I’ve already discussed how meditation should be easy. So now I’m going to make it even easier for you by walking you through a simple meditation and how it can typically pan out for an average Jo. Of course, everyone is different, but the purpose of this post is to bring some awareness to those of you who struggle with the concept of meditation or are still stuck on the concept that you must ‘clear your mind’ or that you ‘can’t meditate’ because it just ‘doesn’t work’.

Clear Your Mind (Or Not)

I urge you NOT to try to clear your mind

I find it fascinating that people still say to me that they ‘can’t meditate’. Similar to the myths that low-fat and diet drinks are good for you, there is a myth surrounding meditation that one must ascend into a ‘zone’ where spirituality takes them on a powerful journey… and they just don’t find themselves there. Therefore they claim they are not able to do it, give up and don’t give it a second thought. Except, maybe, to feel bad about themselves because they failed to reach a point of enlightenment.

Enlightenment

I’m not sure about you, but this is not my end goal

This is all defeating the purpose.

You can meditate. It really is easy. And here is one way to meditate that won’t interfere with your day.

Figure out the ‘when’

Find a time in your day when you are waiting for something or going somewhere (but not driving and maybe not bike riding either). So this could be waiting for the bus, walking to the train, walking into work or waiting for your toast in the morning. Try to limit it to around 3-8 minutes.

Once you have this time in your mind, schedule it in – right now – that this is when you are going to meditate. Done? Good. Let’s keep moving.

schedule it in

Put it in the diary…

Open your senses

Now I want you to simply take notice of where you are. Are you standing? Sitting? Walking? What is around you?

Now go through all your senses and take note of what you are sensing.

  • What can you see that you hadn’t noticed before? (Try to find something positive, not the jam that was left out on the bench and how you’re going to scold master 10 when he gets home).
  • What can you hear when you really listen?
  • What can you smell if you really try to?
  • Are there any tastes you notice?
  • What can you feel? Is it the wind, sun, soft cushion under your arm?

Take all of this in, one by one, just being mindful of what is going on around you. Spend anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes on each step, but don’t be strict, just go with the flow. You can have your eyes open or closed. Your mind can wander if it needs to, but when you notice it wandering, gently bring it back to the senses.

Mindful Meditation

Just be mindful of what is going on around you

The most important thing to do is not punish yourself if you forget or get cut short etc. Just pencil in the next attempt and move on. Soon enough, you’ll associate meditating with waiting for the kids at pick up and it will become second nature. It just takes practice to form a new habit.

Simple, isn’t it? It didn’t take an hour. It didn’t take effort. And it’s not rocket science. But after doing this for a few days or weeks, you should notice a difference. Some people call this mindfulness or mindful meditation. You can call it whatever you like, just so long as you do it and enjoy doing it 🙂

For more tips and information and to learn how to meditate in as little as 3 minutes, download your copy of my FREE eBook here.

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