Meditation can be hard. But it doesn’t have to be.
Most people don’t even get started with it because they think there is a right way of meditating (there isn’t – anything can be meditation: walking, eating, talking, working out, having sex, playing the guitar).
I was one of these people. I heard about how great it was and all the amazing benefits successful people were getting from their meditation practice. I would even sit down and try it every now and then. But I would always stop because I had thoughts during my meditation such as:
- “Am I doing this right?”
- “Should I be thinking?”
- “This is hard!”
- “How do I stop thinking?”
- “What should I eat after this?”
- “Am I going to become enlightened like the Buddha?”
- “This is boring.”
- “I can’t believe I am doing this.”
- “Is someone watching me and laughing?”
Even if I completed the session I wasn’t consistent with it on a regular basis because I didn’t think I was doing it right and it wasn’t working. I would meditate once every few days or every now and then when I felt like it. Low and behold I was a wannabe meditator.
Then one day I decided I would keep it as simple as possible. After all Einstein said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
I made an agreement with myself that I would set a timer on my phone for 5 minutes, sit down, close my eyes and think whatever thoughts I wanted.
I could do it whenever I wanted to during the day but the goal was to do it once per day. However, if I missed a day it wasn’t a big deal either. I kept it as loose and flexible as possible so I could build the habit. From there I knew if I got consistent with it and started receiving benefits I couldn’t help but want to do more and stick with it.
And that’s what happened. I have been meditating virtually every day for the past 6+ years. Not because I forced myself to do it but because my body and mind have become accustomed to the benefits they gained from my meditation practice (the same as if you have developed the habit of working out and now can’t go more than a couple of days without exercise).
Some of them are:
- Relaxed focus
- Calmness
- Presence
- Clarity
- Energy
- Better decision making
- Happier state of being
Now after building my practice for over six years I’ve come to realize three simple keys that I like to use to make my meditations fun, simple and easy.
Here they are:
- Smile
- Focus on your breath
- Set a timer for five minutes or less.
You can think whatever thoughts come into your head and even do a terrible job – there is no standard here, set the bar as low as possible. If you just focus on doing these three things you will do great. And if you don’t you will still do great because these are just guidelines, not rules.
The reason they are helpful is because smiling will keep you playful and happy. Focusing on your breath will keep you in your body and out of your head. And setting a timer for five minutes or less will give you an intended goal and keep it short so you can get small wins to build on your success.
That’s it. Those are three simple guidelines I offer to you. You can use them or use some of them. They aren’t the answer to meditation. No guru has the answer. All gurus started off right where you are. The only thing that makes them a ‘guru’ is they stuck with it.
I hope this helps you in your meditation journey.
Please share with anyone you believe will find value from this.
Thank you for reading!
Also, please give me feedback on Twitter. What did you enjoy or take away from this? What do you suggest I improve upon? Let me know! Just send a tweet to @naeemmahmood.
Make it an epic day!
Naeem
