Sitting Practice
In order to foster an enduring habit, it helps to develop a routine— something that acts as a trigger for you, encouraging behaviours that ultimately become automatic. Like any new routine, it will feel awkward at first. If you’re a person who detests routine, or whose life is anything but routine, then you can set yourself the creative challenge of building mindfulness practice into each day in innovative ways.
Following is a time based mindfulness practice.
Aim for a minimum of ten minutes of seated practice, most days. Start small and scale up. When you feel comfortable with ten minutes, try going for twelve minutes, then fifteen minutes. Many people maintain a steady practice of twenty to thirty minutes each day. Others go for longer, up to forty or sixty minutes.
Aim for consistency rather than length of time. Ten minutes most days is better than thirty minutes a few times a week. If you get disrupted, because of vacations, family, work demands and so on, try for even five minutes a day rather than nothing. You can retreat to the toilet stall for five minutes of practice if you have to! If you start and then end up doing nothing, don’t beat yourself up. Just “get back on the wagon” and begin again.
Try for a time in the day when things are quiet. For many, this means early in the morning, whether at home or at work, or before going to bed. For others, it could be sitting on the bus going to work. Most people have one time of day they prefer; others practise twice, at the beginning and end of their day, bookending their day with mindful awareness.
Use a timer or app on your phone to set your time. Once you’ve set your timer, do your best to sit still until the end of your intended time.
If you must move, do so with intention.
