Daily meditation practice tips for busy people

Are you one of those people who would like to have a regular meditation practice but a list of things seem to get in the way?

People who are in this situation cite numerous reasons for this dilemma.

They say:

• their family members are too noisy
• they are too busy
• they travel often
• they have had a change in their daily routine which has upset their regular practice
• they have been ill or are caring for someone who is ill
• they have a visitor who was supposed to stay for 3 days and is still with them after 3 months!

All of these reasons that they do not have a regular (or daily) meditation practice are actually very good reasons to have one!

Here are some ways to begin a regular meditation practice, and reduce stress, even with everything else that is happening in your life:

• If your family members are too noisy, you can wake up fifteen minutes before everyone else wakes up so that you can meditate when it is quiet.
• If you are too busy, just meditate for ten minutes, anytime throughout the day and be mindful that if you really are too busy, it is even more important to meditate so that you remain calm and focused during your busy day.
• If you travel often, you can meditate while you are waiting for the plane, or when you are on the plane, or in your hotel room before you unpack and get settled.
• If you have had a change in your routine, you can consider how you can fit meditation into your new routine. For example, if you are leaving the house earlier in the morning, perhaps you can meditate when you come home in the evening, before dinner or before bedtime.
• If you have been ill, it will be restorative to meditate when you feel that you can.
• If you have been caring for someone who is ill, meditation will provide a needed way to care for yourself.
• If your visitor is still with you, you can let him or her know how important your meditation practice is to you and then go outside for a walking meditation.

When our situations change it is easy to lose the momentum of a regular meditation practice.   If we make our meditation practice a priority, we will find ways to meditate even if we are busy, if we travel, if our daily routines change, if we have been ill or have been taking care of someone who is ill.

And if we can figure out a way to meditate for thirty days, it will become a habit and easier to do no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.