At one point I was curious about meditation. Then I became interested. Over the past number of years it has become something I practice on and off quite often and something I always recommend to others. Meditation has helped me time and time again. If you are interested in making meditation a part of your life or need some tips on ways that might help your process, here are 5 things that continue to help me.

Add It To Your Morning Routine

I have practiced meditation at different parts of the day (usually morning or night though) depending on my schedule/availability that day, my mood, etc. One thing that has worked best for me recently is to wake up early and make it the first part of my morning routine. If you don’t normally have a morning routine or are always rushing in the morning, try waking up 10-15 minutes earlier so you have at least about 10 minutes to meditate. Starting my day with a little bit of mediation sets the tone for my morning and day. It calms me in the morning and starts everything off on a positive note. 

Recently, what I’ve been doing:

• Wake up 15 minutes to 25 minutes earlier than I usually do
• Take Harley downstairs to go outside/I brush my teeth and wash my face
• Fill up a glass of water and find a comfy spot to sit
• Meditate for 8 – 10 minutes (aiming to do 15 mins)
• After mediation, finish my water while writing my gratitude list
• Continue on with the rest of my morning routine

Apps To Help You Meditate

Sometimes guided meditation is a great idea when you need help staying focused or are new to meditation and need help getting started. I personally still like using a mediation app because it just makes it so much easier – just listen and focus through it. Many people use guided meditation apps where someone is speaking and others use apps that play soothing sounds; sounds of nature, calming music, etc.

The app that I’ve used for years is Headspace. It’s amazing and offers so many different meditations for life’s different situations. You can select how long you listen for, select meditations for whatever it is you’re looking to achieve, or whatever mood you’re in. The voice of the Headspace app is Andy Puddicombe’s and it’s the perfect voice to take you into meditation.

Uninterrupted, Quiet Time

*My boyfriend’s tip* It’s important to have uninterrupted time for meditation in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed or distracted. This will help you focus and you’ll see more results from your meditation.

I meditate when I’m the only one awake in the morning and the doggies are outside playing or laying and resting. This helps me because there’s nothing I have to compete with to keep my focus.

Affirmations/Visualize

Part of my meditation routine is to end it with a few affirmations & visualization. For those that don’t know, an affirmation is just speaking something as though it’s already happened or you’ve already achieved it. Visualization is just visualizing what you want to achieve and supporting it with the emotions you’d feel achieving it. I say a few affirmations that I want to have happen in my life and speak them in present tense as though I’ve already achieved them. While doing this, I support it with the emotion and belief that it is real and right now. 

Let’s say you want to achieve buying a house on the beach! You can say something like “I am so grateful for getting my dream house on the beach! I love the feeling of sand between my toes when I walk outside and the scent of the fresh ocean in the air!” Feel the feelings you’d feel if you actually had this now; happiness, gratitude, excitement. And visualize yourself in that actual position, doing those things, feeling those feelings. 

Consistency 

I’ve learned (at least for me) it’s so important to be consistent. Meaning, if you meditate 1 day and then wait for a week or two to meditate again, you most likely won’t see or feel much result. For me, I have literally seen the results, been able to view things in life differently, and been happier in general when I meditate for at least a few consecutive days and regularly. There was a time where I meditated every day! (When I was in Mumbai) And I definitely saw the effects of it in my life.

Now, I will try to meditate at least a few times a week. The more I meditate the more I see results; like having different positive perspectives about things that got me down, opportunities becoming available to me that I didn’t have before, more creative and productive ideas, and just happier and more content overall.

I hope these help 🙂 These are some things that I do and that have worked for me. Some people may not be into this kinda thing but I remember when I wasn’t either – and now it’s something I love! ❤

 xo