How often do you need to meditate? To advance in your practice, should you meditate every day?
This is the question that we explore in this episode of the OneMind Meditation podcast.
Why We Struggle With A Daily Practice
Let’s start with the perennial problem. A lot of people feel guilty because they start meditating and then life gets in the way. Things happen and you lose your mojo. It happens all the time. And mostly, it’s for really good reasons.
What kind of reasons? Well, maybe you found out you’re pregnant. Maybe you have a killer series of work deadlines. Your parents moved in. Your kid moved out. We all have major life disruptions all the time.
It’s true, you could make the argument that it’s at those moments more than ever that you need meditation. And there’s real truth to that. A daily meditation habit can be a grounding godsend when those hurricanes whip your life into a frenzy.
But it’s not the whole picture.
More often than not, it’s not the interruption or stopping the practice that’s the issue. It’s that you feel guilty about it or like somehow you failed. And that often prevents you from getting your backside on the cushion again.
It’s a negative cycle I hear about all the time.
Nurturing Your Impulse To Meditate
But what if we tilt the picture just a little to see it in a different light. First, what is this compulsion to meditate? Why do you want to do it? Why does it feel important to you?
See, here’s the thing. You need to honor and nurture that impulse to meditate. It’s like a little green seedling that you’ve just planted. Each time you sit, it grows a little taller and soaks in a little more sunlight.
And that impulse is precious. It’s the part of you that yearns to let go of your moorings on planet earth and fly. It’s your desire for freedom and the pure intimacy of contact with life without any mediating filters.
Should You Meditate Every Day?
So yes, meditating every day is a great way to nurture that impulse. But you’re probably living a busy life. I’m guessing you have people who count on you to show up and care for them and love them. For some, you may be the only person.
So somehow, you have to find a way to meditate regularly. Because you need that contact with the limitless part of yourself. You need to grow that seedling into a vibrant tree.
But maybe it’s not every day. Maybe it’s once a week. Maybe it’s a few times a week. The most important thing is to find a rhythm that works for you and your schedule and your existing demands.
If you start with a realistic approach like this, your much more likely to have a guilt free relationship to your meditation practice. And then, over time, you might just find that you’ve grown a little tree. And surprisingly, it’s providing some shade.
Now, amazingly, you find that you want to spend more and more time there. And at that point, meditating every day won’t feel like a chore. More likely, it will feel like home. And you’ll want to come back again and again.
Show Notes
- If you enjoyed this podcast, you may also like the Meditation for Life Mini Course
- Learn more about free awareness meditation with How To Free Your Mind & Discover Deep Peace
- Take a self-paced introduction to Meditation and explore theMeditation For Life Core Training Program
- Leave us a rating & review on iTunes
Great information . Thank you!
Hi Tina, You’re welcome. Thanks for your feedback.
Very good advice,now I no I can do a little at a time,untill I get that tree,thank you
Hi Cordelia, Thanks so much for your feedback. Yes, that tree is the goal! 🙂
Great article Morgan, thank you. I now meditate every day, first thing in the morning. I was inspired by your habit stacking podcast late last year and it helped me get my daily practice going, so thank you! I really like your idea of nurturing that intuitive pull to meditate – that’s so, so true and it’s a precious thing. Getting my daily practice going has been nothing short of wondrous 🙂 Thanks again.
Hi Michaela,
That’s awesome. So happy that habit podcast was helpful and this one too. And congratulations on all your momentum. That’s so cool!
Great article!, I’m one of those that would love to meditate each day but I’m always so busy with work and other issues, yet somehow I always find time to see my Facebook wall or watch a bit of TV, I’ll try to nurture my impulse to meditate so I can do it as diligently as that.
Thank you!
Ha! I bet a lot of us can relate to that. Great point Arnold. Thanks!
Good info. I believe it’s not only important to meditate everyday, but to do it a few times throughout your day as well. I think anytime we can give back to our mind and bodies, our minds and bodies will give back to us in the form of our higher self. Thank you again.
Thanks Dennis.
Thanks for the article Morgan. I’ll check the podcast soon. I love the advice about not feeling guilty or like a failure – it’s often the problem in my practice, and not only on the cushion.
I hear that Iva! I think it’s a real stumbling block for a lot of folks. I’m glad you resonated with the article/podcast and thanks for your comment!
Hi my dear Morgan ! I love your article. I have been practicing meditation since about 2 years now and went on Reiki Healing Meditation to. A dayly meditation is a motor for my everyday life, as it opens my eyes, haert and soul to the real values of life. I usually all what you publish and really appreciate the way you work. You are a great help for our busy life….bringing us back to the essential, even for one single hour a day. Meditating calms me down and i usually practice it before sleeping during one hour and guess….my sleep improved a lot. It is deeper and i am very active when i wake up. It changed my rythm ! Really ! I’d like to go deeper in meditation now, as i use Reiki Healing also. I am looking forward to get in touch with my karmik lesson and understand it. But i guess that it might take time. So, i have to be patient. Thank you so much for all care and love you give to each of us. Cat.
Thank you, Cat for your kind words. And it’s great to hear about your daily meditation practice and all the benefits you’ve received from it. Thank you for sharing your experiences here!
I love the little seedling story. Even though our winters here in Manitoba, Canada can be extremely cold, I am always amazed come spring. With the combination of warm, moist soil, sunshine, rain and sheer persistence the little seedling, roots and bulbs reawaken and grow. Even a long winter of what seems to be neglect does not stop them. Thanks, Morgan, for providing TLC to our little seedlings.
Ha! Yes TLC for the seedlings. Thanks for your evocative images as well Germaine. Really appreciate the picture you’re painting of the irrepressible spring bursting through the winter perceptions.
Thank you Morgan once again for this fantastic guidance.
I can easily relate to the feeling of guilt you are talking about.
It happened to me many times when I set completely unrealistic targets.
This feeling of guilt really poisons our emotional existense.
I started practicing my meditation 10 min every evening, probably missed it out just a couple of times during a whole year. I think it is very important to be consistent but we should never forget to be kind to ourselves!
Thank you!
Thanks so much for your comment Nataly. I’m really happy to know that you can relate. And congratulations on your meditation momentum. That’s fantastic!