The benefits of meditation and mindfulness accumulate over time with regular practice. Setting aside time every day is optimal. You can begin with even 10-15 minutes and work up to longer periods of time. Many of the informal practices can be done throughout the day. One way to start is to commit to meditating with a practice that appeals to you every day for a period of two weeks, and see how it goes. Finding other like-minded individuals to meditate with is also a powerful way to cultivate and maintain a meditation practice.
It helps to find a time and place to meditate that work for you. Some find that doing it first thing in the morning allows it to happen before the business of the day sets in. Others prefer to do it mid-day or before bed. Find a place where you won’t be interrupted. Building meditation into your structure or routine can help enormously. Use an alarm so that you will not be tempted to keep checking the time.
Posture is also important for formal practices. Sit in a dignified manner with back, neck, and head aligned in a straight line, but not rigidly so, hands relaxing on your lap, and eyes gently closed. You may prefer to sit in a chair, on the floor or a cushion with legs crossed, in a kneeling position, or lying down.
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