10 Ways to Kickstart Your Meditation Practice Like a Boss

If you’ve recently started meditating, congratulations! I truly believe you have started one of the most useful regular habits there is. Here are ten ways to help you kickstart your meditation practice, and really get the most out of it.

1) Meditate first thing in the morning

It’s a simple truth for most people that meditating first thing in the morning is easier. You might be tempted to leave it for later in the day but meditating in the morning means you’re working with a more rested and empty mind.

It also means you set yourself up well for the day – the commute to work will not be so bad and you won’t be such a grumps in the morning. Hell, you might even feel really happy! Make a morning meditation the foundation of your regular meditation practice.

2) Start doing yoga

The whole original purpose of yoga ‘back in the day’, was to prepare the body for meditation. Despite involving just sitting on your ass, you might have noticed that meditation can actually be physically quite demanding, with aches and pains a real distraction.

A stretching practice is the perfect compliment to meditation because it opens up the hips and strengthens the core, meaning you can sit for longer without pains creeping into your neck, back, knees, shoulders, and wherever else.

If you currently sit in a chair, you may find that yoga can help you transition to sitting in a half or full lotus position, perhaps facilitating a deeper experience.

Personally I would recommend avoiding Vinyasa yoga, and go for a slower style such as Iyengar, to prevent injury. Pilates is also a fantastic alternative here.

3) Don’t get attached to notions of good or bad meditations

This is a biggy! It’s easy to think that meditation should be this or that. Especially if we read books about spirituality or blog articles by meditators, it’s easy to think that we’ve failed if we don’t experience oneness, bliss, love, light, enlightenment, energy flows and other such clichés.

I often here people who are new to meditation say that they can’t do it because they cannot stop their thoughts, or empty their mind. But this is not the point of a meditation practice at all. It might be a useful benefit further down the line, but it’s certainly not the method or even goal of the practice.

Meditation is about the practice of observing and allowing the contents of your awareness. If you simply do this you’ve succeeded. It doesn’t matter if you feel grumpy, tired, hungry, sexually aroused, harassed by your thoughts, or united with the supreme godhead, meditation is about observation and letting go. Simples.

4) Go on a retreat

Going on a meditation retreat might seem a little intensive but it’s a great way to discover the power of meditation. When I attended my first ten day silent Vipassana retreat I was amazed how positive the affects were.

I felt more creative and inspired than ever. I was happier and more relaxed. I felt more positive about the future. Sure, the long hours spent meditating might involve a bit of discomfort but the potential ROI is big.

5) Listen to a guided meditation

If you just can’t get into it and you’re frustrated by your wondering mind, don’t worry. This is all part of the process at certain stages. Having said that, you might find it helps to gain some extra direction through a guided meditation or a binaural beats sound recording, rather than just meditating in silence.

This is how I started, and though I don[t use them so often now, they really helped me to first get into my meditation practice.

6) Go to a local meditation class

Forget books and talks, there’s no better way to learn how to meditate than to meditate. Going to local classes exposes you to different styles of meditation, forces you to actually do it, and connects you to other meditators.

You never know, you might even find some of them are nice people who become friends and motivators for your practice. At times for example, I’ve really enjoyed going to Buddhist classes as the teachings about the mind are just so bang on. See what’s happening in your town or city and sign up to an introductory course.

7) Wear earplugs

This might not sound like the most profound piece of advice for your meditation practice, but I promise it’s a good one. I only started doing this recently and I wish I’d done it sooner.

The world can be a noisy place sometimes, with cars, noisy kids, domestic disputes and refuse collectors all doing their best to ruin the morning peace. There is an argument for learning to be as mindful as possible while you meditate to this soundtrack, but there is also a lot to gain from meditating in peace and quiet.

Find some decent foam earplugs and discover how much deeper you can go. This is also a godsend for meditating travellers on the move, who never have to worry about another cockle-doodle-do again.

8) Swim, shower or drink coffee beforehand

Meditating when you are sleepy can sometimes be frustrating and counterproductive. If this is a problem, do something to wake yourself up first, particular if you’ve just been sleeping.

I always jump in the shower before meditating, as I’m usually doing it first thing in the morning, but coffee (I recently gave up coffee because it stimulates my nervous system too much but if coffee agrees with you don’t listen to your ‘coffee is bad for you’ yogi friends) and exercise will also do the trick.

Swimming is particularly refreshing if you have access to a nearby pool, and any form of exercise also does the trick.

9) Set your alarm clock early

If you’re not sure how to fit a meditation practice into your busy routine, I have a simple solution: set your alarm clock early by the amount of time you intend to meditate for plus ten minutes. It might sound like a sucky thing to do but you’ll soon get used to it, and the energising affects of meditation first thing in the morning will give you back the rest you missed.

I used to recoil at the thought of such a thing but now cannot even consider leaving for work without getting my fix. Even better, buy a Lumie sunrise alarm clock and make waking up easier than it ever was.

10) Try different styles of meditation and meditate everyday

There are many styles of meditation out there, and while no particular one can be said to be the best, there’s sure to be a style that just works better for your meditation practice. If your current practice is not really doing it, try some others. It could be just the refresh you need. I found moving to an open meditation instead of concentrating on my breath did wonders. Don’t endlessly try different styles though, find what works for you.

And whether it’s for three or 30 minutes, the benefits of meditation stack up the more you do it. Short on time? Woke up late? Doesn’t matter. Just do what you can – a little is better than none. 

Just try and make your meditation practice something you do on the daily. 

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2 thoughts on “10 Ways to Kickstart Your Meditation Practice Like a Boss”

  1. There’s one book I would recommend: Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond – the first half of that book is the best manual of meditation I’ve red so far. It’s written by a westerner who studied theoretical physics and Cambridge then became a Buddhist monk in the Thai forest tradition and who now is abbot of the largest monastery in Australia. The book presents a map of the different stages of meditation/realization that goes far beyond what most teachings discuss. I found it inspiring and illuminating. The second, more philosophical half I found too dogmatic though.

  2. I smiled while reading this—finally, someone who does Vipassana! During my 10 month stay where I am now, no one practices Vipassana.

    #7 You can also practice Samatha and meditate on the noise. I used to turn any distraction into meditation object. Not easy and sometimes I just wanted to murder someone. Bhahahah

    #10 My favorites beside Vipassana are standing meditation, voice meditation, laughing meditation (usually in a group), TAT (well this is not exactly a meditation technique, more like self-healing approach), Dyad (can only be done with a partner, incredibly exciting and scary at the same time), and the most powerful one, Surrender meditation.

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