Spirituality

8 Point Checklist for Meditation

How difficult can meditation be? All you have to do is, sit down, close your eyes and not think about anything. Easier said than done. Sitting down for meditation can be one of the most challenging things.

To help you achieve that perfect mind-body-soul balance during meditation, we have created a list and a to-do checklist before starting your daily meditation practice. Following this list will create your pre-meditation ritual, which will help you get in the zone, shifting your mind to focus and calm. Let us take a look at the pre-mediation checklist.

Pre-mediation checklist

1. Preparing the space. 

 If you have a separate room for the prayers, it will be the best place for meditation. You can keep the photos, images, or Vigrahas (Idols) of your Ishta Devatas and Guru. It is better if the prayer room is devoid of outside noises like radio, television, etc.

2. Selecting the right time for meditation.

 Some scriptures say that one should meditate on all the four Sandhya Kalas (auspicious time of 6 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM, and 12 AM.) In our busy schedule, it is not always easy to have four dedicated time slots for it, and hence, we should meditate on a specific time every day, may it be in the morning or during the evening. Brahma Muhurta (half hour before the dawn) is considered as the best time for meditation

3. Preparing the body.

 One should not eat anything at least three hours before meditation. The uncleaned body often leads to distraction. If you plan to meditate at Brahma Muhurta, you should brush your teeth and take a bath to cleanse the body. You can drink little water or milk to keep the stomach calm yet not complete for the meditation.

4. Clothes. 

 It is imperative to wear soft, clean, and comfortable clothes when you meditate. Meditation needs deep inhaling and exhaling. You should wear loose clothes and avoid tight clothing, which will restrict your movements, especially around your chest or abdomen area, in order to breathe freely. While selecting your clothes, take geography, time, condition, and weather in mind.

5. Seating. 

 Patanjali, the legendary Yoga maestro, says ‘स्थिर सुखम आसनम’ (Sthira Sukham Asanam), which means one must practice meditation in a stable and relaxed manner. Traditionally, one should sit on the floor for meditation, and however, if you are not comfortable sitting on the floor for longer durations, you can sit on the chair as well.

Instead of sitting directly on a cold floor, one can sit on the rug. In order to keep the spine straight, one should avoid meditating on the soft mattress as it may sag and alter your sitting posture.        

6. Removing the distractions.

 Silence your phone, TV, pets, and computer feeds. Visit the bathroom before meditation and take care of some timely chores that might be nagging you during the meditation. If something or someone is bothering you, pray to the Divine seeking forgiveness or strength to forgive them. This will help you clear your conscience and focus on meditation.

7. Intentions. 

 Intentions are like GPS, which guides you in your meditations. Sankalp, goals, or intentions are like guiding principles that act as a driving force behind your meditation. If you can bring your intentions to the forefront of your heart, Divinity and the universal powers align with your mind, body, and soul, making your pure intentions a success. Writing down your intentions helps make that self-commitment and maintain focus.

8. Commitment.

 For beginners, all you have to do is commit just 2 minutes from the entire day. You can decide on the general time for the meditation, if not the exact time. Do not expect a miracle in one week, as these things take time, but commitment will help you stay on track. It is straightforward to sit for a few minutes and get up from meditation at the beginning. Nevertheless, as you go deep in meditation, you must commit to more prolonged and particular time durations to progress further in spirituality.    

If you are a beginner, following all these eight-pointers might not be possible for you. However, we would suggest giving each of them a try, and experimenting, coming out with your own pre-meditation preferred checklist. Please remember that even if you forget a few of the above pointers, have some self-compassion and patience to develop the practice.  

No fancy gadgets, no dedicated place, or no dedicated time. You can meditate while sitting on a train. You can practice it in your bed, or you can do it while on the office break. That’s the simple beauty of meditation. Being said, if you want to put this practice into your daily routine, you should set yourself up, being physically, mentally, and spiritually prepared for it.      

Even though there is plenty of stuff available on how to prepare for meditation, it is highly recommended that one practice these meditation practices and Mantra chanting under the supervision of an expert or a Guru. 

Please feel free to reach out in the comments below, via email, on Facebook, or over Instagram to tell us what you’ve found the most helpful in your own practice!
We hope this blog helped you to gain insight into the pre-mediation checklist. To stay connected and receive information about spirituality, please subscribe to our mailing list. In case of any queries, please write to us at info@chamundaswamiji.com. You can check out our YouTube channel Chamunda Swamiji where you can learn Tantra, Mantra, Yantra, and Meditation from His Holiness Shri Chamunda Swamiji.