How do you optimize the split between meditation practices?

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This topic contains 3 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by  Mimi M 5 years, 5 months ago.

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  • #3432

    Mohnish
    Member

    Hey guys! Thought this would be a great place to ask: what does your personal meditation split look like?

    Currently, there’s Sitting Meditation, Walking Meditation, Metta, Mindful Review (if I’m missing one, let me know)

    Clearly, there’s baselines for each that are recommended (i.e., 1 – 2 hours for sitting, 15 – 30 minutes for walking, etc.). Plus, I’m under the assumption that many of the differences between personal schedules may be idiosyncratic (i.e., some people do great with 1 hour in the evening and only 5 minutes of Metta, while others do better with 45 in the morning and 30 minutes of Metta, etc.).

    That being said, I’d love to hear about your personal meditation split and routine (between sitting, walking, metta, and the mindful review), as well as any thoughts on optimizing the split between meditative practices for best results!

    #3433

    Mimi M
    Member

    Hi Mohnish,

    I am happy to share my practice schedule with you.

    I typically sit 2-3 hours each day divided between two to three sits and will do metta as one of them/TMI Stage for the others. Walking meditation is more difficult for me as there are not a lot of places to do them without running into someone I know(we live in a very populated area so I thought about creating a t-shirt that says walking meditator☺) and our residence is pretty small. So anytime I walk I try to make it a walking meditation as best I can even though I am not walking super slowly….walking to work, to the store or whatever.

    Half-day mini retreats are also a favorite of mine and I try to do at least one or two per month.

    A big realization for me was that it is okay to respond to whatever circumstances arise so that if I do not get as much formal meditation in as I’d like, I don’t sweat it or if I am traveling and my sitting schedule has to change, it is fine. This was liberating for me and transformed my practice into something much more seamless and integrated. My practice has become more continuous regardless whether I am formally sitting or walking or just living my life. So if I do not get in as much sitting as I would like, I will amp up the metta as I am living my daily life (like a mantra). This was super helpful as recently my husband and I traveled to Italy for two weeks and sitting practice was very challenging on many levels. The metta practice helped us cultivate great tolerance amidst some pretty chaotic and difficult travel situations. It is like a continuous mindful review that can be supported with journaling. That being said, when I am not traveling or have some other disruption to formal sitting, I do try to stick to a consistent schedule.

    Thanks for sharing your practice and I hope this helps you in some way ☺

    Namaste,
    Mimi (teacher in training)

    • This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by  Mimi M.
    • This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by  Mimi M.
    • This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by  Mimi M.
    #3437

    Mohnish
    Member

    Hey Mimi!

    This is fantastic, thanks for replying here. What I thought was cool: when you couldn’t get enough sitting in, you ramped up a few practices in daily life. Really neat frame to think about your sitting practice.

    Being consistent – while also being adaptable – seem like two traits that help keep a sustainable habit going, even when life gets a bit disruptive, so really great to hear that those are reflected in your practice.

    Curious – do you do half-day mini retreats by yourself (just set the timer for a long time), or is there an established retreat center that does this? And for roughly how long?

    #3438

    Mimi M
    Member

    Hi Mohnish,
    Sustainable and adaptable are really good terms for a flexible practice 🙂

    I do both group and individual mini-retreats. When we/I do them it is typically three one hour sits with 30 min walking meditations in between for a total of four hours. It is really nice to have folks doing the same thing so that you can discuss afterwards and it is also really nice to journal/reflect individually after if retreating by yourself.

    You should try one!

    Namaste,
    mimi

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