- Create friendship with your mind.
The monkey mind syndrome (when you try to concentrate but your mind jumps nonstop from one place to another) is incredibly common and you realize as soon as you start to meditate. What may surprise you is the way to overcome it fung shui.
Instead of trying to control the thinking mind, stand on your side and embrace it. When you are practicing, do it knowing that your thoughts are not going to stop. Meditate with kind intention towards all those thoughts, especially the negative ones. Try not to avoid them or get stuck in them: just watch them and bring your attention back to the breath. The more you practice this, the easier it will be for you and the sooner you will discover that the key to silencing the mind lies in being completely indifferent to all your thoughts.
- You do not have to become a statue of wax.
Sitting with your back relatively upright is enough. And notice that erect does not mean stiff. Occasionally, the effort to lift the spine leads us to stretch that area of the body and it is the opposite, to be aware of the possible rigidities and lengthen up the spine but in a soft, relaxed, with its natural curvatures. If you have to cough, sneeze, spit or clear your throat you do not have to have convulsions trying to avoid it. Instead, allow you to occupy yourself and pay attention to those little distractions in a natural way. That way you can move on comfortably.
- Practice with your palms facing up instead of putting your fingers together.
The big question is what to do with your hands. We see in the images people sitting with their fingers together. Well, instead of joining your index finger and your thumb, simply try to leave your hands resting in your lap, palms up. This gesture is enough to be alert without having to constantly remember that your fingers have to be touching.
- Sit in a comfortable position.
There are a lot of meditation stools and cushions in the market. Choose the most comfortable option for you. Before investing in a stool, simply try to stack a few cushions and build a routine. But if sitting on the floor is heavy, give yourself permission to sit on a chair or even on a sofa. No rule says that meditation is only effective if it is practiced on the ground. We return to point 2 to recommend an alert position because you will not sleep; you will be present, conscious. Firm and still as a mountain but with enough comfort, without forcing positions that could even cause you some injury.
- DO NOT USE ALARM!!!
You are probably wondering why this point is written in capital letters, thinking that it is unnecessarily alarming. That’s the idea, that getting out of meditation with an alarm is unnecessary. As your mind settles in the last half of the meditation, as soon as the alarm goes off, your heart will pop out of your mouth. And that will not make you feel good. Obviously, you need to put some time to your session. What we recommend is that you look for a soft sound that warns you but does not disturb you. Many times they ask us why we do not use bells in intimindand the reason is this. In the case of our method, since the practices are guided, there is no need for a bell. The voice that leads you in meditation, also warns you of the end, in the same tone and without disruption.
- Keep a record
The more often you practice, the closer you will be to meditation becoming a habit. As a psychological trick, you can put an “x” in the calendar after fulfilling your daily commitment. That will motivate you to keep going, especially on the days when the last thing you want to do is sit down and meditate. Keep your goals small and achievable. Start with the goal of meditating every day for at least 10 minutes for seven days in a row. As soon as you achieve your goal, meditation time increases from there.
- Better quantity than quality
No, it’s not a typo. When it comes to meditating, the saying “better quality than quantity” does not apply. It is rather the opposite. You should practice completely disregarding the quality of your meditations, and instead, fight for the amount. In other words, be as consistent as possible. Meditate daily, without fail, whenever you can. You will discover that the quality of your internal experiences only improves depending on the amount or number of times you feel.