srinivas raghav blog's

before any doing.

these six points are absolutely crucial for any practice or session.

  1. Motivation

    1. Why are you doing this ? Don't Judge you reasons as being good or bad, just acknowledge them and accept them as they are.
    2. Having a clear sense of purpose will fire up your motivation and help you deal with any feelings of restlessness or resistance

  2. Set Reasonable Goals

    1. Goal's give direction and it is important they be realistic so that you are not disappointed.
    2. Ask yourself what you hope to accomplish in your particular session. Think about the Problems you have been having in the recent sits and sessions and decide how you can best apply yourself to the practice today.
    3. Then choose a reasonable goal for this sit give your recent progress.
    4. At first, they can be simple goals as to not daydream or remaining patient. Later on you can slowly increase the complexity.

  3. Beware of your Expectation's

    1. You should set goals and practice diligently to achieve them, but be careful of ambitious expectation about where you "should be".
    2. You can easily set yourself up for disappointment. Resolve to hold the goals you've set very lightly, to find enjoyment in every session of sitting no matter what happens and try to savor any achievement.
    3. Simply, sitting down to practice is an accomplishment.
    4. There will be session's where focus is easy and this is fruit of your practice but don't expect progress to be linear. There will be plateau's sometimes where nothing seems to be change for days or weeks.
    5. Today, you may have less stability of attention or mindfulness than you did months ago. That is Normal, so stay relaxed. Make your efforts diligent, yet joyful. Don't get caught up in high expectations. And always remember there is no such thing as a bad session.

  4. Commit to Diligence

    1. Diligence means engaging wholeheartedly in the practice rather than spending time on the cushion planning or daydreaming.
    2. You will be tempted to think all sorts of things other than the thing in front of you some appear to be interesting and important than the current thing on focus. So, commit not to indulge in these tempting distractions.
    3. Also, judging the quality of your practice can lead to doubt giving rise to procrastination and resistance.
    4. Remind Yourself that whenever resistance arises, the best way to overcome it is by simply continuing the practice.
    5. Resolve to Practice Diligently for the entire session, regardless of how the practice goes.

  5. Review Potential Distraction's

    1. Perform a quick inventory overlook at things in your life that could come up as distractions, such as problems at work or an argument.
    2. Check to see if the mind is occupied by any worries about the future, regrets about the past, doubts or other annoyances.
    3. Acknowledge these thoughts and emotions, whatever they are and try to set them aside if they arise. You may not be successful, but just setting the intention will make them easier to handle.

  6. Finally Review your Posture

    1. Adjust any support you use to help sit comfortably.
    2. Head + Neck + Back must bee aligned, neither leaning forward or backward or side.
    3. Shoulder should be even and your hands level with each other so the muscles are balanced.
    4. Lips closed, teeth slightly apart and your tongue tip against your upper teeth against the roof of the mouth.
    5. With Lips Closed, breathe your nose in a natural way and it should not feel controlled or forced
    6. Finally, Relax yourself.