Day 12

Take me back to the lesson for Day 11

Here's your suggested reading from Bliss More:

 Read the rest of Chapter 6 (audiobook chapter 10) about the fundamentals (3 mins)

They say "Timing is everything..."

When forging the daily meditation habit, the timing of your meditations can either put you on the fast track or slow track. When should I meditate? How many times a day? How long should I meditate? What's the best way to time my mediations?

These are great questions to ask when starting a new mediation practice. The E.A.S.Y approach lays out specific recommendations on timing so you get the most from your practice (make sure to do the reading for the best practices). By following these guidelines you will be on the fast track to progress. 

E.A.S.Y Timing

When ?

• Once or twice a day

• Definitely once in the morning, and again if you can in the afternoon or early evening

Length? 

• 15 to 20 mins each time

• No more than 40 mins for the entire day

How to time?

• Use a clock or watch and place it in your line of site

• Or, use a very soft alarm

Today's Challenge:

Sometimes when we meditate we loose track of how long we have been meditating, or we do the opposite and obsess over how much time we have left. But, with more experience, our bodies will naturally know when about 10, 15, or 20 minutes have passed.

Today, you are going to experiment with meditating for 20 minutes without setting an alarm or timer, and letting your body's internal clock do the work of tracking the time. You can just eyeball the clock whenever you get curious about the time.

Calculate your finish time

At the top of your meditation, look at the clock and add 20 minutes to your start time—that's your finish time. Now close your eyes and meditate for what you feel is 20 minutes, and give yourself permission to peek at the clock as often as you'd like until you see that time is up.

Assessment

Did you under- or over-meditate before you looked at the time? And how long did the 20 minutes feel to you? Longer or shorter than 20 minutes?

Some days 20 minutes will fly by and other days 20 minutes will feel like 40 minutes. It's important to not judge either of these experiences. The important thing is to remain E.A.S.Y. about checking the time. If you can, try meditating twice today to give yourself more practice.

Accountability Exercise

Post an image that represents how the time felt in meditation—fast like a bullet train, or slow like molasses. Even if it went slowly, it doesn't mean the meditation was ineffective. You'll see why as we continue the challenge. Also, take an extra minute to "like" some of the other posts under the #blissmorechallenge hashtag and "like" or encourage a few others. Make sure to tag #blissmore and #blissmorechallenge on your post.

Sample accountability post

Wanna get a head start on tomorrow's reading?

Start reading Chapter 7 (Chapter 11 in the audiobook) up through The Discovery of the White Coat Phenomenon (7 mins) 

(Follow #blissmore to see everyone’s progress)