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MBG 10 Tips to Make it Easy to Meditate Every day
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Although the idea behind meditation is to kill stress and calm our minds, there aren’t very many of us who can sit still and do nothing, not even for a few minutes. In fact, Central India thought that making government workers practice meditation for 20 minutes per day would help their workers with stress, however, after a few weeks many workers complained that being forced into silence was more stressful than their jobs were!
Below are 10 tips and meditation suggestions that will help you get started on a meditation program. Give them a try and find out why so many people find meditation such a stress buster!
1. Accept that you don’t have to do meditation in a quiet, sacred place
So many people think they need to meditate like monks do, somewhere that’s sacred and quiet, like a garden spot with a statue of Buddha. You don’t! You can do it almost anywhere once you get the hang of it. Try your morning ride to work on the train (don’t do it while driving, please) or in your backyard, in your bedroom, anywhere you feel comfortable.
2. Try smile meditation
Find a comfortable corner or lie down in bed. Think about positive, happy times in your life. You might, for example, imagine turning pages in a family photo album, or imagine that the ceiling above your bedroom is peeling back, and you can see the stars and moon in the night time sky. Throw in a few shooting stars while you’re at it. If you are meditating in the morning, imagine the sun is pouring warm, melted gold all over your entire being, inside and out. Don’t be so concerned about the amount of time spent meditating, just meditate and enjoy it. Think happy thoughts and smile. Drop negative thought patterns.
3. Be flexible about when you practice
Although many people like to meditate first thing in the morning, or just before bedtime, you can meditate anytime you have a few minutes to spare. Try it during your lunch hour, for example, or soon after you come home from work, before dinner. There is no “right” time to meditate; whenever you do it, then that’s the right time!
4. Try walking meditation
Go to a location that you find beautiful and relaxing; the park, the beach, the desert, anyplace you find relaxing. Walk at a slow and gentle pace, this isn’t exercise so slow down. Keep your eyes open, please, but imagine your head, neck, arms, and your entire body become loose and fluid. Imagine yourself leaving your stress behind in your footprints or hanging your worries on the trees like clothes. Try to walk for at least 20 minutes. Don’t be surprised to find that you feel super happy and light at the end of your walk.
5. Grab it whenever you can
Yes, we know that it’s nearly impossible to get 20 or 30 minutes to yourself when you have small children around, but that’s ok. If you can’t get 20 minutes, take 5 minutes. If your kids are slightly older, perhaps 5 or 6, you might try teaching them the “meditation game” for 5 minutes at a time.
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