How To Meditate Like A Monk...
Meditation can feel HARD when you first start.
I remember thinking that people who meditated regularly were some deeply devoted spiritual people (ie: Monks) who had crazy ass will-power and dedication to their spiritual tools.
So, I dabbled.
I meditated here and there.
My mind would race, my thoughts would never calm down and I thought “I feel like I’m missing something with this meditating thing!??”
So I FEEL you if you’re saying to yourself things like...
“I suck at meditating!”
“I can’t keep my mind still!”
“I feel like I’m doing it wrong.”
“I don’t have time to meditate.”
Because I was there too!
And here’s what I have to say: stop putting meditation on a pedestal. Everyone “sucks” at meditating when they first start.
It’s like if you’ve never worked out a day in your life and you expect to be able to run 10 miles effortlessly on your first try.
Ain’t gonna happen!
(unless you're a super woman...and in that case, that’s pretty damn cool.)
A few years ago my dabbling started to turn into every other day, and now I’m at the point where I meditate pretty much every single day.
I LOVE IT.
And running a multiple 6-figure a year business? Yeah, I attribute a LOT of the success of my business to meditating.
Meditation gives me the quiet time that my brain NEEDS. It allows me to connect with my intuition. It allows me to ‘download’ inspiration, and hear that inner voice that helps me get into flow and ease with my life and business.
And DAMN, does it ever feel good to feel inspired, aligned and in FLOWWWW.
Now, it’s your turn.
My BEST 3 Tips to Help You Meditate like a Monk...
1. Don’t put “hard” rules on meditating.
They say you “should” meditate either in the morning or before going to bed (I can’t meditate before going to bed, cause I fall asleep!), but really - if you prefer to meditate at 5pm or 1pm or 3am, then so be it. Don’t “should” all over yourself with this stuff. Just meditate whenever you feel is good for you.
2. Be kind to yourself.
If you meditate and feel like your mind was going a mile a minute, then so be it. That’s okay! Trust that even with the “shitty” meditations, you are still making progress. Just keep going! When you’re having those days where you feel like you “suck” at meditating, simply say to yourself “I forgive myself for this thought, and I choose love instead”, and move on!
3. One minute a day is perfect.
The key to meditation is to show up consistently. You want to think of meditating like a muscle. The more you work it the easier and stronger it gets. Take the pressure off yourself to sit in stillness for 10 minutes (but if you do, awesome!). However, 1 minute is better than no minutes. Gift yourself with at least 1 minute a day to commit to meditation and I promise you you’ll feel better.
And for a quick sec, let’s just talk about what meditation ISN’T?
It’s not perfection.
Meditation doesn’t mean sitting quietly with the sounds of river streams and chimes in the background chanting “ooooommmm”.
Meditation isn’t just sitting quiet, crossed legged on a meditation pillow.
Those things are all great, and are meditation, but they’re not the ONLY way to meditate.
Meditation can be as simple as a mindful breath in and out. As simple as on your next walk outside, leaving your phone at home and truly being present and connected with nature. It can be as simple as 60 seconds of closing your eyes, placing your hands on your heart and feeling your heartbeat.
It makes me SO HAPPY when I hear from my clients saying things like “Emily, I never used to meditate or do any of that stuff, and now I’m all into it! I love it!”.
I can’t WAIT for you to give it a go.
So, are we cool with this whole meditating thing now?
I was totally kidding about the whole meditate like a monk thing too. You meditate however YOU want to meditate. Let the monks do their thing.
Go ahead and click here to listen to one of my meditations in the Rich Woman Audio bundle gift and start to form your own spiritual self care practice.