Have you ever thought about starting a meditation practice, or perhaps wondered how you might find a place for it in your day? If so, this blog post is for you. I’m going to be sharing simple tips you can use to help incorporate meditation into your routine with ease, so that you may live a more balanced and mindful life.
Here are 5 effortless ways that it can be added into your day.
PAUSE FOR 30 SECONDS
If the thought of starting a meditation practice or incorporating it into your daily routine is daunting, start small. Take 30 seconds to pause, no matter where you are or what situation you find yourself in throughout the day. This is especially important if you ever start to feel anxious or overwhelmed. Reground yourself with a few deep breaths. If you feel comfortable doing so, close your eyes and place one hand over your heart and the other on your low belly. By checking in with yourself, and focusing on your inhales and exhales, you can come back to a place of presence and awareness through balancing the nervous system and self-regulating.
BEFORE YOU SLEEP
It might sound like an odd time to meditate because you’re just about to sleep, right? However, this can be one of the most beneficial times to meditate. It helps to slow down the brain and bring you into a better sleep state. This works best when done about 30 minutes before you sleep. Turn your phone on airplane mode and enjoy listening to calm music or binaural beats, or you could try a guided meditation that takes you on more of a journey to unwind and rest.
IN THE MORNING
The sun is rising, the world is about to start moving and it presents you with an opportunity to be with yourself in a peaceful and mindful way before the day begins. The mornings are my personal preference for meditation as this is when I have the most control over my time and I also enjoy the quiet, still atmosphere. Meditating in the morning can help set a calm and thoughtful frame of mind going into your day. If mornings or evenings aren’t convenient for you, I’d recommend choosing a specific time you have free every day — your lunch break, for instance. You might switch it up sometimes, but having meditation regularly built into your daily schedule helps a lot.
SURROUNDED BY NATURE
There‘s something about nature that is so grounding and brings you more in-tune with yourself. If you’re someone who enjoys going for walks, try a guided walking meditation. It allows you to become more present and centered as you pay attention to the sounds, the touch and the scents of nature — whether it be by the ocean, in your backyard or in the mountains. When you’re in nature, embrace the change of scenery it offers as you are simply being in the flow of it all and notice how the elements truly exist in harmony with each other.
AFTER A WORKOUT
If you find it hard to be still for more than a minute, this one will definitely benefit you. Meditation can work wonders when done after a workout or any physical activity. Once your body has been moving, you will physically be more open to resting and experiencing a meditation. You can simply sit / lay, close your eyes and focus on your breath, enjoy breathing with calm music or listen to a guided meditation.
I hope these tips help you establish a more consistent routine with your meditation practice. You will find that meditation means different things to different people, so be open to embodying and reimagining this aware and present state in a way that works best for you.