Rituals the Right Way
I often get asked about the “right way” to do rituals like journaling and meditation.
Honestly, there is no right way because you just can’t go wrong with doing something for yourself with the intention to grow. You get to celebrate the fact that you’re making the time for self-care! That intention is so potent and pure.
Having said that, I do want to help make the process more enjoyable for you. The more you can play with it, the more effective it will be.
I was having a conversation with a Client regarding meditation a while back. She’s recently felt the pull to start meditating after we started Coaching. This usually happens with Clients when they come into Coaching because they start listening to their inner voice more.
She said that while she has been meditating she finds it challenging to make the meditation longer.
I asked her this simple question: “You are meditating to what outcome?” as in, for what purpose?
She said “No outcome. I just feel like doing it. I don’t know enough about meditation to know what I want from it. It’s just a fun thing to do!”
So I said “If you’re just doing it for the fun of it, what if you did it just for that? To explore it, to feel it, to enjoy it. And what if, instead of putting pressure on yourself to sit for longer you just stopped meditating when it stopped feeling enjoyable?”
This made a lot of sense to her as I am sure it makes sense to you too.
What I have come to realize with my Coaching experience, is that the biggest reason people aren’t able to meditate is-
because they have a fixed idea in their mind about:
- Where it should be done.
- How to do it.
- How long to do it for.
- The environment it needs to be done in.
- How it should feel.
- That it needs to be done with eyes closed.
The truth is, all these ideas and expectations are limiting you because in the bargain you lose out on the experience entirely.
They aren’t helping you meditate. They are stopping you from making it a regular practice.
If you were to let go of all these expectations, meditation becomes accessible.
What if you just meditated when you felt like it?
What if you went in with curiosity instead of expectation?
What would happen if you think of it as a way of connecting with yourself?
Or as a love song with the Universe?
You know how much I love infusing PLAY in everything and how I always say – you are the expert on you.
Just show up with curiosity and see where it takes you! Your intuition will pave the way from there.
Here are my tips for making ritual of meditation lighter for you:
1) Meditate because you want to, not because you should. When it comes from within, it’s the right time.
2) There is no right time to meditate. Do it when it’s easy and accessible for you.
When making time to do rituals like meditation feels like pressure to you, it defeats the purpose of the practice. These rituals are here to centre you and calm you, not add more stress to your life. Take the pressure of timing off, and just see what happens if you meditate whenever you feel like it during the day.
3) Prioritise the quality of your experience. 2 seconds of pure awareness and connection in a 5-minute meditation are more powerful than no connection in a 30-minute meditation. It’s not the amount of time, it’s the quality of your intention. As you play and practice more, you might notice that on days when you can, you naturally sit for a longer meditation.
4) Every meditation may feel different and that’s okay. People sometimes feel like they need to replicate their last meditation experience. This adds a layer of expectation. Your mind and the Universe will give you what you need the most at that time. Take the expectations off, so you can receive what is meant for you.
If you’ve followed me long enough, you know I absolutely LOVE rituals.
Do you know what else I LOVE doing?
I love combining rituals because they also engage all my senses. – I’ve explained this in more detail in the caption of a reel of mine – do check it out HERE and leave me your thoughts!
You can reply in the comments if you have any questions.
Love,
Raashi
PS. Are you following me on Instagram yet? @wellnessbyraashi
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