5 meditation tips on helping you start a daily practice

Humans are very habitual beings. Most days, every action we do is out of our habits, information stored in our subconscious minds and from things we have built in the past.

When we get stuck in our habits, it can be very hard to change our ways and form new ways of thinking. This is because our subconscious mind becomes very attached to our behavioural patterns. Up to 95% of our thinking stems from our subconscious minds, so they can have tremendous power over the way that we function in our lives.

One of the best ways to form a new habit is through meditation.

When you meditate, you calm your thoughts, become still and increase your cognitive functioning, so you have the easiest access into the depths of your mind, and therefore contact with your subconscious mind. This allows you to consciously focus on changing your habits, and strengthen your mind power. You can even use meditation to become your new habit!There are many tests showing that people who meditate find it easier to change their habits, and also find their moods uplifted and happiness increased. If you find yourself stuck in your ways, then meditation could be the key to your future success!

Here are some meditation tips on helping you start a daily practice:

Prioritise

Humans always get the things they find the most important, done. If you want to change your habits, then make your practice a priority. To make sure you don’t forget, set reminders on your phone, laptops, tablets or even stick notes around the house. Find a regular time that you know you can stick to, and make sure you actually meditate!

Set achievable goals

Don’t set your sites too high when you begin meditating. Start with a simple practice in a reasonable time frame. A regular daily practice of 10-15 minutes is much more powerful than committing to something you struggle with and can’t really fulfil. You’ll notice much better results when you develop a meditation that’s consistent.

Have an intention

Why is it that you’re starting this practice? When you have a clear goal as to why you’re doing something, you will be far more motivated to stick to what you’re doing. For instance, you can have for intention: “I intend to stop taking things personally.”, I intend to forgive others, and myself.”, “I intend to practice unconditional love.”… Be clear, set your goals, and use them as your motivation whenever you find yourself feeling stuck or lost throughout your journey.

Focus on the good stuff

Make notes and keep track of the things you’re experiencing throughout your meditation journey. Write down the changes you’ve been noticing in your life, and use them as a positive tool for keeping track of your progress and seeing how far you’ve come. You should be proud of your process!

Don’t be too hard on yourself

At the end of the day, you’re only human. If you end up missing a day or two, don’t beat yourself up. Nobody is perfect. Just pick yourself up, get yourself ready and keep going. Be gentle with yourself and be compassionate, all you can do is try your best and be present.

To put the above into practice:

-Decide when you will meditate each day and for how long

-Set a reminder for your daily meditation and add 15minutes extra to log your experiences in a journal post meditation

-Define your intention/goal to start this practice

-Convince a friend to start this journey meditation with you; pear pressure is always good

Try these tips and see how you feel after 30 days. Just do your best, sit yourself down and meditate!

I look forward to hearing about the new habits you’ve created and the old ones you’ve changed.