Daily practice is hard. I did my own challenge in January, trying to either meditate or practice asana every day for 31 days and I learned a lot. About halfway through I was struggling. I was bored and didn’t want to do it. Almost every night I would say to myself “Ugh, I didn’t practice yet.” But I’d squeeze it in and I did it!
I’m currently doing this challenge created by my friend Melissa. http://www.seachangecoaching.co/ Every day for 28 days I get a meditation to listen to. They are short and organized and it’s still hard. On day six I was finding myself once again finding it difficult to make the time. It’s only a few minutes so why is such a big deal?
If you are starting a practice, here’s some advice, don’t be so hard on yourself. Detach from expectations. What that means is, let yourself be curious. Start each time with a beginner’s mind. If you say, “I am meditating in order to ____” you are limiting yourself. Instead, think, “What am I going to learn about myself today?” I found out that I’m afraid. I’m afraid sometimes of digging deeper and that’s okay because it’s freaking scary. Getting mad and judging myself won’t help anything, except perpetuating that pattern.
If you are starting a yoga program, taking your first class, reading a book on meditation, congratulations! You’ve done a big thing and you should feel very proud of yourself.