There are so many ways to meditate. The word “meditation” itself has a wide variety of meanings and interpretations. In the broader sense, we can make anything in life a meditative practice when we bring our present moment awareness to it.

Making daily life a meditation is beautiful and powerful, but I also think it’s really important to develop a formal sitting meditation where your attention is drawn inward. When you have a consistent practice in this way (sitting in silence) you are building your ‘muscle’ or skill set to bring your presence, or point of attention, or conscious awareness, into other areas of your life. You’re enhancing your skill to create more mindfulness.

By sitting in silence, you’re becoming more familiar with witnessing your thoughts and mental activity as an experience you’re having, not actually a part of who you are. As you start to create space between where you witness the thoughts arriving from (your awareness) and the actual thoughts, you begin to disengage from the stream of mental activity. The more often you practice this, the more spaciousness and peace you can experience.

Please have patience, kindness and compassion for yourself through your practice. It’s important to not always expect certain results, and feel defeated or give up if they aren’t met. IE: finding absolute peace and serenity as soon as you start meditating.

Rather, think of it as a practice that will slowly build your ability to experience peace, calm, or a reduction of stress over time. Just like becoming more physically fit, it takes time. If you’re not able to go for a 1 mile jog, you wouldn’t expect yourself to run a marathon by the end of the week.

What IS important is to put your focus on consistency. Having a short meditation (two to five minutes) that you feel capable of repeating each day is more important than a longer practice that’s sporadic or sparse.

As you continue to practice, your ability to soften into the present moment and witness things as they are improves. This can bring a spacious presence into everything that you do. This supports the expansion of your consciousness and the true qualities of your nature: peace, joy, contentment and equanimity.

Five Simple Steps To Create A Meditation Practice:

1. Find a quiet place to sit. Ideally, find somewhere you can go back to everyday, where you won’t be disturbed. In your bedroom, at the foot of your bed, in your yoga space, in a guest bedroom, or wherever you can create a peaceful sanctuary is a nice place. Avoid any habitual spots where you watch t.v., read, or sit for regular day-to-day activities. In these places your mind may go into its automatic thought mode.

2. Find a regular time. If you can fit your meditation into your everyday routine and regular schedule you are more likely to stick to it and it will become a regular part of your day. For example, in the morning after you get up and brush your teeth, on your lunch break, in the evening before dinner or at sunset, or as part of your night routine are all great times to regularly practice. Regular consistency everyday, even if for a short time span, can be more beneficial than long and erratic meditation sessions.

3. Find a comfortable sitting position. Relax into your body, with your spine straight and aligned. You can sit on a cushion or stack of pillows on the floor, with your sit bones near the edge of the pillows to allow your hips to tilt forward and your legs to rest comfortably. Sitting in a chair works fine too. It is best to sit at the edge of the chair to avoid leaning back too far on the back rest. Place your feet flat on the floor and rest your hands on your knees or thighs.

4. Relax. Take a few deep, long, and slow breaths. Focus on your breath for as long as you like- a couple of breath cycles, a couple of minutes, or longer. Honor what you need in the moment.

5. Bring your awareness to the center of your being. Feel into the presence and spaciousness of your inner self. Rest in this space. Allow thoughts to come and go and just pass through like clouds in the sky. Do not give them any extra attention nor be discouraged that they appear. Simply allow them to be, and refocus your attention back into the space of your being. Rest in the awareness and peacefulness of your center.

You can use a timer to help hold your ‘space.’ If your practice is new, inconsistent, or you have a lot of resistance, keep it short! Two to five minutes is plenty. Once the habit becomes automated and you do it everyday for at least a couple of weeks, you can expand the time to something longer. But aim for short, sweet, and consistent first.

Apps such as Calm or Insight timer can be very helpful too.

If you’d like to get more tips, insight or support, join in the private facebook forum {click here} and connect with a beautiful community of women focused on their health and wellness.

Namaste xo Anna