Schedual important for meditation?
Rhodian
Loser Veteran
Hello,
I am a chaotic guy, I never in my life ever used a apointment book, or wrote down my homework. In school I aways would find myself surprised the teacher had a test or something. And sometimes a test passed without the teacher having told us and everyone would get angry but not me!
So my desk always is a mess to, but I know where to find everything, and sometimes I don't. When I really cannot find something I shift to my, alright I have to clean up state. I clean up enjoy everything being tidy and a day or 3 later same mess and it's a cycle of repeat.
Now I have all explained to you all how I live and my lifestyle. When someone tells me then to meditate on a certain time. I get confused, at the moment I just do it when I feel like it once a day twice a day or so. I read it's not good to go all out and get overburned with meditation. Thus I am wondering should I make a schedual and try to stick to it?
I would like to do two times 20 minutes and thought mornings and evenings however I do not always wake up at the same time due to a slow thyroid, and I don't always go to bed at the same time due to the same slow thyroid which is a problem for me at the moment. What would you all advice? Is a schedual important and should I just try to pick some times, or should I stay and be a opportunist?
-Thanks
Comments
Schedule can be important with meditation because before we get in the rhythm and meditation becomes as routinary for you as brushing your teeth, one tends to come up with all sorts of excuses to bypass the session.
Don't make a big deal of it, nor overthink the issue: just show up on the cushion, or lie down if it is more comfortable for you and do it.
Start with 15 minutes and build up slowly.
Better not to be too ambitious.
Whenever you can. Mornings work better for me because I am more alert, and also to make sure that I "get it done with."
In the evenings I might be tired already or find a perfect excuse to skip the session altogether.
That's me. See what works for you, but just do it.
It's good to be regular!
What might help is to draw up a daily "to do" list, and see if you can nudge meditation up a bit. The time at which you meditate isn't particularly the issue, it's the priority you give it in relation to the other stuff you need to do. In your situation starting with one daily meditation session in the morning might be the best way to go.
@Rhodian
Making and sticking to a meditation schedule makes a priority or pilgrimage of your meditation in life (rearranging everything else you do to free up that particular time for formal meditation)
as well as setting yourself up to experience states of life that are beyond whether you just happen to feel like meditating at that moment or not.
Thanks I will try to make a schedual and see if I ever feel like it I just go do it.
Hey Rhodian (I think we're a lot alike, in the chaotic sense and I make daily lists - not that they help all that much) - THIS is one of the golden reasons for you to take up an every-day practice of the mindfulness I was tellin' you about -- WHEN you hear the train or WHEN you hear the birds or the dogs - it's easy to stop for just one moment and listen - it sure gives my brain a little breathing room.
I find that I need no real schedule because it's something I wanna do, so the opportunities will become more and more noticeable, and after a while, there is a certain rhythm you can latch onto that comes pretty naturally - like when I lie down to read a book or play a game, or when I'm at the computer, I take a moment to do what I lovingly call a mini-meditation, and as it turns out, I can do one before and after whatever I was doing (resting, playing a game, reading...).
Wake up meditate, no thought, no chaos. Meditate. Regular.
Then back to whoever . . .
Meditation is just a decision to practice. Can you just do it? Most of can, do and find it beneficial. As others have mentioned, the time is not that important. It is
Attentive stillness is what most are doing but spending 20 minutes doing your normal chaos routine at half speed can lead into being mindful.
Initially we have to tame the wildness of the mind a bit. Discipline the chattering monkey mind. This is often the first noted benefit, we become less agitated and calmer . . .
I hope you find a practice that helps you