A Simple Hack to Make Your Meditation Practice Happen
by Arden Martin
Every evening, I set the same intention: Immediately after putting my 5-year-old to bed, I will escape to my bedroom and meditate. By 7:30pm, I’ll be refreshed and ready to enjoy a child-free evening. Easy, right?
Unfortunately not. Lately, my plan fails every time, and here’s why: I say goodnight to my son, plop down in my bedroom, and feel the physical exhaustion kick in. I can’t quite muster the effort to sit and experience the exhaustion in my body during those first few minutes of meditation, so I pick up my phone instead — and as soon as I open Youtube or Instagram, I get a rush of dopamine and forget how tired I am. I turn into a zombie, allowing myself to get sucked into the land of digital escapism. Before I know it, it’s 8pm and I’m completely drained. Meditation feels even more impossible now. At this point, I either give up or half-heartedly attempt a meditation session that feels less than rewarding.
Even with a full decade of daily Vedic Meditation under my belt, my phone addiction is a substantial barrier to my evening practice. Thankfully, I found a simple solution: Hide the phone before it’s time to meditate!
Here’s my new routine: Each evening, I leave my phone in the kitchen before taking my son upstairs for bed. After we say goodnight, I head to my room and, without my usual dopamine source, find it much easier to simply close my eyes and start meditating. For me, fitting in my meditation practice is as simple as putting my phone out of reach.
There are two key takeaways here:
The later it gets, the more tired you’ll be. Do your second meditation as early as possible, and it will get done much more seamlessly!
Smartphones and Vedic Meditation do not mix. Leave your phone in another room, and you won’t even have the option to delay closing your eyes.
If you’re having trouble making your meditation practice happen, I encourage you to ask yourself what is stopping you. It may not always be as simple as leaving your phone in another room, but identifying the barrier to your practice is the essential first step to removing it.
I hope this helps you stick with your meditation practice and set yourself up for success!
Questions? Comments? Email us and connect with The Spring Team.
Not a Vedic meditator yet? Here’s how to learn.