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My step-by-step book will help you create a meditation practice that lasts.

Books have the potential to change lives. Whether it’s religious scriptures, a self-help book, or a set of poems, these books should motivate you to think higher, help you to find deeper meaning, and guide you in gradually becoming the best version of yourself. Choose a chapter, paragraph, or a few lines to read every day. Then, give yourself time to think about what you just read and see if and/or how it applies to you. Slowly work on integrating these nuggets of wisdom into your life. [Start with the book “The Meditation Sutras”]

We live in a society that assumes if you are alone, then you are lonely. Here, solitude does not mean loneliness. In fact, a marker of spiritual progress is the ability to remain happy and peaceful while being with oneself. This is a sign that your happiness does not come from any person, circumstance, or event, rather it comes from deep inside of your own being. If you can find inner peace and cultivate happiness from within, then you are not dependent on outside elements to fulfill you. How liberating is that?!!

I have come to find that my most blissful times are when I am by myself. Create a few minutes each day to be alone. This includes unplugging from electronics that will distract your attention (read: phone, television, computer, etc.). Give yourself time to think by writing in a journal, pursuing a creative hobby, taking a walk, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, or reading (see above). Engage in a solo activity that helps you re-connect with yourself.

Make the spaces you occupy on a daily basis inspirational. Inner tranquility begins with our surroundings. Turn your home, car, and workplace, into calming mini-retreats. Tape quotes to your bathroom mirror, listen to soothing music in the car, place a fresh bouquet of flowers on your desk at work every week, or light a candle after you come home from a long day.

Reflect on what aspects of your day you have influence over and work toward managing them with care and sensitivity. This also means eliminating external stimuli that causes anxiety, anger, or stress. Does a particular friend’s social media posts always put you in a bad mood? Does a weekly television show you watch incite fear? The local news can do that to you! Start recognizing these triggers and how they make you feel. Keep a list or make mental notes, then modify your actions accordingly.

If you practice yoga or are curious about Yogic philosophy, one of the primary tenets says that in life we should work toward understanding and eliminating that which does not help us progress, and replace it with ways of realizing higher truths and consciousness.

Be introspective when creating goals. For example, setting the intentions to be wealthy and famous will always cause your happiness to depend on whether or not you achieve these objectives. However, if you instead aim to be happy with whatever success comes your way, you have set a motivating intention that helps you to continue striving for more without your joy depending on realizing a certain outcome. What will help you develop your personal growth and reach your highest divine potential? Think about whether what you are asking of yourself will lead you down a path of greater awareness. Consider what will help you improve while also remaining balanced.

Take a moment to practice this simple breathing technique: breathe in for 4 counts, breathe out for 4 counts. You can adjust the ratio, as you feel comfortable. Measured breathing helps us to breathe deeper, something we don’t do as much as we should on a daily basis. Also, notice how your mind becomes focused on the counting and not on the eleven things you have to do today. When we can concentrate on one thing, we are taking a critical step toward quieting the mind.

Try keeping a daily flexible schedule. If you cannot avoid or postpone certain commitments, then do each action slower, literally. Walk slower, eat slower, and read slower. Do not rush through your activities. It helps to completely bring your focus to your present actions and do one thing at a time.

Bring awareness to what you are doing in the moment. Ask yourself this question throughout the day- What am I doing right now? This simple question stops us from wasting time, prevents us from saying things we don’t mean, and can motivate us to take action. When we stop going through life on autopilot, we better understand how our daily habits, thoughts, and patterns prevent us from excelling.

Elevate your sense of smell with calming scents and fragrances. My daily meditation practice includes burning a stick of incense. We light incense because it purifies the air and elevates our mood, which in turn calms the mind. This same feeling can be achieved with essential oils and scented candles.

Find ways to take spirituality with you wherever you go. This can include carrying an inspirational message in your wallet, hanging a set of mala (necklace) beads on the rear view mirror of your car, or keeping earbuds with you to listen to soothing music on your phone. I’ve tried to create the habit of always keeping some calming and uplifting reading material in my purse. If I find myself ever having to wait somewhere, instead of pulling out my phone, I pull out my book.

Do something for someone else knowing you may not receive credit for it. One of the ways we can go beyond purely thinking about ourselves is by doing selfless acts, also known as seva. This is a part of karma yoga, when we work toward aligning our actions with right thinking and attitude. We give to give, not receive something in return. It helps to purify the mind and cleanse the heart.

Talking takes up a lot of our energy that could be used toward more useful pursuits. Most of our conversations are idle talk. This is why yogic philosophy focuses on preserving energy, so that it can be used toward meditation, concentration, and building self-awareness. The Vipassana, 10-day silent retreats, incorporate this same philosophy, as well as other retreats that observe silence. When we don’t speak we are better able to observe our thoughts and our reactions to whatever is happening in the moment. Bring your attention to what you are thinking and why these thoughts are arising for you. Get to the root of your problems and frustrations, so that you can find healthier solutions.

When you do talk, be mindful of the language you use. Consider only speaking words that contain positivity and add something to a conversation. If you feel the urge to speak ill of someone, stop and imagine someone else saying the same thing about you that you are about to say about this person.

Use quotes, affirmations, or excerpts from spiritual/religious texts as daily inspiration. Hand-write a couple of your favorite quotes or excerpts from spiritual/religious books, and post them in your everyday visual line of sight. Some ideas of where you can have them displayed are the bathroom mirror, refrigerator door, kitchen counter, or bedroom nightstand. You can also create your own affirmations. An example would be, ‘ Today, I will remain calm, mindful, and understanding no matter what comes my way.’ Typically, with affirmations, they should be positive, in the present tense, and you should work with one for a while before moving on to a new one.

We often underestimate our need to think and reflect, as well as check-in with ourselves. If you can be alone with your thoughts, then you are one step closer to finding more peace of mind. Try to give yourself one hour each day where you are not engaged with any electronics (laptops, phone, iPads, television, etc.) If this sounds like a lot right now, start small and gradually work your way up.

Be genuinely curious about your spiritual progress. Without judgment or preconceived ideas, sit and reflect every few weeks or months on how you have changed since you started your practice. If you are just beginning, set one intention and work on that for some time. If you have stayed committed to your practice, you will realize how far you have come since you began. Do not discount anything, even if it seems small and insignificant. This can also be a good opportunity to see what changes you need to create in your life so that it will be easier to make a greater commitment.

In the eight stages of yoga, self-study is one of the main sub-principles on the yogic path. Patanjali, in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, uses the word Swadhyaya (or Svadhyaya) in two different ways. First, it means the study of scriptures, and second, it means to be constantly engaged in the study of ourselves, particularly to understand the different aspects of our personality including the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional. Self-study helps to develop the practice of looking at our own consciousness.

Think about the most important aspects of your life and then make time for those things. This is what it means to let go of those things that no longer serve you. For example, there was a time when I was spending a lot of energy answering emails and taking phone calls that didn’t help me to reach my personal goals. At the end of the day, I would think about what I accomplished and it wasn’t nearly as much as I had set out to do. In an effort to remain kind to others, I realized I wasn’t respecting my own time. We each have control over how we use our time, value it and use it wisely.

Utilize this time to re-connect with yourself. You can combine this with one of the earlier suggestions on the list, such as unplugging, self-study and/or affirmations. In creating more time for ourselves, we build a space in our day dedicated to our self-development.

Take a couple of slow, long, deep breaths in and out throughout the day. This is guaranteed to make you feel immediately better. If at any time during the day you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or angry, take a moment to take a couple of intentional slow, long, deep breaths in and out. Notice your chest rising and your belly expanding. It’s remarkable how this simple act can help us think clearer and make us feel calmer.

Start each day feeling relaxed and calm. Engage in something to remind yourself of your higher purpose. It doesn’t have to take much time. Once you start doing it everyday, it will naturally become part of your routine. In fact, things will feel off-balance when you don’t do it. Ever since I was a kid, as soon as I wake up and before I get out of bed, I pray and thank God for another day.

Your morning ritual doesn’t have to be religious. A couple of ideas include subscribing to an email list that sends out daily inspiration, DailyOM & DailyGood are two options. You can look out the window to observe nature or the cityscape for a few minutes before beginning your day. Another idea is to write out any thoughts that come to mind as soon as you wake up, while they are still fresh and untainted by the wear of the day. You can even have a mini-celebration for the opportunity of a brand new day and another chance for self-improvement.

This has become increasingly difficult in our world. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements, the opinions of our friends, and media stimulation. We may turn on the television or log into our social media accounts and be unexpectedly met with cursing, lewd comments, vulgar photos, and demeaning language. All of those subtly influence our thoughts and feelings. Determine what you have control over. Work toward eliminating the negative. Replace it with calming, uplifting, and positive words and images.

When we are able to keep our bodies healthy, we have energy to devote to our minds. Think about how difficult it would be to focus on spiritual pursuits if you were malnourished, weak, or sick. All of your attention would be on your physical well-being. Stay strong, so you can bring more of yourself to your spirituality.