Imagine if there were only one correct way to meditate.

You must sit on a special meditation cushion with your spine erect. Your legs must be arranged in the full lotus position. You must be completely motionless for a long stretch of time--thirty minutes, an hour, three hours. And finally, you must carve out that time every single day, else forsake your dedicated pursuit of enlightenment.

One of the reasons daily meditation turns off so many people is because there is a wide cultural perception of meditation that resembles what I’ve just described: a solemn, strict, and time-consuming event one must feel obligated to do.

I’m going to give you a gift now. I’m going to tell you that, for the most part, there is no “have to,” no “must,” with meditation. To me, there is but one major guideline: be mindful, which means being aware of what exists in the present moment. And that’s all.

There is a scene in a movie called Little Buddha, wherein a young boy takes an airplane to Bhutan with a Buddhist monk. The boy looks over at the monk, whom he finds sitting quietly in his seat, hands folded in his lap, eyes closed. The boy asks, “Lama Norbu, are you sleeping?” The monk looks up at the boy and smiles. He replies, “No, I was meditating.”

In that scene, Lama Norbu confirms that meditation is flexible, fluid, and even portable. We can meditate anywhere at anytime, doing anything. The key to meditation is not perfection, but mindfulness. Meditation can occur in the shower, while cooking dinner, and even on a bike ride to work. Of course, if a person wishes to meditate for three hours long in full lotus position, then I think that’s wonderful! The point is that there is no single correct way to meditate, just as there is no single correct way to paint a portrait or write a song.

With this in mind, how does one start a daily meditation practice?

First, find what kind of meditation works for you. If you are new to meditation, there is no time like the present to start experimenting! Try guided meditation, za-zen, yoga, full-body scans, breathing techniques, chanting--any method you can find. And you don’t have to pick just one. I myself do a mixture of all of the above. Whatever kind of meditation I feel like doing on a given day, that’s what I do.

Next, figure out how long you’d like your meditation sessions to be, and what time of day you’d like to meditate. This step is directed particularly at people with busy schedules. There is no prescription for meditation length. However long your schedule and your willingness allows, that is how long your sessions will be. You could take a moment of mindfulness every morning after waking. You could stop for ten minutes after lunch to digest and be aware of your breath. Or you could start meditating any old time and see how long it takes you. With meditation, there is no limit--you can take five minutes in the morning one day, and thirty minutes in the evening the next. Or, if a consistent routine works better for you, then craft the perfect meditation schedule that best suits your needs.

Finally, be gentle with yourself during meditation. Reach toward mindfulness, but do not think you have failed if your mind wanders. We are human. Our minds will wander. When you notice your thoughts moving toward something that is not in the present moment (what you want to eat for dinner, how to approach your boss about a pay raise, etc), simply acknowledge these thoughts and then let them go. Watch your thoughts as though they are clouds passing overhead.

Just as you have not failed if your mind wanders, you have not failed if you go for any period of time without meditating at all. Remember whom meditation is for. It’s for you. Practices wax and they wane, and we will never be perfect. Even if you have not meditated in a year, you can wake up one day and decide, “I am going to meditate, and I’m going to do it right now.” Your practice will be a little less honed, but it will still be there for you. That’s the beauty of meditation: it is always accessible, no matter what.

Now, it’s time for my meditation practice. It’s 12:46pm, and there is a light breeze coming in through the window. I think I’ll use my mala beads today.