Technique Tuesday — Meditation for Consistency

As exciting as transitions are — whether you’re moving into a new phase of your training, shifting your focus to a new goal, or simply adjusting to a new season — change can sometimes feel, well, overwhelming. While consistency is pretty much the opposite of change, the only thing that is truly consistent is change itself. There is, however, a quality of consistency — steadiness — that we can cultivate and sustain within ourselves amid flux.

You have the ability to remain steadfast in the way your approach your training, the way you pursue your goals, and, most importantly, the way believe in yourself. Your plans and circumstances might change, but your mental state doesn’t have to.

This “consistency” is game changing.

Try this simple meditation to clear the clutter and cultivate consistency as you transition into spring...

Meditation for Consistency

• Go outside and sit with your feet on the ground (you can stand if you prefer), and rest your palms face down on your thighs.
• Close your eyes as you shift your awareness “inside.”
• Begin to notice your breathing and the way your body feels. Don’t force any particular pattern or pace, just notice — Where is your breath moving? Where does your body or breath feel tense or “stuck?”
• For a minute, continue to observe your breath and the way your body feels, without trying to change anything.
• Now, consciously deepen your breathing.
• Inhale as you count to 4.
• Exhale as you count to 4.
• Inhale for 4.
• Exhale for 4.
• Continue for 4 minutes, matching the length of your inhale to the length of your exhale — lengthen your count to 5 or 6+ if you want.
• As you sit and breathe and pay attention to your internal state, you might also notice or feel the constant shifts happening around you — the breeze on your skin, the sound of the water…
• Eventually, drop your focus and just feel the sense of steadiness within yourself, despite the constant motion and change around you.
• As you open your eyes and move back into your day, allow this steadiness to set the tone.

In the spirit of consistency, try this short meditation every day in April and notice the way you feel and perform as a result.

Keep asking yourself: How can I be more consistent?