Today I began a 40-day home meditation retreat, and I’m inviting you to join me. Forty minutes a day for forty days.
It’s best to practice early in the morning while the world is still asleep and ideally at the same time each day, so that you can develop a routine. But if that is absolutely impossible, just practice each day for as long as you can.
Here are a some of my favorite resources to support a retreat at home and develop a daily practice.
1. Winter Feast for the Soul begins on January 13 and is inspired by the notion of 40 minutes a day for 40 days. They offer a daily guided meditation practice. It’s an excellent opportunity to listen along and receive instruction on working with the breath, the body, and the mind. They also have an archive of meditations (from a variety of faiths) if you’d like to start earlier. Sign up here: winterfeastforthesoul.com
2. Susan Piver, author and teacher, created The Open Heart Project. She offers meditation videos each week and also is a fantastic resource to develop a daily practice. You can sign up for the free program or pay to be included in the practitioner level (well worth the small investment) here: susanpiver.com
3. Yoga Glo is an online resource for yoga classes at home that you can stream. They have a great resource for guided meditation instruction, with anywhere from 1-minute to 45-minute practices. Sign up here: www.yogaglo.com
4. If you’ve never meditated or would like a refresher, reach out to me and I would be happy to offer you personal one-on-one meditation instruction.
5. You can also just sit without any other tools and work with what arises. Whether you sit with a guided practice or not, just remember to practice. Show up each day and keep it simple.
Some simple tips to creating a daily meditation practice:
Commit to a set duration.
Decide what time you will practice each day and keep to it.
Set a timer for your practice so you can let go.
Create a space for your daily practice: a cushion, chair, or something that you set up specifically for this practice.
Make this a ritual ~ do you light a candle, burn some incense, ring a singing bowl? Engage in the sit and treat this time like an artist would.
If you miss a day, start up the next day. This isn’t boot camp. But it is about cultivating discipline. Breathe into your resistance.
Reach out for support. I’m here and available for whatever arises.
Be open to what comes up ~ on the cushion and off. Don’t be afraid of who you are.
Join the Sangha During the forty days, I invite you to do a daily practice and share your stories, concerns, and questions with me. Once a week, I’ll send a letter to the group and offer the collective wisdom back to the whole. All stories will remain private. If you’d like to be included, please email me.
I’m excited to do this with you, my friends. Congratulations on getting through 2012. Let’s wake up in 2013.
Love, denmo
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