When it comes to spiritual practice and even magic, there is one technique and daily practice that you have to be willing to work with. Meditation.
But I get it. Meditation isn’t easy, and for some people, it can be downright frustrating.
One of my post popular posts on my blog is “50 Must Have Meditation Tips“. While all those tips are pretty great, I know there is a bigger issue that many of you have to deal with. How do you get started when you just see yourself as a terrible meditator? What do you do to get over that initial hump?
This weekend on Periscope is Global Meditation Scope, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to participate because I’m so busy with the launch of Cosmic Wisdom Academy. So I jumped on and did a short Periscope on Saturday sharing five of my big tips for people who think they suck as meditating.
Before I give you the tips, keep the goals of meditation in mind.
- to lower our stress
- to calm and center us
- to bring us into a place of mental clarity
- to help us simply be in the moment
- to become more open to the experiences we are having in our lives
1. Practice…Consistently!
I make this one first above all else because you have to go into meditation knowing that it’s going to take time, practice, and consistency. Meditation isn’t the kind of thing that you pick up, do once, and then can put down and come back to two months later expecting that it’s going to be amazing. You have to be willing to put in the time and energy to practice.
Consistency doesn’t always have to mean that you need to do 20 minutes of meditation at 9 am every day. It just means that you’re going to meditate every day. There may be days that you feel like one meditation session is like pulling teeth where other days you easily feel called to meditate three times. Just commit to making meditation a consistent part of your daily life. Knowing this from the start will help you set your expectations.
2. Find The Right Style For You
Not everyone meditates the same. There are many different styles of meditation out there, and the traditional meditation image of someone sitting in lotus position on the floor with their eyes closed isn’t the only way to meditate. There’s chanting, singing, dance, painting, humming, and walking. I knew someone that said playing Minesweeper was his form of meditation. I can relate because I get that same sense of being in meditation when I play Mahjong.
When you’re just getting started guided meditations are fantastic because they help give your “monkey mind” something to focus on {the voice of the guide in the recording} while your subconscious mind handles the spiritual side of things. Other helpful things you can try are using mala beads, gazing softly into a candle flame, or going back to something you did as a kid that had you meditating without realizing it; gazing out the window and watching the clouds.
3. Find An App
Yes, there is an app for that! In fact, there are tons of meditation apps out there now. Simply go to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and search for “meditation” and you’ll find lots of apps, both free and paid, that you can try out. The advantage of having an app on hand is that you are now out of excuses when it comes to getting in your meditation time.
There are a few apps that I particularly love:
Headspace: this is a free app with an option to purchase a subscription to unlock the full suite of meditation tracks. The initial set of meditations takes you through a ten day challenge to get you started with mindful meditation. After that, you can unlock the additional medications for an annual $80 subscription fee.
Omvana: inside this app you’ll find a few free meditation to get you started but then you’ll find tons of pay-per-track meditations in all kinds of styles and to cover every kind of issue you can imagine. I truly love this app because any time I want a guided or promoted meditation for something I know I can find something here.
A few other recommendations:
Meditation Experience from the Chopra Center {guided meditations}
Ubrain {binaural beats}
Drum Journey {for Shamanic journeying}
Stop, Breathe & Think {perfect for beginners}
4. Experiment With Candles, Incense, and Other Tools
There are lots of tools to aid in your meditation practice, so give them a try. Incense and oils have a big effect on our mind and emotions. When we inhale the scent of the burning herbs or the warmed oils, our olfactory system goes to work causing the molecules from the herbs to change our inner chemistry. Our limbic system becomes triggered by the scent which can then unlock memories and emotions as well as trigger the release of chemicals in the nervous system the can either calm or excite us.
Other tools like rattles, drums, bells, singing bowls, and mala beads can all help with giving your talking mind something to do so you can mentally detach and get into that calm, centered, present place.
5. Know Every Meditation Is As It Should Be
Meditation is not a practice of perfection; it’s a practice of presence. Every meditation experience you have is exactly the experience you were meant to have at that moment. One day it may be easy while the next day is a struggle. Simply learn what you can from each meditation and know every time you sit down to do one, it’s another chance to have another new experience.
Share This Wisdom…
[Tweet “Meditation is not a practice of perfection; it’s a practice of presence.”]
Meditation is a lifelong practice and a journey that never really have a destination. If you set off practicing meditation with a destination in mind you’re going to end up completely lost. When you head out knowing that it’s all about the journey itself, you’ll enjoy every step along the way, even the bumpy ones.
Are You Ready To Really Learn This Stuff?
If you’d like to learn some amazing meditation techniques, along with powerful magical and spiritual practices that can truly change your life, be sure to check out Cosmic Wisdom Academy. The Academy is my year long spiritual group coaching program and magical training course that will help you learn how to create your charmed life through magical and spiritual practice. This is the only way to work with me in 2016 so don’t miss out! Registration is until December 31st and space is limited!
Mahjong? Fuck, I’ve been meditating for years! 😉
HAHA! Right?!? When this friend of mine told me that this was his meditation and explained to me why it made total sense! That’s when I realized that I fall into that same state of presence when I play Mahjong. When you really think about it you can see it, for sure.