Dinacharya Pt 4: Meditation for Every Day
Hi, posers!
I'm glad you're joining me today, where I'll be sharing the final installment of my series on dinacharya. I hope you've enjoyed the first three parts and if you're putting your own daily routine into practice, I hope it's going well!
I know what a struggle sitting in meditation can be despite its simplicity. In fact, I spent several months frustrating myself when I first came to my meditation practice and even gave up on it completely. I figured the practice wasn't for me, and when my asana practice gave me what I was looking for in meditation, that strengthened my belief that I didn't need to meditate. When I attended my 200hr teacher training, though, we were required to attend a number of group meditations and really dug deep into the practice as part of our studies. This is when I began to understand that my aversion to the practice was not only normal, but essentially par for the course.
It's difficult to just be. To allow our thoughts to pass by as we stay in touch with the present moment, to observe our current state without judgment. While seated in silence, it's normal to grow uncomfortable or fidgety, or to lose focus and get frustrated. This is why we need to practice meditation regularly. Mindfulness, unfortunately, is a practice that does not come naturally to most of us, so we must grow it just like a muscle.
Here's a really simple, yet common meditation practice you can work into your dinacharya. I suggest it as part of your morning routine, but you can also practice this just before bed if it better fits your schedule. Again, you can tailor these practices to your own day, but it is generally recommended that meditation specifically be practiced either first thing in the morning or just before bed.
I'm glad you're joining me today, where I'll be sharing the final installment of my series on dinacharya. I hope you've enjoyed the first three parts and if you're putting your own daily routine into practice, I hope it's going well!
I know what a struggle sitting in meditation can be despite its simplicity. In fact, I spent several months frustrating myself when I first came to my meditation practice and even gave up on it completely. I figured the practice wasn't for me, and when my asana practice gave me what I was looking for in meditation, that strengthened my belief that I didn't need to meditate. When I attended my 200hr teacher training, though, we were required to attend a number of group meditations and really dug deep into the practice as part of our studies. This is when I began to understand that my aversion to the practice was not only normal, but essentially par for the course.
It's difficult to just be. To allow our thoughts to pass by as we stay in touch with the present moment, to observe our current state without judgment. While seated in silence, it's normal to grow uncomfortable or fidgety, or to lose focus and get frustrated. This is why we need to practice meditation regularly. Mindfulness, unfortunately, is a practice that does not come naturally to most of us, so we must grow it just like a muscle.
Here's a really simple, yet common meditation practice you can work into your dinacharya. I suggest it as part of your morning routine, but you can also practice this just before bed if it better fits your schedule. Again, you can tailor these practices to your own day, but it is generally recommended that meditation specifically be practiced either first thing in the morning or just before bed.
❤Every Day Meditation❤
1. Find a comfortable seated position, either cross-legged on a cushion or seated in a chair with both feet placed on the floor. Hands rest comfortably on the thighs with palms face down, shoulders relaxed down and away from the ears.
2. Relax your gaze down and out in front of you. If you like, you can focus on an object or one still spot ahead of you (this focal point is commonly referred to as a drishti). If you choose a drishti or an object, try not to focus "too hard." In other words, you should still try to keep the gaze as relaxed as possible regardless of where it lands.
3. Begin to breathe in and out through the nose and take 3-5 deep breath cycles in and out, inhaling fresh air and new energy and visualizing all your worries and negative energy being released out of your body as you exhale.
4. Come back to your natural breath cycles, and remain seated as you continue to observe the breath. This focus on the breath is the entire practice of your meditation. Observe the length of your breath as well as the pace. Notice the temperature of the air as it passes in and out of the nostrils. Notice where you feel the breath in the body, whether it's a physical rise and fall in the chest, an expansion in the ribs or belly, or any other sensation you may notice. Observe the pause between each inhale and exhale, the space that exists between each half of our breath cycle. Observe all the qualities of your breath without judgment, and if you find that your attention wanders or veers into your thoughts, simply bring it back to the breath.
Practice this breath-based meditation from anywhere between 3-10 minutes daily, increasing the length of your daily practice gradually, for anywhere up to 20 minutes per sitting.
Practice this breath-based meditation from anywhere between 3-10 minutes daily, increasing the length of your daily practice gradually, for anywhere up to 20 minutes per sitting.
❤A few tips...❤
*Set a timer before you begin. Again, start small with 3-5 minutes per sitting. If you have a timer set, you won't have an excuse to check your watch as you practice (and trust me, you'll be tempted to!).
*If you find yourself on a thought-tangent, simply identify that thought and allow it to pass by as you come back to the breath. Imagine it as a cloud...this visual is helpful, as you can envision it physically drifting away. You can do this over and over again as many times as you need. This tendency for our thoughts to slip back in is normal and the very reason we must make regular meditation a part of our practice. Its effects are cumulative, so each and every second of stillness you attain adds up.
*If you're still having a hard time focusing, it may help to develop a two-syllable mantra to repeat to yourself (either out loud or internally) as you take each breath cycle. The most common meditation mantra is "so hum," with "so" repeated on the inhale and "hum" repeated on the exhale. Other examples are "I am," "brea-thing," and "in, out."
❤❤❤
I feel like I just typed a whole lot, but at its core meditation is simply a one-pointed focus, specifically on our breath. It's another one of those "simple, but not easy" practices and like many others, it takes time and consistency to begin experiencing its many benefits. Like pranayama and asana, daily meditation can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression, increase energy levels and focus, and promote a general sense of well-being. On top of that, the whole point of dinacharya is the promotion of self-care and well-being, so it's only natural that any dinacharya worth its salt include a regular meditation practice.
With that, I'd like to warmly thank each and every person who's taken the time to connect with any part of this series. My hope, always but especially lately, is to help create space for kindness and compassion, and I hope that this series has helped with that in some way. If you're new to the blog, it's so great to have you here! If you've been around awhile, I appreciate the heck out of you for sticking around. And as we head into a spring season of uncertainty, I hope you're all taking care of yourselves and doing your best to be compassionate, to yourselves and to others.
XO
Jess
With that, I'd like to warmly thank each and every person who's taken the time to connect with any part of this series. My hope, always but especially lately, is to help create space for kindness and compassion, and I hope that this series has helped with that in some way. If you're new to the blog, it's so great to have you here! If you've been around awhile, I appreciate the heck out of you for sticking around. And as we head into a spring season of uncertainty, I hope you're all taking care of yourselves and doing your best to be compassionate, to yourselves and to others.
XO
Jess
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