How to Develop a Habit of Daily Meditation

Do you wake up in the middle of the night with a racing mind? Do you feel yourself cycling, thinking about things that make you sad, angry, or stressed on a regular basis? Those are clear indicators that it’s time for you to develop a habit of daily meditation.

The good news is that once you’ve done it for about a month, it will become just as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. It’s free, anyone can do it, and it only contributes positively to your life.

By the end of this article, you’ll know how to meditate daily and have a meditation you can do each day. You will also know some of the different ways people meditate to find something that works for your personality. You’ll also have some ideas on how to practice meditation daily if you’re already feeling overwhelmed and busy or struggling to get yourself to do it but the intention is there.

What Happens When You Meditate Daily

What happens when you meditate daily has been studied with motivating results. First and foremost, you can reduce pain with meditation according to a study that found it reduces inflammation. Since stress increases cortisol and inflammation-inducing cytokines, reducing stress will also reduce pain caused by inflammation.

Other studies have found meditation can help reduce a variety of anxiety symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, and paranoia. Meditation can also improve our memory, improve our attitude, reduce insomnia, and help us develop concentration.

When I say meditation is a “no-brainer,” I mean it quite literally. You’re going to train your mind to turn off so you can relax and become present in your body, in the moment. This allows your stress levels to decrease, your health to increase, and your connection to your intuition to flourish. Your intuition can guide you to making the best possible decisions that will lead you to a life full of love and fulfillment.

We want you to be full to bursting with happiness, and that is why we encourage you to follow these simple steps to develop a habit of daily meditation. And before you get started, keep in mind that meditation is referred to as a “practice” for a reason: it does take time and commitment in order to master.

Starting Out: Keep It Simple

When you begin meditation, you don’t need to sit for a whole hour and meditate. Even experienced meditators still have thoughts that interrupt and distract them when they meditate. The truth is, there are many ways to meditate, so you’ll probably try a couple of different ways and do one for a while until you find what works for you.

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Here’s a simple meditation that you can follow:

Sit down first thing in the morning (bring your tea or coffee if you’d like). Before you start interacting with people, watching the news, checking Facebook, or sending out Tweets, sit down in your half-awake state. During this time, you are actually closer to your subconscious, so take advantage of it!

Breathe slowly and deeply and invite your higher consciousness to communicate with you - ask to see something you need to know about your spiritual development.

Wait and relax as you allow an answer to come to you. Don’t have any expectations. If it is not clear, you can ask for clarification. Once you’ve received a nugget of wisdom, take time to visualize what you would like to manifest that day or that week. Write it down. Then, write down a few quick gratitudes if you have some extra time.

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What You’ll Need

Make sure you have a pen and notebook to keep track of your morning meditation. You’ll find you get clearer messages more frequently over time. To practice meditation is to develop a relationship with your intuition that allows you to receive guidance about the major and minor decisions in your life.

It will help you see things in a more empowered way. Writing down the messages you receive is vital to this process. Often we are not yet ready to comprehend certain information, but when we revisit it later, we may be able to use it.

Find a quiet place to meditate where you won’t be disturbed by clanking dishes, pets, kids, or other noises. It helps to play peaceful meditation music, and if you really want to induce a meditative state, burn incense or diffuse essential oils. You can use crystals to help you meditate as well.

You’re creating a unique ritual just for you can use to support yourself each morning. Every time you show up for yourself in meditation, your brain will get more and more used to reaching into the subtle realms of your own intuition where all your answers exist. Your intuition will come alive and help you in your daily life.

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Ways to Develop a Daily Meditation Habit

One great way to have a daily meditation is to find a book or website that has daily readings and meditations. Learn from those who have walked the path for a long time and your consciousness will start to become more peaceful with the benefit of their wisdom.

If you’re A-type and feel like meditation isn’t productive, it can actually help you order your thoughts, retain information, and induce creativity making it one of the most productive things you can do. It can also improve the quality of your sleep making you even more healthy and mentally sharp.

Are you one of those people who spend more time thinking you should meditate than actually meditating? Fighting with yourself to develop the habit means you don’t yet see the potential benefits or you haven’t found a type of meditation that feels fun to you yet. Depending on your personality, you may be more drawn to certain types of meditation.

Look into Guided Meditations

If you like to use your imagination, you’ll probably like guided meditations that involve imagery and take you on a journey. Check out our chakra healing meditations which you can listen to.

Some people find the slow pace of meditation difficult and can’t stay awake or want something that gives their mind something to do too. If you like following a program or need variety, you can find both in guided meditation apps. If you’re a very independent person, you can find meditation music you like and sit down with a journal and make your own version of meditation. Additionally, some people find they meditate best in a group or even walking.

Meditation videos often have beautiful graphics and images that can help induce a meditative state for all you visual and auditory learners.

If you’re wondering how much meditation daily is the right amount, there’s no wrong answer. Do what you enjoy so that you keep doing it even if it’s just one minute to start. Sometimes people find it so powerful and transformational that they easily meditate for hours each day and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Meditation benefits will start to arrive as you practice and many of these feelings are hard to put into words which is why kundalini yoga teachers who teach meditations with movements, breathing exercises, and mantras say it is experiential. Basically, once you experience it, you get it.

Concluding Thoughts

Some people complain about meditation being boring because they feel like they are not doing anything. That is why I’ve given you the same meditation process I do in the morning. It gives your mind a task to accomplish so that you don’t fall asleep and opens the doorway to your spirituality.

Many people swear by the benefits of meditation which is why it’s become so widely popular. It’s something that will become like a best friend to you and help you when you feel confused or frightened in life. It will be there to help you through the tough times and to point you in the direction that leads to the fulfillment of your soul’s spiritual journey. Now that is something to get excited about! Something seemingly so simple has the ability to offer us the most valuable key to success.

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