My brain is all scattered from the random nature of my daily existence.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

For the last 2 years, I’ve followed a strict morning routine without missing a single day. I started it after attending a 10 day silent Buddhist retreat.

I do about 15 minutes of easy yoga stretching, then 30 minutes of meditation and then start my day with a coffee.

The only days that routine was broken was when I was on a plane but did my routine at night. I never went a day without it. I would fell too rushed and disoriented if I didn’t do it now.

Weekdays:

Unless work requires otherwise. Wake up at 5:30, small breakfast, workout for 1/2 to 1 hour (usually run + weights), shower and dress, meditate for 15 to 20 minutes, head to work. Not much of a routine in the evening, other than I read (sometimes with scotch), check emails for work, and may meditate for another 15 to 20 minutes before bed at around 10:30. I don't eat, watch tv, or play on mobile phone in the bedroom. The bedroom is for fucking and sleeping.

Weekends. Not much of a routine. I get up and watch soccer.

I had one for 4-5 years that I am just now getting back to after a year hiatus..surprisingly drinking too much and not enough exercise makes one feel like shit...and seems to get worse with age (40)...who knew?

5am wake up
510-530 sip on green tea (or coffee..not really important) and either read the news or book I'm working on (and most likely the LR)
530-555 kettle bell swings, pushups, jump rope, anything else that seems interesting in our garage/mini gym.
555-6 slam a green smoothie made the night before, fry up a few eggs w/kimchi and inhale those
6 jump in the shower
615-730 is filled with the rest of the family (Mrs S and S Jr) waking up, me making bfast/packing lunch/etc. This portion is key as it keeps everything above on track..literally no wiggle room here.

About to start training again for that sport that shall not be named in the LR (a half one of those so not bad) so working on where best to squeeze in that stuff. Lunch will likely become protected as part of my daily ritual/training as will 8-9pm for the pool.

Here's a new addition that I'm going to incorporate: 30 minutes reading before bed (vs the current overuse of Netflix/staring at the phone). I have a REALLY bad habit of buying books that are interesting and then not reading them.

What I'd like to incorporate is some form of meditation though am not sure where to start.

Any interesting resources for meditation that you would suggest?

I spent 10days at a silent retreat in Thailand and was taught the basics of meditation. The key is to still the mind, not clear the mind. Sit in a comfortable position, and breathe in and out through your nose, deep breaths but not forced. You want to focus attentiontion by following your breath, in and out. You will start getting distracted and think about things and when you realise it, just start re-focussing on your breathing, following it with your mind, through your body. You think about how your breath feels. It shouldn’t be any more complicated than that.

The idea is simply to still the mind from all the thoughts that race through every minute. I do 30 minutes, which at first feels like an eternity but keep at it.

It depends on what type or school of meditation.

I practice or at least try to practice mindfulness or sati meditation. While it comes from a vipassana Buddhist tradition, it's mostly practiced in an entirely secular manner in the West. Most of the good introductory books are secular.

Dan Harris, from ABC news/Nightline, as a couple books out. 10% Happier and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics.
Robert Wright wrote about the scientific underpinnings of meditation in Why Buddhism is True.
Sam Harris' Waking Up.
But the best step-by-step, if not too detailed is, John Yates' The Mind Illuminated. https://www.amazon.com/...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dan Harris also has a 10% Happier app, which has lots of guided meditations.



Transcendental (TM) uses a mantra and usually encourages or requires a teacher for the first couple months. Too much for my tastes.

To add, failure in mediation is actually success. It can be extremely difficult to maintain focus on the breath (or whatever the meditation object may be). You have no direct control over what thoughts enter your consciousness. The just pop in. And that's going to happen regardless of how much you try to maintain focus on the breath. After a few breaths some thought will bubble up, and you'll indulge and follow it down whatever path it takes you. But after a while, you'll notice it what's happened, and return to the breath. And noticing what's happened is in large part the point. The idea is not to have thoughts, but to be able to notice those thoughts and to recognize them as thoughts rather than mindlessly indulge them. But whether you recognize it immediately or after a few minutes, you're still on the right track.

Really helpful - thanks to you and Sanuk for the input. Will make it a habit of practicing.

For what it's worth it always frustrated me because I could not shut my brain up so the above makes a lot of sense.