It is hard to make time for self-care, even meditation, in today’s busy world. Meditation does not have to be overwhelming, even in a busy schedule. With many benefits on all mental, emotional, and physical levels, it might surprise you to learn that even if you feel your schedule is too tight, there’s a way to fit meditation into your life. Here are some practical and easy techniques to ensure meditation becomes a consistent part of your schedule.
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Start with Just a Couple of Minutes
One of the worst myths about meditation is that it takes forever. As a beginner, you don’t have to meditate for long stretches to enjoy its benefits. Begin with just five minutes a day. You can do that in the morning before work, at lunchtime, or just before sleep. Five minutes seem to be nothing, but if you lay down day after day, all that time adds up, thus fostering the habit. When it is part of the daily routine, you can then increment the sessions over time. It’s better to be consistent rather than to be long.
Use the Morning Routine to Add Meditation
You can make meditation part of your morning routine. Just sit there for a few quiet moments before checking your phone or diving into the to-do list of the day. Don’t make it complicated. Close your eyes, focus your breath, and let your thoughts swim in freely, without judgment. Sometimes, starting your day with meditation will keep you calm for the rest of the day. It is also much easier to meditate in the morning when the forces of the day haven’t yet begun pulling on you in different directions.
Vedic Meditation for Busy Lives
If you are always packed up with other activities, then transformative Vedic meditation is a great practice to try. It is created to suit such a life, simple and accessible. Vedic meditation: sitting quietly in comfort, repeating a mantra that brings the mind to restful awareness. It’s typically practiced for 20 minutes twice a day, but that’s completely flexible to suit your lifestyle because you don’t have to focus intensely or make much of an effort. Many busier professionals are turning to Vedic meditation in order to drive out the stress and drag it into their focus the entire day.
Utilize Technology
Meditation apps and online tools help make meditation easier when you are on the move. Some of the popular apps include Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer. All provide guided meditations of varying lengths, and these can be quite useful to those new to this practice. Most of these apps also have short sessions, perfect for people who have no extra time. You may listen during a trip to work or home if you’re not driving while awaiting an appointment or even when taking a short break at work. Technology is your friend in terms of making meditation possible and not a chore.
Stay Flexible
Being busy calls for getting frustrated in case you miss the meditation session for that day. Be kind to yourself and adapt. Meditation is a practice, and it’s normal to have days where you skip or do not feel as focused. The important thing is to keep coming back to it, even if it’s just for a few minutes. On other days, you will have less time, and that’s okay. Compassion with yourself when you are making room for imperfection is part of the journey. As time passes, meditation will naturally become something you do-doing it not like another thing on your list.
Conclusion
It’s possible to squeeze into meditation when there is a busy life without consuming too much time or energy. Begin by using transition times and integrating them into your morning routine. Start small and experiment with techniques like Vedic meditation – the door to being able to make meditation a sustainable part of your day opens when you use technology and are willing to stay flexible with yourself on even the busiest days. The key here is that one forgets progress is at stake, not perfection. With time and patience, you will realize that meditation, indeed, is a great resource to conquer stress and balance the hectic situations in your life.
