Your First Time Meditating: What NOT to Do

How to work meditation into your daily routine.

I am surrounded by people who meditate; my brother, my friends, and patients all rave about how it brings them zen. Since I am a mom on the go, my goal for meditation was to bring a sense of peace to my home of four children. I had to admit, I tried it and so I wanted to report on my initiation into the practice of meditation.

My first attempt at meditation was using a meditation from The Art of Living website. Now, I would preface by saying that the meditation was right on target for initiating a calmness during the hustle and bustle of the day.

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Unfortunately, I made one grave error. I did not announce to my family that this meditation moment was going to occur.   I found a quiet corner in my house, sat on my toddler’s cushy little “name chair”, turned down the lights and started the program. It started rather poorly as one of my hips was constantly sliding out of my son’s chair. Then as I got into my zone where I may just be getting it, my husband runs down stairs with the loudest shoes known to man and opens and slams the refrigerator door shut twice and screeches the chairs in the kitchen; subsequently saying—OH…did I disturb you…wait are you MEDITATING? Cool.

Me: Not cool—just want from hearing waves on a beach in my head to entering a construction site. But hey, I tried.

Lessons I learned—

1. POSTURE: Set up a spot where you can do your meditation in your house that is comfortable for you. (Maybe not a pint-size toddler chair). A good position is sitting with your legs crossed, elongated and straightening the spine with your head looking forward.
2. SILENCE: Inform your family that you are starting to better your STRESSED-OUT self with meditation so they can work on getting you SILENCE.
3. AVOID DISRUPTION: Pick a time where taps on the shoulder are put to a minimum.
4. AVAILABILITY: iTunes has many options and apps for Meditation.

I am now using The Splendor of Meditation on iTunes by Dr. Siddharth Ashvin Shah and am ending my day with “Power Sleep.” If you could use a little more zen in your life, I absolutely suggest mediation, but I am still currently getting the hang of it!

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