Greetings of peace and joy for this new year 2022!
You might be excited to make some changes this year and, perhaps, begin a daily practice of meditation, yoga, journaling, or any other creative or spiritual practice that’s meant to inspire and enrich your life.
Yet sometimes, life gets so busy that we fail to be consistent in our practice. This is perfectly alright. While discipline is definitely required, self-care and genuine enjoyment are also necessary for success.
To help you on this new journey as we begin a fresh year, we’d like to share the following tips with you for starting a daily practice.
Be clear about the why. It’s very important that you completely understand why you want to start a particular daily practice. This way, you can resist distractions and enjoy a bigger chance of success.
Include it in your daily schedule. Carve out a special time for the activity and honor the appointment. Treat it as a sacred moment for yourself and your practice. Commit to a specific time every day, or a promise to do the activity once a cue is presented. For example, you’ll spend 10 minutes in meditation once you finish your work for the day.
Prepare your space and tools. Dedicate a space for your practice and organize all the materials you’ll need, like candles, incense, notebook, cushion, and so on. Find ways to add inspiration, like music, apps, etc.
Work around obstacles. It’s all about just doing it, no matter what. If you don’t have space in the house for silent meditation, you can go on a mindful walk or practice mindfulness while commuting to the office. Have a plan to address possible obstacles—if there’s a will, there’s a way. Just. Show. Up.
Reward yourself. It would be nice to have something to look forward to once you accomplish your practice—it’s called kindness to self. It gives you additional motivation and inspiration, and it doesn’t have to be a big thing. The practice is its own reward, but a nice cup of jasmine tea consumed leisurely won’t hurt either.
Being clear about the WHY is the step I am usually having a lengthy time contemplating about. 😁