My meditation practice: the shape of things to come (the first week).

Although I meditate for years now, I've never done it as a habit, let alone doing it on a daily basis. It just never was... exciting enough.

But this has changed when I recently discovered an Android app called Meditation Assistant - which generally allows You to record the timing of Your session, track their streaks (if You meditate - or would like to - daily) and share them with other meditating people.

The latter feature I find especially amazing because using it Your meditation practice gains an extra dimension: in a way You may feel as if You are in a group of beings sharing Your interests. It is an especially nice feeling when You are - let's say - meditating late night, there is so calm and quiet around, almost like You are the only person in the world - but then You open the Community screen in the app and see that there are a whole bunch of people accompanying You in the practice.

Moreover, it is nicely connected with the feature of tracking meditation streak (a number of consecutive days with at least one session per day) - so that You can see both who has just meditated and how long he or she meditates on a daily basis now.

As You may guess it may be also a great tool to inspire, motivate or even excite You on the idea of meditating daily. As I've mentioned earlier, I haven't done that before - but this small app amazingly triggered Me to do so :) (!) - so I've begun meditation as a (daily) habit for the first time in this life :) - and I feel excited thinking of the possible way of how it could affect My Being, especially in the long run (during My sessions I often focus on this awareness of the impact I'm building and developing this way - day by day - this is a very positive and energizing thought).

How I perceive the power of habit here? I suppose it may significantly influence:

• the Inner Peace,
• balance,
• emotional independence;

In other words I believe that this way I can develop the Inner Peace "inside Me", both making it "wider" and giving it more strength (it nicely reminds Me of "the cathedral association" - in which I visualize My Inner Peace as a spacious cathedral which I've just entered - see "What meditation can bring into your life?" in My free meditation e-book).

The Inner Peace, however, is one part among others which make up Your Being - or vibration. Probably You often handle some set of diversified - "themed" - energies: some stronger, some weaker - some more significant, the other more "in the shadow" - but there is usually some overall mixture of them. If You don't pay attention to this, those energies can easily "take You over". so to speak, leading You "which way the wind blows". But if You used to pay attention - You know that it is like a constant and careful management (almost like being surrounded by a group of children of a pretty diversified characters). Each "child" requires a separate, dedicate approach from Your side to handle it in the most proper way. And, more importantly, You need to constantly maintain the bigger picture in mind - for You to always know how balanced all the children are. What dominates? Is any inappropriate behavior there? And, especially: do they live together in peace, in general consent? This is Your balance.

The latter one is independence, the emotional independence. It is - in a way - a thing similar to the balance described above, but this time it's more about emotions/moods. How do You feel right now? How do You feel while experiencing various things? And, especially: how it affects You? What power it has on You? To what extent external circumstances may affect Your Being? How often You really are able to distinguish: what is Yours, and what's not? Remember that: emotions are just indicators of the nature of Your current experience - especially in relation to Your Own nature. So be careful of what You consider so important that You allow Yourself to integrate as a part of Your Own state of being in the moment.

Back to My very beginning of the current meditation streak, the very first attempt of meditating daily - I have one more thought to share with You: I discovered that meditation can be used to facilitate Your falling asleep process. Although it is often pointed out that Your mind should be awake and aware while meditating, and You should shape Your meditation practice as something distinguished from regular relaxation overnight in order to fall asleep - You can still use it as a facilitating tool in this regard. Maybe it won't be available for You on the very beginning of Your practice, but as soon as You learn Your mind/body not to treat meditation as a synonym of falling asleep - Your window of opportunity is wide open: now You may use meditation both to meditate and to fall asleep as well. Moreover, it could be a surprising, new and refreshing approach: to fall asleep this way. Maybe it will even help You to set up of what will You be dreaming about this night? :) (because it is much easier "to plant" anything in Your subconscious while meditation state) So, be brave to use meditation as a tool to turn in ;) .