Week One Questions for Contemplation

Congratulations! You made it through the introduction. Going forward, I will have the questions for contemplation set up as a daily practice, to help prompt you through your daily meditations. Each day you will be given a new question. I recommend you prepare for your meditation by setting a timer for 20 minutes. Then, sit with the question. Even if you feel you have answered it fully, continue to contemplate it until the 20 minutes is complete. Be open to discovering more. When you have completed your 20-minute practice, you can put the course to the side for the day and pick it up again tomorrow.

Day One

Today, we will begin by contemplating how to set the stage for our practice. What is the most soothing environment you can imagine for your meditation practice? Do you already have a meditation space prepared? If you do, how can you improve it? If not, what can you do to create a space that is dedicated to meditation? Remember, the room itself is not the most important thing. Think of triggering positive sensory stimuli, like good smells or a drink you want to have available. It could be specific lighting or music or maybe even a sound app you decide to play while you meditate. It could be a soft chair or a cozy blanket. Think of creating a preparation ritual for yourself. What soothing comforts would you like to have as a part of your meditation practice?

Day Two

What is the best time of day for your meditation practice? I generally recommend people meditate during the last twenty minutes before falling asleep, but for some, meditation stimulates ideas and it might cause them to be up for hours. For those people, the morning might be the best. Your meditation time might be when you feel a lag in the day when your motivation wanes. You might want to use it to ‘recharge your battery.’ Spend your twenty minutes today contemplating the time of day that works best for you, for meditation. Consider different times of the day than you would initially assume and how those times of day might affect your practice. Also, contemplate how feasible it is for ongoing meditation practices. Is it something you can sustain long term?

Day Three

Today’s meditation focuses on recognizing where we are in the practice of meditation. How long have you been meditating? Are you new to meditation or do you consider yourself an advanced meditator? Considering my discussion, does this change your opinion of your level of meditation? Does it bring anything to mind, gaps you could fill, new discoveries you could find, or maybe even a place where you deepen all that you already know?

Day Four

Today, I would like you to think about any limitations you would like to overcome in regard to the meditation practice you currently use. How difficult is meditating for you? From your current understanding of meditation, how happy are you with your practice? Are there specific areas of meditation where you would like to improve or expand your abilities? Are you gathering tools to help you expand the experiences of others? What are you here to learn?

Day Five

Beyond just your practice, is there anything in your life you would like to improve through meditation? What could you gain in your life through advanced meditation practices? What would be the best outcome for you? What would be a dream come true?

Day Six

How committed are you to doing meditation daily? If this course asks of you only 20 minutes per day, is that something you feel you could do? If not, why? Do you believe in meditation as a method of healing? Do you believe it will improve your life? What would help you believe?

If you already believe, how deep does your commitment go? How important is it for you to expand your life?

Day Seven

After all of this week’s contemplations, what makes doing a daily practice worth it for you? Where can you put your focus to keep you motivated on the days you might feel limited? If you could believe in any one improvement you could receive through meditation, what would it be? Is that enough to drive you forward? Is it enough to make you meditate even on the days you’re not in the mood? What potential improvement in your life motivates you the most?

Include your answers below. Then, tomorrow you can continue with Week Two, where we deepen our understanding of self-contemplation. Congratulations on the end of your first week of meditating. This is just the beginning, but I hope you are already experiencing the benefits of doing a daily practice. Remember to keep going. It’s worth it.