Daily meditation is a great way to relieve stress, stay more focused and grow closer to God.
But just like exercise or a relationship, it's easy to get into a rut.
Many people abandon an exercise program because they get bored.
In the beginning they might have been motivated to lose weight or try to reverse a health concern and were all gung-ho.
But if your exercise routine doesn't include any variety, you are more likely to quit.
Your body adapts to a routine where you don't see results anymore even when you're working hard.
In weight training, muscles get used to the same routine and don't breakdown and rebuild muscle tissue.
In cardiovascular workouts, your heart gets used to a set base.
Unless you step it up and change up the routine, you won't gain anymore benefits.
A relationship is the same way.
If you have a friend or a spouse, eventually you will reach a comfort level.
Get too comfortable, however, and you can become complacent.
You don't try anything new and you lose the enthusiasm because instead of the relationship coming naturally, work is involved to keep the relationship fresh.
The relationship begins to suffer as a result.
Meditation is the same way.
It's easy to get into a rut if you do the same ritual day after day.
It's vitally important to have quiet time every day to filter out all of the noise, chatter in our heads and demands on our time.
The meditation techniques I use are prayer, getting quiet and clearing my mind through a guided meditation, being still, and contemplative writing or journaling.
All of these techniques help to clear clutter from my mind and reconnect with God.
There are some days or weeks where I feel like listening to a guided meditation CD.
There are other weeks that I pray.
I've been on a real prayer kick lately.
Almost every day I write.
The point that I am trying to make is that I come to my meditation practice with enthusiasm every day because I want to.
I look forward to my quiet time.
It grounds me.
I renew my connection to God on a daily basis.
I trust that these techniques will help you connect with God and will keep you from getting into a rut or quitting a meditation practice.