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| Shiva Meditation by Mara ~earth light~ |
You say you have no time to meditate? I call shenanigans.
That's right! I'm calling your bluff. You DO have time to meditate and you know it.
Or maybe you don't know. You just have to look at meditation and what it means to meditate from a different angle.
A lot of us come up with numerous excuses as to why we are not meditating. One of the top excuses is "I don't have time."
Now some of you are saying that is true! I don't have time!
That's nonsense. You do have time and quite a bit of it actually. Here are 4 ways to make more space for meditation even when you think you don't have the time.
1. Presence.
A big goal of meditation is to learn how to be in the present moment. We live in the past or in the future. We are never really here. Our sitting practice can help us with this issue, but we can also make a conscious effort to do something more mindfully.
A lot of monasteries have "working meditation" practicing mindfulness as they do their daily tasks. This can apply to your life as well. Fold your laundry with full awareness. When you sense yourself drifting away just bring your mind back to your present task. Cook with awareness. Be present with the pleasant aromas - and don't forget about mindful eating!
You may not realize it but that is meditation!
2. One minute meditation.
Taking full conscious breaths for even one minute out of the day can be so beneficial to your peace.
Tip: set an automatic reminder on your phone with just one word: Breath.
3. D.E.A.M. time.
My teacher at the temple I attend says his family has something called D.E.A.M. time. What is D.E.A.M. time?
Drop Everything And Meditate.
His entire family does this. They have an alarm set and when they hear it everyone stops and meditates for a certain amount of time.
Maybe your don't live in a house of meditators and that's fine. But set a D.E.A.M. time for yourself. Pick a time when you are most likely to be able to do this. And there is always time. You can stick it in between all those hours you give yourself to surf the web. ;) Schedule time during your lunch break, tea break, or before bed. And when you hear your alarm stop what you are doing and go meditate for a few minutes.
Sometimes all it takes is a little more discipline on our end to get what we need in to our lives.
4. Cut your meditation time in half.
I like to sit ideally an hour a day. However since I am so busy, sometimes I can only do 30 minutes, or 10 minutes. Whatever your ideal sit time is, cut that in half. Any time sitting is precious and a job well done.
Tip: If you haven't sat in a while, try sitting for 10 minutes and increase the duration by another 10 minutes every week. Baby steps. You don't have to go so hard all the time :]
There is always time for meditation. And if you are one that always sits to meditate but the mindfulness leaves as soon as you chant your last OM, try a few of these other ideas to experience peace and presence more frequently through out your day.
You can bring the meditation in to your daily life which is how it should be! The only time you come back to center shouldn't just be when you're cross-legged on the floor. Don't miss the core reasons for why meditation is important.
How do you fit meditation into your busy schedule? What other tips do you have for making time to meditate?
Have a great weekend everyone and remember to B R E A T H E!
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