Daily Practice

The Meditation Newsletter

Daily practice can be difficult to maintain. I hope this article can help. I like the part about establishing a "sacred space," because my experience tells me this works. As usual, Robert Morgen has written a clear and useful piece.

Establishing a Daily Practice

It’s important to establish a daily practice and then stick to it. This doesn’t mean dedicating 12 hours a day to meditation, it just means creating a space in your home where you can take a few minutes and meditate and do the exercises. I advise people to start with some of the basic exercises and devote 10 -20 minutes a day as they develop their physical and mental abilities. Many people quite simply overload themselves and expect too much too soon, then get discouraged when they don’t see the results they thought they should see.

Getting Started

Set aside a corner in one of your rooms. You can stock it with whatever accoutrement you wish. Many folks have cushions, candles, incense and a small CD player for music or guided meditation CD’s. Use whatever tools and accessories you want to, as there’s no right or wrong at this point.

Once you’ve created your ‘sacred space’ then all you have to do is use it. Set aside a few minutes each day and begin working on your breathing and Full Body Awareness. Don’t worry at this point about how long you meditate, just get into the habit of doing it. The effects of meditation are cumulative, so 5 minutes a day everyday is better than 20 minutes once a week.

Eventually you’ll get to the point where you don’t need any accessories and you can clear your mind and meditate anywhere, at any time, but for now don’t worry about that, just create a pleasant, sacred atmosphere and get started.

On ‘Expectation’

In the spiritual circles we often hear people talking about doing things ‘without expectation’. It’s amazing how often the simple truths are all around us.

When we begin meditation or working towards the kundalini, we often feel that we should be able to do certain things within a certain time frame. We expect to be able to clear our minds and access our deeper abilities. We expect to be able to sit for an hour and meditate, or to see auras, or feel other people’s chi. Then when it doesn’t happen we become disappointed and confused. I can’t tell you how important it is to break free of these expectations.

When we let go of expectations and learn to just relax in the moment and just BE, then we are making progress of the most important kind.In the west we tend to be so goal oriented and have a need to see results, but frequently the cumulative effects of meditation aren’t noticeable until much later. Meditation is about this moment, about BEing totally in this moment, rather than about who you’ll be when you’ve become a good meditator.

The important thing with a regular practice is to just do it. The effects are cumulative and one day you’ll look back and see that all those short meditation sessions actually added up.

About the Author

Robert Morgen is a Reiki Master who currently holds a Black Belt in Hoshin Roshi Ryu and founded High Mountain Hoshin in Denver, Co. He's also the founder and moderator of the Kundalini Awakening Discussion Group at http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Kundalini

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Steve