utMeditation: Three Simple Rules
There are only three simple rules you need to know to begin and observe in any meditation practice.
Say what?
Yes, just three simple rules…
Well, depending on what kind of meditation tradition, lineage, style, or method you learn, there might actually be all kinds of techniques and far too many rules to practice and keep track of. They could literally make your head spin and become very frustrating. That’s why so many people drop the practice before they even start and it even begins to take off.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
You’ve heard people say – “Less is more,” right? Well, it is. The simpler things are, the better.
You don’t have to follow any more rules than these three that I am about to share with you. They are the ONLY ones you will ever need!
Really! No kidding!
1 Trust your intuition.
This first rule may seem quite obvious to you, but it always amazes me how little people tend to trust their intuition. And what is intuition? Have you ever had that gnawing feeling in your gut that something is right or wrong? That you should do this – or that? Even if it goes against the grain and especially what other people think you should do? Well guess what! You have an internal navigation system, or sixth sense, or whatever you want to call it. It is a guidance system. And we often get in trouble when we ignore it. In fact, if you look back on past events in your life, you often got into trouble precisely when you didn’t trust that internal voice. Right?
Simply practice in a way that feels right to you – not in a way that is right for someone else. And if something doesn’t feel right, just don’t do it! I had to learn this the hard way, many times over, in a period of several decades.
No one knows better than you do – what is right for you.
Read that and repeat that again:
NO ONE knows what is best for me. ONLY I do.
No one has lived the life you have or has had the experiences you have. So really, who are they to judge?
But remember, it works both ways. YOU don’t know what’s best for others either. That doesn’t mean you can’t share with them what has worked for you. Just approach it from that perspective.
2 Do not judge your practice.
Your practice is not bad – or good – it just simply IS! We have a tendency to label and scrutinize and analyze our practice, but don’t give in to it. If you just do it, over time you’ll notice the difference in yourself. Then you’ll know it’s been working all along, quietly in the background of your life!
This rule is so important.
Even people who have meditated for decades don’t get this one. We may say – oh, I had a bad day meditating today. Or it “sucked,” pardon my language.
But the thing is, no one gets good at anything by not practicing it – not in sports, music, languages, a vocation – anything you can think of. You just simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep working at whatever it is.
I have a meditation practice I’ve had practically all my life. Some days are better than others. But I tell myself, even 5 minutes is better than no minutes at all.
There are two things I do every single day: I meditate in some way. Maybe it’s just some simple breathwork and reading a page or two of something inspirational. That is enough. The second thing is, I practice a few minutes of a foreign language every single day. I have for years now.
3 Move at your own pace.
You have the rest of your life to meditate. Yes, you heard that right. The day you start – whether it is for the first time, or the millionth time – is the first day of the rest of your life. Just do your practice in the way that feels most natural to you. Who cares if you learn something really complicated and ritualistic – or not? Add on whatever technique feels right and deepens your practice. Discard and release whatever does not.
I just shared with you that I do something every day. It may be reciting an affirmation, saying an old fashioned prayer, or simply sitting in the quiet and breathing.
When I am at the beach, my meditation happens as I walk. Most days I try to take a walk outside. THAT is a practice.
I also like to do some kind of spiritual reading on a daily basis – even if it’s seeing some inspirational posts on Instagram and letting my soul imbibe it’s message.
Just remember: Keep it simple but let it feed you!
There, that’s it. What can be simpler than that? Now go sit and practice! (more on specific suggestions soon!)
Reflection/Journaling Questions:
What do you like to do to center yourself?
Are you finding that some specific possibilities are emerging for you as you go through these lessons?
What feeds your soul?
What does not feed your soul? Is there something right now that you could easily let go of?
What might be harder to let go of that saps your time and energy?
If you could do one thing every day that nourishes you – what would that be?
Now just practice and simply enjoy it!
NEXT
There are only three simple rules you need to know to begin and observe in any meditation practice.
Say what?
Yes, just three simple rules…
Well, depending on what kind of meditation tradition, lineage, style, or method you learn, there might actually be all kinds of techniques and far too many rules to practice and keep track of. They could literally make your head spin and become very frustrating. That’s why so many people drop the practice before they even start and it even begins to take off.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
You’ve heard people say – “Less is more,” right? Well, it is. The simpler things are, the better.
You don’t have to follow any more rules than these three that I am about to share with you. They are the ONLY ones you will ever need!
Really! No kidding!
1 Trust your intuition.
This first rule may seem quite obvious to you, but it always amazes me how little people tend to trust their intuition. And what is intuition? Have you ever had that gnawing feeling in your gut that something is right or wrong? That you should do this – or that? Even if it goes against the grain and especially what other people think you should do? Well guess what! You have an internal navigation system, or sixth sense, or whatever you want to call it. It is a guidance system. And we often get in trouble when we ignore it. In fact, if you look back on past events in your life, you often got into trouble precisely when you didn’t trust that internal voice. Right?
Simply practice in a way that feels right to you – not in a way that is right for someone else. And if something doesn’t feel right, just don’t do it! I had to learn this the hard way, many times over, in a period of several decades.
No one knows better than you do – what is right for you.
Read that and repeat that again:
NO ONE knows what is best for me. ONLY I do.
No one has lived the life you have or has had the experiences you have. So really, who are they to judge?
But remember, it works both ways. YOU don’t know what’s best for others either. That doesn’t mean you can’t share with them what has worked for you. Just approach it from that perspective.
2 Do not judge your practice.
Your practice is not bad – or good – it just simply IS! We have a tendency to label and scrutinize and analyze our practice, but don’t give in to it. If you just do it, over time you’ll notice the difference in yourself. Then you’ll know it’s been working all along, quietly in the background of your life!
This rule is so important.
Even people who have meditated for decades don’t get this one. We may say – oh, I had a bad day meditating today. Or it “sucked,” pardon my language.
But the thing is, no one gets good at anything by not practicing it – not in sports, music, languages, a vocation – anything you can think of. You just simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep working at whatever it is.
I have a meditation practice I’ve had practically all my life. Some days are better than others. But I tell myself, even 5 minutes is better than no minutes at all.
There are two things I do every single day: I meditate in some way. Maybe it’s just some simple breathwork and reading a page or two of something inspirational. That is enough. The second thing is, I practice a few minutes of a foreign language every single day. I have for years now.
3 Move at your own pace.
You have the rest of your life to meditate. Yes, you heard that right. The day you start – whether it is for the first time, or the millionth time – is the first day of the rest of your life. Just do your practice in the way that feels most natural to you. Who cares if you learn something really complicated and ritualistic – or not? Add on whatever technique feels right and deepens your practice. Discard and release whatever does not.
I just shared with you that I do something every day. It may be reciting an affirmation, saying an old fashioned prayer, or simply sitting in the quiet and breathing.
When I am at the beach, my meditation happens as I walk. Most days I try to take a walk outside. THAT is a practice.
I also like to do some kind of spiritual reading on a daily basis – even if it’s seeing some inspirational posts on Instagram and letting my soul imbibe it’s message.
Just remember: Keep it simple but let it feed you!
There, that’s it. What can be simpler than that? Now go sit and practice! (more on specific suggestions soon!)
Reflection/Journaling Questions:
What do you like to do to center yourself?
Are you finding that some specific possibilities are emerging for you as you go through these lessons?
What feeds your soul?
What does not feed your soul? Is there something right now that you could easily let go of?
What might be harder to let go of that saps your time and energy?
If you could do one thing every day that nourishes you – what would that be?
Now just practice and simply enjoy it!
NEXT