EA mindfulness course journal

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Goal

6 months from now, I intend to sit for at least 10 minutes each day.

When

I will meditate as the beginning of my work day. That is, at 10.00 every morning as a formal intro into work routine.

Trigger

My trigger to start meditation will be closing doors, tidying my bed and turning my computer on

Length of practice

I will meditate for 5 minutes every day, until I’ll feel it is easy to do.

Place

I will meditate in my bedroom on my cushion. TODO check out the direction.

Practice type

concentration or insight (in order of priority)
guided by myself a few of my favourite recordings.

Action to establish practice

  • keep an open mind and approach it without any stress
  • be open to Kalvis about it and when not to intrude to do it communaly

My intention

I love my life!
I am a kind and wise person to everyone in my life.
I am a strong person that takes cares of myself and people around me.

Motivation

For my own personal benefit

  • I want to be connected with my inner self
  • Be in control of my intentions, attitudes and the parts of my life I can control
  • I want to be a content person and work with my anxieties and stresses in longterm

For the benefit of people close to me

  • be a more forgiving and thoughtful person to others
  • be a truly good friend who supports and respects

For the benefit of the wider world

  • increase the amount of good emotions in the world

Obstacles

  1. lack of routine
  2. laziness
  3. lack of community and uplifters when I have a hard time

Sustain my practice

Community

  • ask Kalvis does he want to meet up once a week to meditate
  • propose to Kalvis to meditate together once a week
  • get in a meditator club/group who do it weekly/bi-weekly or monthly
  • respond to Ollie’s offer and join EA meditators once a month

Resilience and contingency plan

What is most likely to derail your practice in the future?

[x] Seasonal change in schedule/routine
[x] Dips in motivation to practice
[x] Travel

What would be the most challenging combination of things that could happen to derail your practice?

  • Huge changes and no schedule at all on my day.
  • The biggest - getting kids.

What will you do to ensure you maintain your practice, in the face of the above?

  • Tie it to fundamental parts of my day (tidying my bed)
  • Be content with very short meditations
  • Ask for support from friends and family

Would you be surprised if this plan fails?

Not exatcly surprised, but sad, yes.

How can you rework your plan so that you would be surprised if it fails?

  • Back down even more on my requirements (really, 1 minute meditation per day)

What actions am I going to take to maintain a long-term consistent daily practice?

  • I could insert a dopamine system - checkbox something or add a sticker for every successful day of meditation
  • share my story with others
  • join an active group!

Bringing practicing to the world

we are meditating to become better people, not to become better meditators.

Does sitting for 20mins a day change my personalty?
Yes, it does have a tangible effect on my life. Hovewer, even bigger is what happens outside because of it. Nurturing and mirroring back to us the qualities is important. Core parts of our live include:

  • community: are there any relationships where you wuld like to reset a boundary or cultivate and invite in your life?
  • livelihood: work is way of informal practice. how does the work I do affect my being? does it invite the patterns, culture and values I want to cultivate?
  • common activities (leisure time): it is easier to practice mindufulness on your off time (cooking, walking, dancing). They are prime informal practice opportunities to bring mindful intentions to your everyday life.