By George A. Boyd © 2020
Q: How can I develop a regular meditation practice?
A: You need to identify a congruent strategy that enables you to sustain a regular meditation practice. Seven major strategies that chelas of different meditation traditions adopt include:
- Doing meditation under the teacher’s commandment (Agya) – Disciples meditate in obedience to their Guru and out of fear of displeasing their Master. These disciples develop strong discipline and use their will to overcome inner resistance or laziness.
- Asking intuition – In this strategy, you ask your intuition and Higher Self whether it is time to meditate. This inward-looking, curious, and expectant mindset invites the guidance of the Soul.
- Inspired reading – This strategy involves reading materials from the lineage’s teachers, or listening to audio or video recordings of their Master to inspire disciples to meditate. In the Mudrashram® tradition, this involves listening to the inspired guidance in our Light Sittings, listening to Question and Answer recordings, reading books channeled from the Swamis, studying the Mudrashram® Correspondence Course, or receiving a Soul Attunement Guidance Channeling. My third teacher, Sant Darshan Singh, encouraged his chelas to read selections from the writings of the Sant Mat Masters to evoke the desire to meditate.
- Spontaneous meditation – This meditation is not a voluntary, “choosing to meditate.” The spirit calls you to meditate and you are simply pulled into the slipstream of your spirit opening the Path within. I experienced this when I studied with my second teacher, Sat Guru Balyogeshwar Paramahansa: my spirit irresistibly drew my attention into the state of meditation, where I was led to open and contemplate the four channels of the Nada on the Seventh Transcendental Path.
- Planning meditation into your day – In this strategy, you schedule meditation every day, and you develop the habit of meditating at the same time. Going on a meditation retreat where there is a structured schedule of meditation can help you develop these habits.
- Strong devotion and longing for Liberation – Powerful Bhakti—love for God and a desire to be free from the bondage of the world—drives some disciples to meditate with great zeal. Those who have this gift of devotion take every unoccupied moment to meditate.
- Connection with the inner Master – In this variety, you do meditation when you commune with the guide form of your spiritual Master on the inner Planes. You might receive some inspired guidance and direction from your guide, and then, you do specific meditations, as the guide directs you.
You may notice that you resonate with one or more of these strategies. Whichever of these strategies you choose, it is important to do meditation daily. When you wake up in the morning, think about how you will bring meditation into your day. Ask yourself: “When will I do this?” Feel your motivation for doing meditation. Remember your goal for this session of meditation.
Those who first begin to meditate find there are many distractions that make it hard to pursue their contemplative practice. However, with further practice and deeper experience of the insight, love, and bliss of meditation, you will develop a strong desire to go deeper, to explore the next level, and to progress into your next level of spiritual growth.
