I’m interested to hear from folks about whether you set a daily practice time or not. I know many people do and find it helpful, but I have never done that. I go by the simple commitment that I will make some time everyday for dedicated formal practice, and that seems to work for me.
Anyone else have thoughts on this topic?
I feel commitment is the key word sometimes as balancing working two jobs, family, and physical activity can fill your day. For me my daily practice includes time right after I wake up and then when I can grab it during the day.
I set aside time each morning for yoga, pranayama and meditation. It helps me get centered, focussed and grounded prior to the start of my day. I am so grateful that these practices provide a focal point in my life.
I get up an hour earlier to make time for meditation & yoga practice before work. I enjoy the peace & solitude of this quiet time in the morning and I find its the only way to ‘stop the thinking’, for a few precious moments, before my day starts. It’s taken a long time to build this habit, and I don’t think I would ‘find’ the time without carving out this notch on my daily timer :-)
I use to stand up one hour before “family wake up” to practice yoga and meditation. It’s a peaceful and silent moment to help me to be centered the all day. Some day if I can have so many time I sit for 20minutes before starting the activities of the day.
At the beginning it was a commitment, now it’s more than an habit, it’s there… every day and it’s a priority.
;-)
Yes, I highly recommend consistent daily practice at a specified time. Certainly, the intent isn’t to be rigid, rather, to facilitate flow. Responses tend to be better over time when practice occurs at a set time, consistently. Most people do early morning to avoid things getting in the way. Also, you can enjoy the benefits of a first thing practice throughout the day.
Namaste,
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts on this. It’s so interesting to hear the different ways people approach daily practice. As I said earlier, for me, the simple commitment to sit at some point during each day works well. I’ve got a schedule that varies a lot, so sometimes I need to get right up and out of the house in the mornings and that isn’t such a good time. Sometimes I have an hour or two for practice in the middle of the day. And, if I have not done a formal practice time before then, the last hour before bed is a wonderful time to dedicate to mindfulness. When I practice in the evening, it’s usually at the end of a long day, so I often include yoga or walking meditation first. It seems like each of us really needs to develop the approach that works according to our current life situation.
I also have a habit of attending a silent retreat at least once a year, which leads to a natural re-fresh of my daily practice, and often also leads to some development - whether a shift a in focus (one year I dedicated to loving-kindness practice, following a particularly powerful retreat with that practice) or a shift in when/where I do I my daily sitting. Anybody else here sit retreats? If yes, how does that relate to your daily practice?
I can really connect to what you said, Gaetene, that it started as a commitment and now is more than that. Taking time for practice each day is so beneficial I cannot imagine doing without it.
Sending appreciation for the conversation!