate!
Getting daily meditation practice is going to pay great dividend to your whole life. Health to wealth benefits when you are empowered and meditation is empowering.
If you see yourself as having a conscious leaning, the defining energy is deliberate. It is more than a label, it is about the actions you take because you are awakening to your magnificence that count. Meditation is a way to harness that desire for increased consciousness and spiritual power, so time to stop thinking about it, don’t you think?
Here are my 5 steps to developing a meditation practice:
1. Set the intention to meditate! Sounds obvious but it is crucial and often missed. However if you make this just a ‘mental’ intention, something you think about and then forget… then you are staying in the energy of the lower mind. Lower isn’t anything bad, it is just the place of over cautious monitoring and hesitation and resistance. It is where excuses are abundant! Your lower mind needs the full picture so it can be geared up to give you the green light and become a meditation ally. The best approach is to write down your BIG WHY in your journal. This helps bring your intention to light and to your heart!
2. Discipline! Now this is a funny word that causes emotional reaction and brings up fear that discipline is somehow the opposite of flow. However discipline is about commitment. Discipline is a good word and I say be a disciple of your true self; which is the all singing and dancing version. Ask yourself what will it take for YOU to be committed to meditation? For example, do you need to wake up earlier in the morning, if so how much earlier? Note however: This doesn’t mean you say well I don’t have room for a special meditation corner and sanctuary so I must wait. Meditation is an inner journey so your external environment is not relevant but of course privacy and some quiet is helpful!
3. Don’t do the all or nothing approach! From have a wishy washy relationship to no prior practice of meditation; it isn’t sensible to think I will sit for 30 minutes daily. Start with a few minutes of meditation instead. Set yourself up for success rather than confusion and avoidance!
4. Get professional! Now I don’t mean go and become a meditation expert or teacher but why not go to a meditation group, virtual or local? Why not purchase some meditations so you don’t use your meditation time sitting quietly creating mental to-do-lists?
5. Treat every day as your opportunity to meditate. If it has been a few days, weeks or more then make today the day you get back on the metaphoric meditation bike. Start back at point one and don’t forget to meditate.
Over to you, do you have a question about meditation, or has this article inspired you to take up meditation, why not share in comments below.
For more information on meditation, tips, tools and resources click here.
Sarupa Shah
About the author
Sarupa Shah is an award winning intuitive business coach and the owner and founder of The Soul Agency. The Soul Agency works with women entrepreneurs and leaders across the globe who want to put soul and spirit back into their life and the world. Her passion and power is to show women how to heal their relationship with money, discover their life purpose and get on with living the dream. Sarupa’s is a published author of the no.1 best seller – The Art of Affirmations and Heart Centered Entrepreneur (both available on Kindle via Amazon)
To learn more www.sarupashah.com or www.thesoulagentblog.com.
