Meditation is a key part of mindfulness. How does mindfulness fit into addiction recovery? It will help shed light on the inner addict, the habitual thoughts, emotions, and actions that you do. It will help you identify and label them, start to understand them, and learn your own habit patterns. Thus giving you the power to choose your next action instead of the habit. So practicing meditation is key in the process of recovery, let’s begin.

How to Meditate

1. Sit comfortably, with your eyes closed and your spine reasonably straight.
2. Direct your attention to your breathing.
3. When thoughts, emotions, physical feelings or external sounds occur, simply accept them, giving them the space to come and go without judging or getting involved with them.
4. When you notice that your attention has drifted off and become engaged in thoughts or feelings, simply bring it back to your breathing and continue.

The primary focus is your breathing. It’s ok and natural for thoughts to arise, and for your attention to follow them. No matter how many times this happens, just keep bringing your attention back to your breathing. Maintain a calm, non-judging awareness, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go without getting enmeshed in them.

How Long to Practice?

I recommend 10 minutes a day for a beginner, and after a week increase it to 20 minutes a day.