How to start out a meditation session strongly? (Snowball effect)
So last night I came to this conclusion that a lot of what I do in the past has an effect on what I do in the present. While this can apply to the long term, it also can apply to the short term. Like if one day I sleep in late, that causes me to skip some of my morning routine, and then I tend to make poorer decisions (with regards to productivity and mindfulness) throughout the day.
It's like a snowball effect. And you have to be mindful of what you're snowballing. Sometimes it's the stuff you want (snow) and sometimes it's the stuff you don't want... (In that case you're more like a dung beetle, lol)
And then this morning I came to the conclusion that this snowball effect also applies to a single meditation session. And a lot of the time I don't take the start of the session seriously enough, leading to a poorer session overall.
How do you start your meditation? I want to optimize the way I go about my morning mindfulness, and which will further snowball into the rest of my day
Posted Apr 15, 2018, 2:11 PM UTC
A good way to start meditation is dedicating what you are going to do; you can dedicate to maybe sick people, or people in need, or even for the enlightenment of all sentient being. What is important is having an altruistic frame of mind.
I like this idea. I was just about to sit so I think I’ll give it a shot.
Thank you, brother or sister.
So essentially you remind yourself for the reason that you're choosing to meditate? That sounds pretty easy! For how long do you dedicate those thoughts? Until it feels right, I'd assume
Yes, that is exactly the point, reminding yourself of the reason you are doing what you are doing, and giving to it an altruistic purpose, that goes beyond the self. It is widely practiced in Buddhist meditation, you can just devote a couple of minutes to it, just to set the mood of your mind.