From zero practice to daily two hours with presence in daily life. Is it possible? Is it realistic? To practice meditation on a daily basis require some planning, but mostly to built up gently and realistically so your practice will be:

sustainable, deep, physically integrated, spiritually grounded, a naturally part of your life

The goal is not just to be able to sit for two hours daily, but to:

regulate the nervous system, create inner silence, strengthen contact with intuition and soul, live more present, make meditation a way of life

Im for the moment trying to find back to a meditation practice that will work for me. When I had small children, I actually managed to meditate 2-3 hours per day, sitting on a cushion in deep practice…I went up early and sometimes I was sitting during the day. Then I got divorced and became a fulltime single mother and had to accept meditation had so be something different in my life.

In my current life Im not able to sit during the day and already commute at least 10 hours per week, and are a little hesitant with meditating in the train with all the energy from other people…

But some sort of morning and evening practice, and becoming more everyday present could be a good plan. I have so much more time now compared to when I had small children (my girls are 18 and 22 and one is already living by herself).

My inner self have been nudging me for quite a while to resume a practice. During my life I have had a meditation practice since I was 17 years old, even when I was as little as 5-6 years old I remember I had a deep need of spiritual connection (my family was atheist’)so it was not from my family I had the need, it came from within.

I love when I have established a routine, I love sitting on my cushion, being in silence, listening to my breath, feeling more grounded and having a more clear intention for the day.

Im also much better at feeling when I need pauses during the day, and are aware of the transition from one activity to another, instead of everything is just one long activity without pauses or presence, so more presence in the daily actions.

And lastly offering myself the evening meditation (short one, mornings are better for me) will definitely be good, so I meditate a little, make some reflections about the day, relax and from time to time become aware of my life.

To start up a practice you will go through fases and for a start it’s good to create a foundation and a rhythm – create continuity and to offer your nervous system some kind of safety is essential. Start to relate meditation with quietness and with coming home. Your body will let you know when its there, its calling you to meditate, you will sense it in your body..

In one way it is about discipline, but if you reframe it to “rhythm” then it feels different…if you miss one day you start up again the next day, no guilt, no “I failed”. You will need determination and willpower to deal with yourself, your feelings, thoughts and patterns.

Just remember this is not about achieving, the length or being the best to it, it is about you having time with you in the present moment

16 years ago I was spending 1 month in silence in France, at a buddhistic retreat, these are some of the photos from the retreat, we meditated daily from 6am to 9/10pm, sitting, walking, cooking, doing task’ in meditation…I would love to be in another month long silent meditation retreat..

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