Motivation is probably the most difficult problem in meditation, not only in the beginning, but even for people who are “advanced.”

A. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. I don't recommend meditating for hours at a time. Even if you fantasize that you will be meditating for twenty minutes twice a day, you may not want to make that commitment at first. If you make a commitment to meditate for only ten minutes each day, you may find that on some days after the ten minutes is up, you will want to sit longer. Guess what? You can! If, however, you make a large commitment to meditate, then you may get discouraged and give up if you start meditating for a shorter time or less often. Here's another tip: everyone is different. Maybe for you, practicing daily is not the optimum schedule. Maybe it’s weekly at first, or 3-4 times per week.

B. Plan to meditate in the morning. This is for three reasons: 1) Your mind and stomach are more empty, so it is easier. 2) It's a quieter time of the day, And 3) If you miss your practice for some reason, you have the whole rest of the day to make it up.

C. Don’t worry about the quality of the meditation. Meditation is non–competitive. On days that your mind seems to be wandering or jumping around, avoid making the judgment that you’re not “really” meditating. Just sit there and pretend that you’re meditating. Pretending is a powerful technique of self–suggestion, especially for children. Or don’t even do that; just sit there.

D. Stretch before meditating. Attempting to meditate without some kind of transition is like throwing your gear shift into “Park” while racing down the freeway. Think of stretching exercises as downshifting one gear at a time. The stretching does not have to be extensive, but even ten minutes will put you in the mood. Again, limit your commitment to yourself. You can always do more.

E. Keep company with other meditators. If you are the only person in your house who thinks that meditation is a good idea, then you have a built–in obstacle. This does not really mean that anyone you know has to meditate (in fact any attempt at persuasion is antithetical to meditation), but those close to you should at least be supportive. Your attitude toward it will help determine how they feel. Does something about your meditation make them feel excluded or ignored? Does there seem to be some superior attitude in your meditating that promotes ill feeling in others — or does it simply give you more energy to be there for them?

F. Use emotional aids. There are a lot of possibilities here. If you have ever meditated in a group of like–minded people (who are committed to free choice and self–responsibility unlike some yoga “cults”), then when you meditate alone, feeling their support and energy fuels the meditation. If you have ever done a nice long meditation at a time that you really felt like doing it in one of your favorite places in the world, then even when you meditate in a small hotel room you may find yourself propelled back to that beautiful place. I have two special places — one on the coast of Maine, and one on the coast of California. Now I am not suggesting out of body travel! It's just that the feeling that you had in your special places may come back to you at other times. Other aids include meditating at a time when you are dressed right, in the right place, at the right time of day, or with some physical object of meditation such as a special rock, shell or picture.

G. Use the power of habit. Most of the time we eat, shave, brush our teeth, or take a shower without even thinking about it. How can you work meditation into that system? Each person has a natural rhythm to their day. Find the place that meditation fits most naturally. One good way is to set your alarm fifteen minutes earlier than you do now. There won’t be much else to do but meditate.

H. Meditate when you feel good. Somehow we get to thinking of meditation as a way to cope with stress when we’re in the middle of it. The problem is that it is most difficult to get motivated when you “need it the most.” I’m suggesting that we “needed” to meditate a lot sooner and more regularly. Meditation is preventive. That is not to say that when you are under stress it is not also a good time to stop and meditate if it comes naturally to you. The stretching exercises would be even more important then.