How to properly meditate is up to you. From sitting, to lying down, repeating a mantra like Transcendental meditation teaches, to simply focusing on your breath, your practice can be as unique as you. 

How do I stop the chatter? All I do is think.

Some people argue you need to meditate for at least half an hour since we waste the first ten minutes with mind chatter and the stresses of the daily life, and it is not until you get those things out of the way that you can truly focus.

What I like to do, and what I find works, is to write all your thoughts on a  journal  before you meditate. A simple notebook will suffice, but you can use ajournal with prompts if you find it hard to write, or if writing is not your favorite thing. 

Once all the little open loops in your head are on paper, it is a lot easier to move past them when you close your eyes in silence.

Sit or lie down?

I usually meditate sitting down, because if I lay down, chances are I will fall asleep. Sleeping is a very important part of healing, but meditation has benefits of its own, which is why I try to separate the two, unless I am doing Yoga Nidra (Sleep Yoga, or NSDR) during the day, but in that case what I am trying to do is training my brain to fall asleep on command.

For how long should I meditate?

I used to set up a timer when I meditated. I experimented with 20 minutes, 12 minutes, 5 minutes, you name it. In all instances, I broke the meditation to gaze over my phone and look at how much time I had left. Every time I do this, it was like having to start over again from zero. So now I have done away with any and all distractions, I just sit there in silence and focus on my breath.

I become hyper focused on my breath, and it becomes harder to breathe.

How to breathe properly during meditation

It used to happen to me, too. I started breathing deeply, and then I never let go. It is an important part of the practice to settle your breath into a regular pattern. You never notice you are breathing during the day, consider that when meditating. What works is trying to not force it. When you exhale, do not immediately force yourself to inhale. But let your body do what it’s supposed to do. Periodically check on yourself. Loosen your stomach and chest. Let it go. Not all breaths need to be deep, that’s when your chest and back hurt, because you are forcing it. When you’re doing it right, it does not feel uncomfortable at all, and I get lost in a sort of trance.

What is the use to learn how to properly meditate?

Once you get the hang of it, it is a tool you can summon anywhere and at any time. It will help you react better to things you will encounter in your daily life. You will remember the practice when you find a new ding in your car door, or your dog poops on the carpet, or no one buys your Etsy products. Like stoicism, meditation offers an aid to a good, collected life. One where you live well by doing less, better.

Once you get the hang of it, it is a tool you can summon anywhere and it will help you react better to things you will encounter in your daily life. You will remember the practice when you find a new ding in your car door, or your dog poops on the carpet, or no one buys your Etsy products. Like stoicism, meditation offers an aid to a good, collected life. One where you live well by doing less, better.

If you enjoyed this article, perhaps you will also enjoy my fiction writing. How about you check it out with a free book? Head over to www.relvingonzalez.com/subscribe to find out more!

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From my experience in life, and reading books and interviews from people who are smarter or wealthier than me, I have learned a few things that I can do consistently to achieve a state of homeostasis. No ups and downs of sugar. No cravings. No procrastination loop. Here they are:

Sleep

In fact, this is more of a step 0. You probably have read or heard it all before:

• Never eat or look at blue light two hours before bed
• meditate
• do not do rigorous exercise before bed
• light reading
• if you can’t fall asleep in half an hour, do not stay to toss, and turn and go into another room and do a relaxing activity.

I will go beyond that:

Find your relaxing sound

Mine are two things: videos of people painting(paintbrush sounds hypnotize me into dreamland) and more recently an alarm I got for Christmas that uses sound and light therapy to help fall asleep and stay asleep while also waking you up in a calming way.

For some people, this can be ASMR, white noise, the sound of rain, the ocean, the sound of people typing on computers, handling papers, or anything else. Find your sound.

Extract the thoughts right out of your head

Really. Either keep a journal where you can empty your mind or use apps like Nirvana. I would advise that you first read the book “Getting things Done” by David Allen to learn how to take actionable steps to solve the problems or complete the projects in your head. The most important thing is not to have them sticking around in the lobby of your mind hotel, kick them out!

For the love of god, speak!

I used to think that by keeping things to myself, I was doing two things: appear stronger than I was, and not burden others with my dilemmas. Meanwhile, It did not occur to me that everyone else was doing the opposite to me. They would dump their issues and then go quietly and joyfully into the night, leaving me with not only my problems to bear but also with all of theirs.

Follow their example. Talk! If you are married or have a significant other, they love it when you share. Trust me. Try it and then notice how you feel afterward. It is very possible that two things will happen:

• The problem will look a million times smaller than it seemed
• He/she will help you find a solution

Either way, it is a win-win-win situation.

Extra tools that may help relax you

• Weighted blanket
• Bed of nails
• Lavender hand cream or essential oils

Meditate

The first thing I do after waking up, as other successful people have done, is meditating. Together with journaling, meditating can become an essential part of your morning routine. It helps you to being the day with the right mindset.

Journal

The second thing I do after rising is journaling. It does not have to be a long entry. You can use a blank journal, or one with prompts to help you start.

When following stoic journaling, you should focus on what worries you and work out what is out of your control, things that you are grateful for, and how can you improve on your faults.

Or you can write 3 pages of stream of consciousness writing, as explained in “The Artist’s Way”. Approx. time: 30 minutes.

Make your bed

It might sound silly. But momentum is everything. You have to put your mind in a state of “can-do attitude”. Your brain will see your bed well made, and it will add translate it as an accomplishment. Many people speak of this, like Tony Robbins.

Light exercise

To add to the momentum, this would be a great place to add a small exercise routine here — a few jumping jacks, pushups, planks, or squats. I sometimes add kettlebell swings to my morning exercise routine.

UPDATE: I have replaced light exercise with a full-on exercise routine from fitnessblender.com every morning. Check out their programs!

Breakfast

After the other obvious activities(brushing teeth, shaving, etc) eat some food (unless you are doing intermittent fasting).

I try to keep my carb count as low as possible in my breakfast. Protein and healthy fats like eggs, avocados, and even yummy bacon are great choices. Just don’t include any cereals, oat, or bread. If you do, you will feel sluggish and it will motivate procrastination and more bad dietary choices.

Make it fun. Try Gordon Ramsay’s scrambled eggs recipe or another of many great low carb breakfasts out there.

Drink only water or black coffee.

Walk

A great morning routine is taking a walk around your neighborhood after breakfast. Not only will you aid your body in digestion and get a healthy dose of vitamin D, but you will also contribute to your circadian rhythm.

While walking, it is usually best to not listen to anything, and just be a human in society, walking among nature and hearing to its sounds. But if you must, you may listen to the Joe Rogan Podcast, the Tim Ferris Show, or music masterpieces(like We’re Here Because We’re Here from Anathema).

Email

At this point, it’s safe to check your emails. Again, following the philosophy behind the book, “Getting things done,” the goal is to empty your inbox, assigning things a next sectional step, or committing block of time where you will work on that until completion or until the black of time is over. Also, read Tim Ferriss‘s book ” The Four Hour Workweek,” you might benefit from his email batch technique in which he explains that you should only check your email a couple of times a day. Both of these techniques invite you to not fall into the black hole of checking emails and responding or putting out fires as they happen.

More often than not, emergencies are not emergencies. People, if left alone long enough, can usually find solutions to their problems without needing your input.

Say Yes

I often take some time to say yes to activities I have a deep desire to partake in. As “Getting to Yes with Yourself” explains, often, we are involved in conflicts or general stress in life because we have stopped listening to our inner voice. We say yes to everyone but to ourselves. Take some time and do exactly what you want to be doing and take care of your deepest inner desires.

Conclusion

Morning Routines can be beneficial if you can harness their potential power. But these methods can only work if you actively pursue to accomplish them every single day. No cheating. Try these tips for at least a month and comment below what changes you have noticed.

If you enjoyed this article, perhaps you will also enjoy my fiction writing. How about you check it out with a free book? Head over to www.relvingonzalez.com/subscribe to find out more!

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