After hearing and reading about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness, I was sold. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits recommends starting a meditation practice with only two minutes a day. I tried it and was hooked after only a couple of weeks of using the Leo’s simple two-minute method.
I believe many will find this method useful for jump starting their own meditation habit.
Once I was attempting to begin a writing habit. To be a writer one must write. I took a writing class, and one assignment was to write for 60 minutes a day. I understood the benefit of that exercise. However, for me 60 minutes became an insurmountable barrier to writing. I’d avoid it when I couldn’t carve out 60 minutes, which was often. Consequently, I never completed the class.
However, I did later begin a habit of writing for 15 minutes a day. I could do this reasonably for four to five days a week and committed to it. Indeed, I found myself writing 30 to 40 minutes for many of my “15-minute” sessions. For myself, committing to a small goal was more effective.
I suspect the same is true for many of you. That’s why I recommend beginning meditation with only two minutes a day. It’s more important to develop the habit and not shy away from it because you think you have to start with 10, 15, or 20 minutes a day. For some that becomes no habit at all.
