Many people know the benefits to having a regular time to meditate each day but simply don't do it. Some belief gets in the way of them actually meditating on a regular basis.

Some big beliefs that keep people from meditating are...
1. Don't have the time or the privacy
2. Don't know how
3. Don't feel the benefits when I do it
4. Can't sit still
5. Can't still my mind when I do sit down to do it

And there are many more beliefs that keep people from meditating.

So what would be a stronger reason to meditate than to not do it?

It's pretty simple for Susie.

It just makes her feel better--physically, mentally and emotionally--and because she feels more "centered," she's kinder to the people in her life.

Here are some pointers if you want to start doing some sort of meditating every day...

1. Choose a time during the day when you feel a drop in your energy level and a time that works with your schedule. Susie usually starts feeling a drop in energy around 4:30pm each day so that is a perfect time for her to do a meditating "pick-me-up." Other people find that the first thing in the morning or right before they go to bed works for them.

2. If you aren't used to meditating, start small. Start by taking 15 minutes and calling it your investment time in yourself. Find a quiet place (if you can't find one, create one) and tell everyone that you don't want to be disturbed during this time. Use an ordinary kitchen timer to monitor your time for you.

Remember how the flight attendants tell you in case of emergency to put your oxygen mask on first before helping others with theirs? If you take some time each day to renew you, you will be better with others. Take our word for it--we've seen it in action many, many times.

3. Meditation doesn't have to be sitting in one spot, in a lotus position and not moving. You can develop a moving meditation practice as long as you are allowing your mind to clear from your thoughts and worries. Otto goes out to a spot in nature that he loves and either walks or sits there. To an observer, what he's doing may not look like meditation but he always comes back renewed. So experiment and find a way that works for you. Susie usually sits for her meditation time but in a chair with both feet on the floor or sometimes even in bed.

4. Don't expect to be perfect at clearing the thoughts from your mind. As the Buddhist nun Pema Chodron has said in her books and audios, she's been meditating for over 30 years and even she has trouble clearing her mind of thoughts for more than a few seconds at times. So forget perfection and just go for allowing the thoughts, beliefs and ideas that you are holding in your body to relax their grip on you.

After a few minutes of just sitting, breathing and moving her attention into the center of her body, Susie feels her body relaxing. She's always surprised to observe that she had been holding tension that she hadn't been aware of.

So if you've never tried meditation (or maybe you have many times) and the word might even conjure up negativity in your mind, shift it to your time of renewal and the time that you are investing in you--to help you become
a better person.

We wish you much joy and happiness this week and hope these tips help you feel better in your life.