Frequently I’m asked what my day looks like and how I practice meditation in a busy life.

Since preparing to publish my book, Minding the Bedside: Nursing from the Heart of the Awakened Mind, and starting my own business, the unfortunate fact is that the time for my “formal” practice has suffered. Yet, while I lament and moan about the lack of time to formally practice, it seems like the integration of practice into my daily life, and my ability to take life onto the path, has increased.

While there really is no substitute for formal practice in terms of learning how to bring stability to your mind, once you’ve gained some experience and practice in formal sessions, it’s time to “take it to the streets!”

Integration in four easy pieces? How to practice no matter what’s going on, no matter how little time you have? I’ll answer this and then we can get on with what my ever-so-untypical day looks like.

1. First easy piece. As soon as you wake up, before you even go to the bathroom (if you can manage that), meditate. This sets your mind for the day. While it can’t insure that you won’t lose your mind(fulness) during the day, it does help to establish a pattern for turning the mind away from distraction throughout your day.
2. Second easy piece. On your way to work, the office, practice meditation. Even if your office is in your house, or if it’s a 45-minute drive; either way, use those moments or minutes as a way to practice working with the meditative mind.
3. Third easy piece. When doing anything, check in with your mind. We’ve covered this in other posts, e.g., 17 Ways to Practice Meditation in Everyday Life.
4. Fourth easy piece. When going to sleep, meditate into sleep. By ending your day with a meditation practice, it gets you into the right mind to wake up the next morning with a mindful and “meditative” awareness.

So, my day? Unlike so many other people, I don’t tend to use an alarm to awaken. The unfortunate fact (or fortunate, depending upon how you look at it) is that my mind awakens me at about the same time each day, 5:40 am. Then, like so many others, I have to decide whether to get up and practice, or lie in bed and cuddle with my wife for an extra few minutes before the day starts.

I often take the middle road; I sit up immediately and – without even going to the bathroom first! – begin my practice of meditation. That practice may be in the form of sitting and allowing my mind to settle, as best as it can, into a state of non-distraction and equipoise. Or,  I may plug myself into my iPod and listen to teachings on meditation from Sogyal Rinpoche while practicing. Doing this, I can also keep the cuddle-factor here, because my wife – sensing my awakening – cozies up close while I practice.

After oh-so-few minutes, and hopefully not too distracted by the day’s coming activities, it’s out of bed to play for a short while with my son, to enjoy a present moment or two with him, before starting our morning routine. Then, our family dresses, eats breakfast, etc….

Fast forward to after my son leaves for school and/or after I’ve dropped him off.

I head to my local office, usually Saxy’s Cafe, to begin my writing/blogging/planning for the day. While my tendency is to open my iTunes and listen to Phish, I remind myself of the benefits of having a few teachings on meditation while getting started, so I usually listen to at least one track that reminds me to meditate while checking my e-mail, looking at my to-do list and the like.

The magic happens when at some point – or many points on good days – my mind turns toward what I’ve experienced during my formal periods of practice about being in the present and resting in a state of meditation. This often happens when I think about my meditation teacher and the teachings, while I’m writing my blogs, working on my next book, or interviewing people to join my business.

It’s at those moments that my mind experiences a clarity and stillness that I can’t necessarily find at other times. I settle into my mind, my practice settles into that “space,” and I’m “meditating.” I use the word “meditate” because it is in these times that I’m undistracted (or very much less so), am not altering my mind with thoughts of the past, present or future, and I feel a deep appreciation for what I’ve learned about meditation and my mind during my formal meditation practice. Notice that I’m mentioning formal practice a lot?

What these experiences have reminded me of is that given adequate time to practice formally over a period of time, life presents us with numerous – thousands – of opportunities throughout the day to informally practice meditation. If we give in to the tendency not to practice just because we don’t have enough “formal” time, we lose all of the opportunities to integrate a meditative mind into our daily life.

My day continues like this, short periods of meditation, meditating with the present in mind, while carrying out the “mundane” activities of living. I return home, happily in the company of my wife and son, and carry out the evening routines, and exhaust myself with the unending list of “to-dos” before heading to bed.

Once in bed, I am again reminded of the need to connect with my practice, and so – despite the urge to lapse into the unconsciousness of sleep – I sit upright in bed and engage in the art and practice of meditation, integrating what I’ve learned throughout the day into my dedication, while the temporary distractions of my mind whirl about in my head. And then I sleep…