A Step-by-step guide to forming a life-long meditation habit

Step 1: What is your ideal version of ‘You’?

Write it down.

I realize heaven inside me.

I realize God in me.

I help others realize heaven inside them.

Step 2: List down your habits to achieve your ideal version of you

I meditate.

I exercise.

I do the relaxation exercise.

I do kayakalpa yoga.

I introspect in silence.

Step 3: Fix a frequency for your habits

I meditate daily.

I exercise daily.

I do kayakalpa yoga daily.

I do relaxation exercise daily.

I introspect in silence daily.

Step 4: Fix a time for each habit

I meditate daily for 30 minutes at 5:30 am.

I exercise daily for 40 minutes at 6:00 am.

I do kayakalpa yoga daily for 5 minutes at 6:00 am.

I do relaxation exercise daily for 15 minutes at 6:40 am.

I introspect in silence daily for 30 minutes at 7:00 am.

Step 5: Fix a location for each habit

I meditate daily for 30 minutes at 5:30 am in my room.

I exercise daily for 40 minutes at 6:00 am in my room.

I do kayakalpa yoga daily for 5 minutes at 6:00 am in my room.

I do relaxation exercise daily for 15 minutes at 6:40 am in my room.

I introspect in silence daily for 30 minutes at 7:00 am in my room.

Step 6: Use habit stacking

I meditate daily for 30 minutes at 5:30 am in my room as soon as I wake up before checking my phone.

I exercise daily for 40 minutes at 6:00 am in my room after I finish my meditation.

I do kayakalpa yoga daily for 5 minutes at 6:00 am in my room along with exercises.

I do relaxation exercise daily for 15 minutes at 6:40 am in my room in my bedroom after my exercises.

I introspect in silence daily for 30 minutes at 7:00 am in my room meditation room after relaxation.

Step 7: Make it attractive

I meditate daily for 30 minutes at 5:30 am in my room as soon as I wake up before checking my phones along with 300+ meditators through Aliyar IT zoom program.

I exercise daily for 40 minutes at 6:00 am in my room after I finish my meditation along with other exercisers through Aliyar IT zoom program.

I do kayakalpa yoga daily for 5 minutes at 6:00 am in my room along with exercises along with other exercisers through Aliyar IT zoom program.

I do relaxation exercise daily for 15 minutes at 6:40 am in my room in my bedroom after my exercises along with other exercisers through Aliyar IT zoom program.

I introspect in silence daily for 30 minutes at 7:00 am in my room meditation room after relaxation and write my blog, record a podcast and share it with fellow spiritual practitioners.

Form a habit coaching group on WhatsApp along with fellow meditators from my Vethathiri SKY Yoga centre and publish my habit ritual after I finish my morning habits. Encourage others to do the same and form a culture of meditation habits.

Step 8: Make it easy

Reduce friction. Reduce the number of steps. Meditate as soon as you wake up. Your mind will not be distracted. Easy to achieve the habit.

Exercise as soon as you finish the meditation. Easy to remember and practice.

Step 9: Prime the environment

Prepare your environment to make future actions easier.

Meditate in a specially prepared environment where you do not do any other activity.

Every time you look at the place, your brain will remind itself that you must meditate here.

Step 10: Master the decisive moment

Optimise the small choices that deliver outsized impact.

Prepare a meditation mat the previous night before going to bed.

Get out of bed with an alarm.

Go to the washroom and wash your face.

Sit on the meditation mat.

Focus on the ritual of sitting on the mat and not on your meditation habit.

Your meditation will be automatic.

Step 11: Use the Two-Minute rule

Meditate for two minutes or less at a time.

Slowly increase it.

For example, you can meditate in Ajna for two minutes, Thuriyam for two minutes, etc.

Nine-center meditation is easy because your brain will find it interesting to meditate in each chakra for not more than one or two minutes at a time.

Pancha bootha navagraha meditation is also easy to train the brain.

Step 12: Automate your habits

I join the Aliyar IT Zoom meditation program at 5:15 a.m.

My habit is automatic after that.

I don’t need to train my brain to do anything at all.

Step 13: Use reinforcement

Give yourself an immediate reward when you complete your habit.

My reward is sitting down to record my podcast/write my blog and share it with the world. Once I finish my meditation, I sit down to record. My voice is strong early in the morning. My thoughts are clear, my ideas are lucid, and my words are precise.

After finishing my morning meditation, I have my first cup of Kashmiri Kawah or herbal tea.

Step 14: Make ‘doing nothing’ enjoyable

When avoiding a bad habit, design a way to see the benefits.

I keep my to-do list in the Microsoft To-Do app. I compare my meditation days and non-meditation days. My meditation days are super productive. My belief strengthens when I see my productivity shoot up.

Step 15: Use a Habit Tracker

I also use an app called HabitBull on my phone. It is free. Easy to track my habits. Just a tick against each habit reinforces my belief and practice.

Step 16: Never miss twice

When you forget to do a habit, ensure you get back on track immediately.

I usually confess with someone close to me. I ask them to be my conscious keeper. I tell them I missed my meditation once but will do it the next day without fail and inform them. I sometimes speak to Swamiji and promise him if I frequently forget my meditation habit. It helps me to stay on track.

Bonus Step: How to break a bad habit?

A. Make it invisible

Reduce exposure. Remove the cues of your bad habits from your environment.

I hide my phone away from me when I meditate.

I put it on aeroplane mode.

Notifications are off.

B. Make it unattractive

Reframe your mindset. Highlight the benefits of avoiding your bad habits.

I introspect for 30 minutes a day nowadays. Before I go to bed, I think about my bad habits and resolve to form new ones instead of old ones. I remember my vision to help others find the heaven inside them. It keeps me motivated.

C. Make it difficult

Increase friction. Increase the number of steps between you and your bad habits.

I keep my phone as far away as possible in the morning, so it is not easy for me to pick it up. I invariably pick it up and check messages if it is near me. It disrupts my exercise routine. When my phone is kept in another room, I have the inertia to get up and walk to the next room to use it. I focus better on my morning routine.

D. Make it unsatisfying

Get an accountability partner. Ask someone to watch your behaviour.

I had a few accountability partners when forming my morning meditation habit.

I agreed to pay Rs.100/- each time I missed my habit. It works like magic.

Did I miss any steps?

Let me know in the comments below.

Remember, I am here to help you succeed.

Love you very much.

Be Blessed by the Divine
Krish Murali Eswar.

தினசரி தியானம் செய்ய எளிய வழிகள்