1. Time
Pick a time, pick the best time, turn up on time.
There are a few aspects to this…
Firstly, if we don’t do a thing regularly, it is very hard to get good at it. Play an instrument? You have to practice. Play a sport? You go to training a couple of times a week and probably have some other exercises to do too.
Meditation is just the same, you have to practice. Choosing a regular time to meditate demonstrates your commitment to getting better at it. Exercise is a good thing to compare it to – use it or lose it, without regular exercise it is near impossible to maintain a standard of fitness. Without putting in the time, how will we learn to silence the restless mind and expand the aspiring heart?
What is the best time? Practically speaking, the best time is a time you know you can commit to and a time you know other people will not disturb you with demands for your attention.
As true as that is, this article is about morning meditation. So, bear in mind the later you leave it to start your meditation, the harder it can be to go within. Mother Earth feels very calm at 6am, most people are still sleeping, and depending on the season, dawn may be just about to break. If you wait a few hours, the sound of traffic is sure to reach your ears, your kids or your partner might want something, you have to get ready for work… oh, remember the thing, you know the thing you did not get time to finish yesterday – it is stressful just thinking about all the possibilities!
Six am is a good time to meditate because meditation means inner silence. This silence takes time to cultivate and being surrounded by outer silence removes at least some distractions from our consciousness.
When you don’t give countless outer things your attention,
you will see that truth is looking right at you
and giving you the strength to discipline your life.
Turn up on time because whatever your vision of Divinity is, meditation is your friendship with the Divine. Surely the Divine is the type of friend you can call on any time, but with a friend, if I say I will visit at a certain time and I am always on time, this friend knows they can rely on me. Such a friend will always have your favourite food on hand and look forward eagerly to your visit. Our meditation-friend is like that: eager to feed us with peace, love, bliss, joy and happiness.
Use an alarm clock.
2. Have a place
Vibes, vibes, vibes. Everything has a vibration. If you stand in the kitchen, it’s likely the time to cook, clean, eat, drink or chat away with family and friends. Your bedroom is all ready for you to go to sleep. If you sit on the couch with a huge TV in front of you…chances are you will watch TV.
Your shrine is where you meditate.
There is no need to build a Taj Mahal, Borobudur or Notre Dame. If space permits, a modest spot reserved just for meditation is perfect. It is nice to have some incense and flowers there to remind you of the purity of your heart’s beauty. Perhaps use a cushion or particular chair just for meditation.
Meditation shows us the world as we experience it is just the reflection of our own being. The real sacred space, our true home, is within our own spiritual heart. To acknowledge this, we just want to dedicate a little corner of our house to meditation.
The heart can afford
To have
A royal palace.
3. Freshen up
Meditation is the opposite of sleep. Not just because we are awake, but because we are trying to become more conscious and raise our consciousness. If we are in the fortunate position of being healthy and well rested then it is easy to wake up, but it is also not unusual to feel a little drowsy after sleep. If you can’t have a shower before meditation, be sure to wash your face with cold water, paying particular attention to your ears and eyes so the senses are reinvigorated. Give your feet a little splash of water too. Water represents consciousness and this ritual makes sure you are refreshed and alert when you sit at your shrine.
My life should be
As changeable
As flowing water.
4. Chant
Mantra is the repetition of a word or sound which embodies a particular quality. The sound of whatever it is we are chanting has a vibration which we consciously resonate with. This has a positive affect on our consciousness. It is a like tuning up an instrument and tuning into a frequency. Probably the best known mantra is AUM.
The most important thing is to know that
AUM is the Mother of all our Sanskrit mantras.
AUM has to be chanted first and foremost
when we chant any mantra.
It is from AUM that the creation came into existence.
Again, the creation will find its ultimate Goal only in AUM.
Whenever you chant AUM, make the “M” sound last three times as long as the “A” and “U” sounds combined for most effective results. Mantra is a great way to liven up the consciousness especially in the morning if you chant loudly. You can start with three times, or seven times, or chant for five minutes. The main thing is to feel it vibrating in the core of your being in the spiritual heart and spreading to every pore of your body. At classes we often chant different mantras and chant as a group for a few minutes which is very powerful.
You may listen to Sri Chinmoy chanting AUM if you like.
5. Love to meditate
All those who want to become good people
share the same philosophy:
love, love, love.
Love makes everything better, love makes everything best. Meditation teaches us how to truly love our self unconditionally. When we have this kind of love, loving the world is very simple. As meditation can show us our true worth, of course it is worthy of our love.
6. Be grateful
In most meditation classes, looking around the room, there are usually 20 or so people. I often point out Adelaide has a population of around 1.38 million people, but those of us in this room have chosen to meditate right now. Of course, it is wonderful more and more people are inspired to learn meditation, but we can still say as a percentage, very few people are meditating regularly. We should be grateful for the inspiration and opportunity to meditate – gratitude strengthens our spiritual muscles.
My own gratitude-heart is all that matters.
7. Meditate before bed
No surprise – the way to improve your meditation is to meditate more! If you spend even just a few minutes before going to sleep in meditation, then your sleep is likely to improve and you will find it easier to get up and meet the new day feeling inspired. The spiritual life is an eternal journey and we can think of each meditation as stepping stones along the path.
After having a long, beautiful
And soulful meditation,
When I go to sleep,
My Inner Pilot watches me
With utmost Compassion-Light-Delight.