having a hard time working meditation into a daily routine

i'd like to meditate, and to be honest, i really think i need it, but i'm having a hard time working it into my daily routine. my kids always seem to get out of bed before i do, no matter how early i set the alarm. my husband thinks it's new-age-flakey and stupid, and makes me feel self-conscious. our living environment is chaotic and cluttered, and when i try to meditate at night i always end up falling into exhausted sleep instead. any advice on overcoming these challenges? i really need to start living my values more.

 

i know what u mean im not in ur position caus eim not married or anything like that etc. but i dunno i try to get up like 30 minutes earlier then usual and use that time because ur mind is always clear in the morning and u are as refreshed as your porbably gunna get all day but thats just me u might have a different preference

 

Read "Living Meditation, Living Insight" by Dr. Thynn Thynn.

Basically the book is about how to take meditation away from the cushion.
The main things emphasised is that you should be mindful of your thoughts, emotions etc as they arise.

If you want me to give you any references to it on more specific things then feel free to ask.

I don't think it would be a copyright breach because it is published for free distributation.

Blessings

Sebbi

 

The benefits of meditation are one with you and time for you to come back to who you are. That is not even a time thing and should not be defined by time slots nor hours.

If you can not do this daily or on a regular schedule but you still find inner peace from the times that you do find then adjust your expectations at the present in your practice time regarding how much time you can free up.

Ideally, yes, it should be daily but if that is not possible then find time to set aside for you that is and follow up on this. The biggest deterent for people is finding time and then they abondon it as they feel the fail.

No one fails. You can not fail in finding you if you are looking.

Instead just find a little time for you......be it twice, three or more times a week even. The benefits of the harmony in you are not a time line they shall just be what is.

The need to meditate should be what is in you not a clock nor what is expected.

Find your own time and take that for you.

I wish for you ,some quiet time, to find you. Just a little bit of time.....

 

check out a book called buddhism for mothers a calm approach to caring for yourself and your children. I reccomend it to all mothers who want a lil peace..or all mothers in general. This book speaks to me. It talks about finding the meditation time in your bussy days.

 

.................

 

For those who work as hard as you do, karma yoga is the ideal path. The principle is simple. Do your duties. Surrender all results to the supernatural.

Everyday chant this mantra...

kaayena vaacha manasendriyaiva
budhyatmana vaq prakrite swabhavat
karomi yad yad sakalam parasmai
narayanayeti samarapayami

which means:

With body, mind, speech, senses, intellect, spirit, nature and instinct, all that I do, I offer to the Supreme Lord Narayana.

Narayana means narasya ayana or the true nature of man. Our true nature is that of the Infinite Formless Bramhan and all meditation and yoga is aimed at realising that state.

Karma Ygoa is a very effectime means of spiritual progress. Meditate whenever you can, perform karma yoga and you will see a great peace descending on yourself.

May Bhagawan shower his grace upon you.

Hari Om!

 

You know, i've had similar issues with finding time, but as many of the helpful souls here have said, meditation is not always about sitting on the cushion.

Any moment you can grab, take a second or two to meditate. I've done this for a few minutes in the shower, or while waiting for water to boil for tea, or, hell, even on the toilet. (and as a Mum I'm sure that the potty is one of your few alone moments) During these "ordinary" moments I simply clear my mind and pay attention to what I'm experiencing. I do not think actively about it, I merely observe and gently push intruding thoughts away.

Ahh! And I've found a link to the aformentioned book for you:
http://www.saigon.com/~anson/ebud/livmed/livmed_0.htm

 

Bhaskar. I that may be ideal for you, but for anyone who doesn't happen to be Hindu or doesn't like using Mantras will probably feel pretty alienated by this.

Blessings

Sebbi

 

A simple way to get away is to go to someplace where other spiritual people are and there aren't distractions, such as a local church. People usually won't bug you there if you're sitting quietly. Maybe a park, or in fact, just wherever you can go to get away for a little while. Take a small break for yourself. There's nothing bad in that, and the benefits will far outweigh other considerations. If you can't meditate in your own home in other words, then find a space somewhere else where you can. Maybe you have relatives who can give you a bit of space to meditate. Then you can say, "Hey, I'm visiting my mother/aunt/ex-husband for while, I'll be back in a bit."