How to add meditation to your busy schedule
How to meditate everyday
So, if you want to embark this amazing explorative journey into guided meditation here you can find some amazing tips to get started in a gentle and proper way.
Create your own zen area is a great starting point!
Use candle, incenses, some cushions and choose a peaceful place where you can easily unplug from you everyday life. Create a safe zen area where you can be yourself, with no masks, you and your true self.
First of all, the first thing you need to do is sit comfortably, but you have to find a position where your back is straight or it's not good. If you can stay comfortable you can sit on the ground, maybe you can help with a meditation cushion, otherwise even a chair is fine, but remember that the back must be upright, it is very important. Initially it will take you some time to find the perfect location for you. An excellent exercise to find your equilibrium point is to move the weight slightly forward, then backwards, then to the right and finally to the left. Do it for a few times, until you find what is called "your center"
Once the back is stabilized, it is time to stabilize the neck. Repeat the same previous exercise by bending the neck forward, backwards, to the right and finally to the left. Also try to push the neck slightly upwards. Remember that the correct position is fundamental for meditative practice.
The mouth should instead be closed, but not tightened and the tongue should be placed gently on the palate.
Now it's time to close your eyes. These must be closed gently and not tightened, same as the mouth. Also try to look inward. This statement is not always understood and it takes a bit of practice to understand what it really means. But do not worry, you'll learn it over time.
At this point focus on the breath. Let it be soft. Do not force it, just watch it. I am sure that after a few minutes you will understand that, even if it seems a trivial thing, it is not at all. When the mind starts to digress, just watch your thoughts as if you were an observer and try to bring your attention back to your breathing.
It is at this point that your meditative journey begins..
It is often thought that meditating is something complex, which takes a long time, which can only be done in some very silent or particularly spiritual places, a path that can only be undertaken with the presence and under the guidance of an expert teacher. Being accompanied by those who have more experience can certainly help in the experience of meditation, teach the techniques best suited to various types of people, encourage them to take the right time to take the right steps ... but we assure you that the foundations of meditation are not that complicated and can be followed by anyone, at any time of day, even every day.
Being persistent and committed
The commitments of everyday life, the fear of not being able to make it, the laziness (especially on cold winter days) can be our enemies, leading us to believe that we do not have enough physical and mental time to learn to meditate.
But if instead I told you that it takes only 5 minutes a day, would you still tell me that you do not have time to meditate?
Yes, we can learn to get used to a meditative attitude, to be more aware of what we do, to bring our attention to the here and now, only and exclusively to what we are doing at a specific moment.
And then follow these simple steps:
take only 2-3 minutes;
choose a time of day (in the morning, before starting the day, but also when you feel particularly stressed);
sit in a comfortable position (cross-legged, on a cushion, with your back against a wall, on a chair or a bench);
close your eyes;
bring your breathing to your attention, to the air that comes out and enters your nostrils
with each inhalation follow the flow of the air that runs through the nose, go down into the throat and get into your lungs, filling them with fresh air;
at each exhalation, feel the air coming out of the body and expanding around you, in all directions
Follow these simple steps and whenever your mind wanders to other thoughts, bring them back to the flow of air to the present moment.
Do it for 5 minutes, every day and .... you will have meditated!
And if you do not even have those 5 minutes of quiet (... but are you really sure about it?!?) you can still learn to bring your attention to the here and now, what you are doing, while walking, while walking the broom on the ground or wash dishes while you drink a cup of tea.
Meditation is awareness of the present moment, it is bringing your mind to focus on what you are doing and only on that.
