Day One: Arranging Conditions for Success

Congratulations on embarking on your 49 day program for spiritual realization and fulfilled living. Starting today, you’ll find some words of encouragement, insights from the teachings, inspiration and facts about conscious living here to support your journey. The most important foundation for your success during this program is your daily meditation practice.

Here are three suggestions to help you either get started with a daily practice or bring more focus to the one you already have:

1. Make a vow to meditate every day for 49 days. A vow is more potent than a desire, or even a commitment. The Sanskrit word for vow is sankalpa. It means resolution, will, determination or intention and its root meaning really says it all: to come into existence, to determine, perfectly, completely. When we set a spiritual sankalpa, we use what Paramahansa Yogananda called “our wisdom guided will.” We use our will power to set a divine intent into motion and bring it into existence. A sankalpa, or vow, is something we know we will do. We know from the outset that we will not let ourselves be deterred.

2. Establish a place and time for your practice. If you don’t currently have a place where you meditate, set an area aside where you can sit without being interrupted. Select a chair, or cushion, to be used solely for your meditation. Bring into the area a few things that inspire you—photographs of the saints, sayings from scripture, a candle or flowers. Keep it simple and clean.

If you already have a space for meditation, use this opportunity to bring fresh energy to it. Clean the area thoroughly and bring in some fresh inspirational items. In either case, pay attention to your energy and enthusiasm as you prepare this space for yourself. Whether it is a corner of a shared room or a private room, bless the space and know that it is filled with divine grace and energy.

Decide what time you will meditate each day, and for how long. Meditating first thing in the morning is recommended. Plan to get up earlier to give yourself this time for daily spiritual self care. Take a look at your schedule to make any adjustments you need to make to ensure your success.

3. Don’t go to bed without meditating. This third point is your meditation sankalpa “guarantee.” If you miss your morning meditation, then meditate at night. Do not miss a day.  What if you get too busy, forget to meditate and don’t even think of it until you get into bed at night? It is essential to get out of bed and meditate right then! Keep your commitment to your Self—as you do, you’ll find your soul confidence will grow and your energy and your faith will increase too.

Think about it

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don't end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.
–Mayo Clinic
Be inspired:

Make a daily appointment with God and then keep it.  –Paramahansa Yogananda