How do you fit meditation into your busy LFRV schedule?

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Permalink Reply by Durian Blossom on June 27, 2010 at 4:58pm

Wake up, get pitcher of water, sit down next to the pitcher, meditate 30 mins (set alarm), begin your day, come home, set alarm for 30 mins and sit to meditate, finish your day. If you live with others or kids, let them know that nothing happens until you open your door again after your meditation - or have them do it with you.

When I worked in offices, I would close my office door, or find an empty office or closet or bathroom stall, and steal 10 min. meditations whenever I needed them. The universe will generate time for you if you claim it, because nothing is more important - no matter what - then that you prioritize 10 mins during the day to connect with your Divine self. You'll find that everything real will stretch magically around whatever you "thought" was so important.

Permalink Reply by magicreative on July 4, 2010 at 3:57pm

I concur with this last point - about the magic effect of meditation - and this helps me " find " the time for it - it kind of " pays for itself " in terms of time spent, through reduced problems and better efficiency and fulfillment of desires and goals.

Permalink Reply by Richard on June 29, 2010 at 6:00pm

i meditate in the morning before i get going. 20 - 30 minutes

Permalink Reply by magicreative on July 4, 2010 at 3:52pm

Good questions !

#1 priority is sleep - then, if you are relatively fit - then meditation would be # 2. If not fit, then move exercise to #2.

Generally meditate when convenient ( tho at dawn and at dusk are really great for me I've noticed ).

Also - I think it is very important to have an " active type " of meditation to go along with your meditation proper. By this I mean an important hobby that raises your spirit ( art, music, gardening, massage, love-making sexual - bird watching - various kinds of ritualized behavior - walking on hot coals - jumping out of airplanes . . . whatever )

The intellectual aspect of meditation knowledge can become important to - at certain times in life - it is way too philosophical for most people most of the time - but when your mind is really in the mood for it -
it can be enormously rewarding.

Permalink Reply by Shashi Kapoor on July 24, 2010 at 5:22pm

Wake up and do it first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening, or if you are about to watch some TV and haven't done any meditation for a bit, meditate instead! Sleep, meditation and exercise are all high priorities so this one is difficult, however. I sleep about 7.5 to 8 hours, I meditate at least 20 mins a day (normally evenings) but if I feel like it I meditate an hour or more sometimes. I train in kungfu and yoga with good consistency.

Sleep
There is nothing more restorative than sleep (unless you are a verrrrry experienced meditator), your body reaches states where your brainwaves slow down in frequency. These would take you a lot of meditation practice to conciously reach. Therefore sleep is #1. Some people recommend sacrificing sleep to fit meditation in, but from my own experience I would say it is better to get that sleep in and try and make time to meditate.

Meditation
Meditation is #2 for me since I experience profound benefits. It improves my memory, general cognition, learning ability, awareness and ability to change habits and create good ones. I have noticed improvements in physical flexibility, relaxation and have released a lot of muscle tension. Consistency is key imo!

Exercise
Exercise is #3, a close third, the physical and mental rewards are awesome :).

Hope this helps.

Permalink Reply by Yuliya Ⓥ on July 25, 2010 at 1:29pm

Thank you, guys, to everyone who took the time to answer. I really appreciate everyone's responses.

My update is that since reading the very first answer in this thread on June 27, I took the advice from Durian Blossom and meditated for 30 min immediately after waking up in the morning ( I was getting my 1L water bottle first actually).

I really love this routine now and I feel that it is very important to have one simple ritual like this that you maintain and do every single day. For some people - it can be running or otherwise covering a certain distance every day no matter what, and they report that this commitment positively affects their entire life. For me - it will be this 30 min meditation - every day, first thing in the morning, no matter what, as if my life depends on it (because I think it does :) ).

I, myself, came to the following priority order now: 1) Meditation 2) Sleep 3) Exercise.
Even though there were times in my life when I really felt that Sleep was a #1, but I think the longer you go with a ritual of daily meditation - the more powerful it becomes. I hope to never break it.

Permalink Reply by Shashi Kapoor on July 25, 2010 at 6:59pm

Although it is #2 for me I certainly keep it consistent :). It's a great way to set yourself up for your day. Keep us posted with your experiences/development of it!

Permalink Reply by Helen Melon on January 24, 2011 at 1:46am

I enjoy "walking meditation", and I walk out to watch the sunrise in the morning. Walking about 45 mins to an hour, meditating for 20-30 mins. of that time. Since I am a few pounds underweight, I don't need exhaustive exercise-- I walk everyday instead of using a car for errands, and on weekends I'm walking much of the day. When i go on hikes they are 8-16 miles in summer, half that  in winter. (Up in Harriman NY usually) I sleep about 7 hours, sometimes 8. But I'm always up before dawn, I've always enjoyed waking up and getting outside asap.