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Are you experiencing ups and downs? If yes, that makes you humans. Our mood swing is often demotivates us from sticking to your guns. That often happens from doing your housework to hitting the gym. Motivation is an inexpensive fuel that drives us to keep going.

The best motivation to meditate is to think of its health benefits. If your goal is to improve mood, focus or reduces stress and even severe pain, meditation has proven benefits according to many studies. Other elements including time, space, music and support may get you motivated to meditate.

Meditation comes in different forms and styles. For novices like you and including me who simply want to test the water and see how far can we go. To begin is the most crucial part. So how can we get more motivated to meditate?

How Do I Get Motivated to Meditate

Meditation promises a lot of benefits. But the ugly truth is that how are we going to put the puzzles together to see how and why to make it work. We have divided these steps into three parts: before, during and after meditation.

Before meditation

• Identify your goals
• Schedule it
• Set a meditation space
• Invite others
• Consider its benefits

During meditation

• Declutter space
• Put gadgets down
• Use sounds & light
• Say your mantra
• Proper postures
• Meditate while moving

After meditation

• Drink tea
• Write a meditation diary
• Show how you feel

Motivation before you meditate

Warming-up is very pivotal for you to get started in doing something. Being able to get motivate is the key to succeed. Consider applying these tips below before you stated meditation.

Identify your meditation goals

Our goals in meditation vary from one person to another. There are many reasons why people meditate, including:

• to boost and mood
• to improve sleep
• to reduce stress
• to improve concentration and focus
• to reflect and contemplate
• to improve productivity
• to impact attention
• to alleviate pain
• to feel good
• to improve quality of life

Ultimately, most of these goals are likely achievable based on studies. Being able to identify your meditation goal is the very first step to get you motivated.

Findings suggest that practice of a simple meditation or music listening program may improve stress, mood, well-being, sleep, and quality of life.

National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Schedule it

Set aside time for meditation. The best time to meditate is very early in the morning when everyone in the house is still asleep. The world is so silent and ideal for a brief meditation.

For very beginners, you do not need to 20-minute meditation because it seems like forever for novice like me. 10 minutes should be good enough to get started. It is best if you can schedule and practice this brief meditation it twice a day.

Set a meditation space

Meditation room can be helpful. Identifying this space is good for the success of your meditation plan. There are many places where you can set up your meditation space.

• home
• office
• park
• nature
• beach
• spa
• gym sauna

In choosing a meditation space, make sure that it’s sustainable and flexible. For example, if you are working nine-to-five then you may want to set up your meditation space in your office. There are many ways to make it happen, check out our latest post on how to create meditation space in your office. You are free to decorate your own meditation space. Try to be resourceful and creative.

Invite others

Why not ask your partner to join your meditation session? Isn’t it more motivating to do something together with someone else. Although the idea of meditation is to be mindful, the presence of a friend or a colleague might be beneficial particularly in encouraging you to keep trying.

For some of us who prefer doing things on our own, that’s completely acceptable. If we opt this way, informing your colleagues or family members about your meditation schedule and plans won’t hurt you; in fact, they may respect more your privacy for your mantra.

Consider meditation benefits

This is the best part of practicing meditation. Many studies have shown significant impacts on human life. Daily meditation is proven to improve our overall health and wellness.

Proven Benefits of Daily Meditation

1. Improves cognitive functions
2. Experiences less anxiety
3. Decreases addiction to cigarette
4. Protects against mental diseases
5. Reverses aging process
6. Enhances concentration level
7. Regulates cholesterol level
8. Maintains healthy blood pressure
9. Promotes sleep
10. Reduces pain
11. Promotes healthy heart
12. Increases energy

Motivation while motivating

After warming ourselves up, it’s time to dive into meditation world. During the meditation period, there are things to consider for a more calming meditation session.

Declutter your space

Your space might be blamed why you can’t simply focus on your meditation. Remember that you have agreed to set time for this 5-10 minute session. So whatever you are doing, please try to stop and focus on your breathing.

The stack of paper on your desk may not really motivating for you to concentrate. Organize and file them in your cabinet. Make your desk or meditation space free from any distractions.

Put your gadgets down

Your notification keeps on beeping. This doesn’t sound a meditation at all. Meditation in the first place is for you to be mindful and focus on your breathing and sensations. Your gadgets are your worst enemy when meditating. Turn if off or at least keep it away from you for at least 5 minutes. That’s all you need.

Use sounds & light

In recent studies, listening to music while meditating helps you to meditate better. There are many kinds of meditation music that you can listen to such as instrumental, classical, nature or mantra music. Music in meditation is also proven to improve your sleep and stress.

Lights on one hand has an equivalent effect when meditating. As much as possible try to get natural light from the sun. Stay near the window. It will not only light your world, you might also be lucky to get a view of nature.

Say your mantra

Mantra meditation is also perfect because it is you who are creating your music by saying you repeated words or mantra.

This kind of meditation uses a lot of repetitive sounds and music at the same time. Those followers of mantra meditation usually make their mantra or sound when they meditate. The most common mantra is “Om.”

Mantra meditation is so experiential and active form of meditation especially if you want to stay focused and awake. It is perfect for those who are into sounds because the music is coming from within. You are actually the one making music which is an expression of your body, mind and soul.

Proper postures

Your motivation may seem not right because of how you position yourself when meditating. Lying position might work for some but it works differently for novice like us. Lying down on a meditation mat in my experience usually lull me to sleep. So unless you are expert, you can practice this position.

The most important position is how to sit steadily and comfortably. This might sound easy but in practice it’s the way around. I can sit comfortably but I can’t be steady. It is a must for us to adopt a good sitting posture. There are sitting positions that can you try and see where you can feel both steady and comfortable.

7 Meditation sitting position

1. full lotus
2. half lotus
3. Burmese
4. crossed-leg
5. on a stool
6. Seiza sitting on heel
7. on a chair

Meditate while moving

Meditating for some people sometimes associate it with sleeping. That’s pretty normal. I was on the same shoes some years ago before I came with the idea of combining meditation and light body motions.

Various combinations of simple light and repetitive forms of motions and mindfulness can be considered as movement meditation. Moving meditation focuses on being mindful by feeling all your senses of your body movement rather than the activity itself. Breathe in and out deeply and let your full body and mind focus on your flow.

There are many ways that you can do to move and meditate at the same time.

• Walking
• Swimming
• Trekking
• Gardening
• Painting
• Qigong
• Tai-Chi
• Yoga

Motivation after you meditate

Job well done! We have successfully finished our productive meditation session. Now it’s time to reward yourself for being able to be mindful and focused during meditation.Why not invigorate your after-meditation sessions with these tips below.

Drink tea

Green tea and it polyphenols have been associated with many health benefits according to major studies. Drinking tea can be a good practice in corporation with your meditation. The warmth of coffee, its aroma and mild taste give us a full sensation with its soothing effect.

Mediterranean and Asian diets comprised of different polyphenols, including green tea, are now being widely accepted because of their enormous health benefits, including protective effects against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

National Library of Medicine
National Center for Biotechnology Information

Drinking tea is ideal before and after meditation. For sleepy head, the caffeine of green tea can wake you up and prepare your head for a 10-minute meditation. There are other kinds of tea that you can try if you a lighter and milder effect.

Best Tea for Meditation

1. Jasmine tea
2. Artichoke tea
3. Lotus flower tea
4. Chamomile tea
5. Ginger and turmeric tea
6. Lavender tea
7. Cinnamon tea
8. Magnolia bark tea
9. Passion flower tea
10. Peppermint tea

Write a meditation journal

Keeping a meditation diary works for novice and experts. What are the benefits of writing a meditation diary?

1. Set your goals and plans
2. Record your meditation timing and duration
3. Jot down how your space helps
4. Identify your music and mantra
5. Identify body pains if wrong posture
6. Write down your moods and feelings
7. Make a plan for your next meditation

When I was new in meditation, I have made lots of these mental pictures in my mind. I wish I had recorded all of them. The recordings will be very useful for you to improve your meditation every time.

Show how you feel

I can’t describe how I feel after meditation. When we sleep, it takes seven hours or more. When we meditate, it only takes 10 minutes but its effect is actually surprising. I always feel refreshed and rejuvenated after practicing 10-minute meditation.

For people with existing illnesses and diseases, meditation is also known to be beneficial for them based on a study. It is undebatable and questionable how meditation share our mind and body better and calmer.

Meditation and mindfulness skills led to improved sleep, greater relaxation, and more-accepting approaches to illness and illness experience. 

National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Why is it so hard for me to meditate?

Meditation can be hard for many beginners apropos to different factors including meditation duration, space, position and environment. Keeping a meditation journal will help you identify what holds you back.

Your choice of meditation type along with its rules and practices is the key factor why meditation can be hard for many people. For very beginners, the best solution is to practice brief meditation and focus more on breathing rather than sticking to any meditation rules and practices.

Brief meditation is proven by science to improve attention. Do not forget to record your timing in your meditation journal. Let’s say you may start with 5 minutes on your first month and increase it up to 10 minutes on the following month. As you progress, you will pick up naturally other elements and practices of meditation which are suggested by many meditation experts.

Current studies expand our understanding of the initial effects of brief meditation, and suggest that brief meditation impacts attention even in novice practitioners.

National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

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