Living in Awareness – Day 7
Create a good environment for meditating. Even though a nice environment is not required to meditate, it will help, especially when you are starting out. Choose a time to meditate when you are less likely to be disturbed. Create a space that is quiet; you may have to silence your phone, etc. Burning incense or candles can add to your relaxation if you enjoy them. Soft music can also support your meditation. Just create, to the extent that you can, a peaceful, relaxing, enjoyable environment for your meditation.
You may want to set a timer, especially if you are going to lie down. The meditation may create such a relaxing environment, that you may fall asleep. Set an amount of time for your meditation. Thirty minutes or an hour is good, but if that seems like too much when you are starting out, just begin with 10 or 15 minute meditations. Set a timer to let you know when the specified time has passed. You won’t need to do this for long, but it can be helpful when you’re starting a new meditation practice.
Don’t think of meditation as a chore. This is not the same as going to the gym to keep your body healthy. Think of this as a treat you give yourself, a treat that just happens to be very, very beneficial. It can be your “time out” during the day, the few special moments when you don’t have to think about the bills that need paying, the work that needs to be done, or anything else. It is your time to be still and relaxed. Don’t think you have the time to do that? Try it and you’ll see that when you meditate regularly, the days begin to flow more easily and you can accomplish everything you want to accomplish and still have this time for yourself. I remember reading once that everyone should meditate at least 20 minutes a day, and if they think they do not have time for it, then they should meditate for an hour. I know this sound contradictory, but the message behind this simply states: the mind is attempting to tell you that you do not have time, and because of that, and your participation with that, that is the time you need meditation the most.
