Daily Meditation Routines

For thousands of years, people have turned to meditation to find peace, calm, and clarity in the chaos of life. From the ancient Vedic traditions meditation has been used to quiet the mind and connect with inner wisdom [1]. In our modern, hectic world, creating a daily meditation routine is more important than ever for reducing stress and improving health.

What is Meditation?

Meditation is about focusing your attention and finding calm amid the endless flow of thoughts that clutter the mind. Meditation can have profound effects on your mental, physical, and emotional state [2]. Some important concepts of daily meditation are:

• Finding a quiet, comfortable place away from distractions.
• Choosing a seated, standing, or walking position.
• Focusing your attention on the breath, a mantra, visualization, or object.
• Letting your thoughts come and go with no judgment.
• Developing a present-moment awareness.

After examining over 200 studies on mindfulness in healthy individuals, researchers have discovered that mindfulness-based therapy is especially successful in lowering levels of stress, anxiety, and depression [3].

Morning Daily Meditation Steps

Do you want to begin your days with a relaxed mind and not be stressed about the day? Then you need to start meditation in the morning. Once you learn to meditate early in the day, you will start to notice a change in your state of mind. The steps are quite simple:

• Find a peaceful spot and settle into a comfortable seated position.
• Bring your attention to your natural breathing – observe each inhalation and exhalation.
• When your mind wanders, gently return your focus to the breath.

You just need to take 10-15 minutes to relax and center yourself [2]. If this feels too long at first, even 5 minutes can make a difference. The secret is to do this every day.

Mindful Workday Check-In

Meditation is a practice that you can do anywhere. You can meditate while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, taking a bus, walking, or even during a business meeting [4]. We live in a state of constant urgency most of the time. It’s important to build daily meditation breaks into your workday. Every 1-2 hours, stop and take 2-3 minutes to bring awareness to your body and breath. You can set a reminder or alarm to help you. These mini-meditation sessions during work can help you release any built-up stress, tension, or negativity.

Evening Routine: Surrender to Stillness

In the evening, after work and responsibilities, take time to fully relax through a longer meditation session. Spend 20-30 minutes in a quiet space free of devices and distractions. Get comfortable – many prefer lying down for this practice to fully release the day’s tensions. If you need help, you can use a guided meditation app or audio recording to bring your attention inward [2]. Otherwise, you can –

• Follow your natural breath
• Use a mantra or visualization
• Do a body scan by noting how you feel in each part of your body.

The goal is to completely give yourself over to silence and allow your thoughts to flow through you without attachment or judgment. If you do this every day, you might notice that you sleep better and wake up feeling fresh.

Start Simple and Stay Consistent

So, don’t overthink it anymore. Don’t wonder why meditation is hard for you. All you need to do is start and experiment with different daily meditation methods. Once you’ve found the method that works best for you, start spending a little time meditating every day. You can start, small with just five minutes and then gradually increase the time. Meditation may be thousands of years old but it is more useful than ever in this modern world. You can greatly improve your physical and mental health by meditating for just ten to fifteen minutes every day.

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