Say the word meditate and a number of images come to mind for most people.  Many resemble quiet rooms, temples, churches, low lighting, and maybe incense burning all while sitting perfectly still cross-legged. While those kinds of atmospheres are great and can certainly aid the beginning meditator in finding stillness a bit faster (perhaps), these outside elements are not necessary to find stillness. Trust me! I used to have one of those meditation spots; it was my home before I transitioned into a home with my beloved insta-family (My fiancé, 4 soon to be step-sons, a dog and cat/leopard). My previous meditation spot certainly didn't have any TV’s blaring in the background with shooter games, weed wackers seemingly coming out of nowhere mixed with the occasional dog barking as children screech and cats protesting by growling--yes growling!

Do you think this new buzzing has stopped me from having a daily meditation practice? Absolutely not! It’s solidified how necessary it is--twice a day most days. One could have easily said, "I don’t have a space to do it," (which a common excuse I get from a lot of new practitioners), but instead the practice becomes more important.

The “look” of what your practice "should be" is often important to many people. I’ve had students tell me they have spent entire meditation sessions in my office decorating their meditation space in their heads into this perfect cove of serenity. Why am I pointing this out? Because I know there’s more than one of you out there doing the exact same thing. While occasional daydreaming is a normal by-product of regular meditation, the problem here is the IF/THEN syndrome. You know what I mean. The "when I finish designing my perfect space of solitude, I’ll start meditating." The "if I get that job, I’ll finally be happy financially.""If I marry my boyfriend, then I’ll finally be happy and secure." All of these shenanigans produced by your friend, the EGO, are designed to make you stay exactly where you are. Remember, even if the future is better, chances are the Ego will resist this path at all costs if it’s different from what you are currently doing. Don’t fear the change, BE the change! (Click to tweet.) 

Push the pillows against the headboard and sit up first thing in the morning to start your practice! If your bed is good enough to sleep in, shouldn’t it be good enough to sit up and meditate in?

My point is that, like most things in life, it is all about perception. You can tell yourself you don’t have the atmosphere necessary to touch the stillness deep within yourself OR you can tell yourself you should be able to meditate anywhere and that noises are simply upping the challenge for you. It’s your choice!

Let go of these old beliefs and join me in meditating with the mantra Prani Dhana: