Join 21-Day Meditation Challenge #21DMC (Oct 2011) [Sign Ups Closed]

This is the official announcement for the upcoming 21-Day Meditation Challenge, or 21DMC for short. Read on for details about the challenge and how to sign up!

Update Oct 6 ’11: We have over 150 official participants now and counting! :D Ready to meditate?? Sign up now for *free* – only 1 day left! Read the post for details on how to sign up. I’ll see you in the forums! :)

Update Oct 11 ’11: Sign ups are now closed! We have 227 official participants, all locked and ready to roll in the 3 weeks ahead! Let’s get going guys – Fall into the 21DMC forums and report your progress! :)

After 30BBM, many of you mentioned you want to cultivate the habit of meditation. So for this month of October, we’re going to be doing just that via the 21-Day Meditation Challenge (21DMC), starting this Saturday, 8 October!

What is Meditation?

First off, what is meditation? From Wikipedia:

Meditation refers to any form of a family or practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize benefit.

Meditation is generally an inwardly oriented, personal practice, which individuals can do by themselves. Prayer beads or other ritual objects may be used during meditation. Meditation may involve invoking or cultivating a feeling or internal state, such as compassion, or attending to a specific focal point. The term can refer to the state itself, as well as to practices or techniques employed to cultivate the state.

There are dozens or more specific styles of meditation practice; the word meditation may carry different meanings in different contexts. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions.

While meditation is typically associated as a ritual in religions, the truth is that meditation is a habit that can be practiced and benefited by all. You don’t have to be of a particular religion or community to meditate. As long as you have a desire to raise your consciousness, to connect with your inner self, to be more grounded, etc, you are free to meditate.

In the 21DMC, we will be cultivating meditation as a stand-alone habit, without any associations with any particular religion or practice.

Why Meditate? 10 Key Benefits

Meditation has been consistently associated with a huge array of benefits. Those who meditate regularly report of an increase in mental clarity, increased calmness and groundedness, and increased level of happiness, just to name a few.

I used to sign off meditation, thinking it’s some lame habit that people practice because they can’t deal with real life. That was until I tried it for myself several years ago, and experienced its benefits for myself.

In 10 Reasons You Should Meditate, I shared 10 key benefits one can gain from cultivating meditation as a long-term habit (read the article for more on the below):

1. Gain Inner Peace
2. Increase Your Self Awareness
3. Makes You Grounded and Calmer
4. Makes You Present
5. Increases Your Consciousness
6. Source of Inspiration
7. Rejuvenates You
8. Cures Insomnia
9. Increases Your Spiritual Connection
10. Increase Your Fulfillment of Life

21-Day Meditation Challenge – #21DMC

Given that, meditation shall be the first habit we are going to cultivate *together* in the first of many-to-come 21-day habit challenges! :D

Starting from 8 Oct 2011 (Sat), and for the next 21 days till 28 Oct (Fri), we are going to practice meditating together every day, in the 21-Day Meditation Challenge (#21DMC).

How’s that for some excitement and fun in the month of October?? :D

I just did a quick check on Facebook and Twitter yesterday asking if anyone would be interested in a meditation challenge, and immediately got a big blast of responses expressing a resounding “YES”! :D So yes, your wish is my command, as it always is! ;)

Some pointers about #21DMC:

1. We shall be meditating together for 21 days – from 8 Oct (Sat), to 28 Oct (Fri).
2. You are free to choose whatever meditation style or method. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never meditated in your life or if you’re a veteran in it – everyone is welcome!! Like I mentioned above, meditation is a habit that can be practiced by anyone. The point is to be more conscious of our reality. Read: How to Meditate In 5 Simple Steps
3. The time and duration of meditation is up to you. You can meditate in the morning, afternoon, evening, or night. You can meditate for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour – for as long as you are comfortable with, and whatever your schedule allows.
4. Unlike past challenges like 30DLBL or 30BBM, there won’t be any new daily task. You just have to follow your meditation schedule for 21 days.
5. The challenge will be conducted via the 21DMC forums in Personal Excellence Forums (PE Forums). All 21DMC-related updates and activities from hereon now will be posted there – NOT Personal Excellence (i.e. this blog). This is because 21DMC will be focused on your individual journey and experience with meditation which is best conducted using the forum format.
6. I will create a daily group thread in the 21DMC Official Announcements where everyone will fall into every day to discuss as a group. At the same time, you will be creating your own 21DMC Meditation Journal in 21DMC Meditation Journals where you will use as an accountability log and meditation journal.
7. Every day, you are expected to fall-in at the forums to (a)  “report in” on your progress, both in your 21DMC Meditation Journal and the group progress thread (see #6) (b) journal about your meditation experience (c) check with your fellow meditation partners.

The objective of this challenge is to embrace meditation fully, without bias or expectations, for 21 days. You are encouraged to write down all your observations in your meditation journal, whether good or bad, so you can make your judgment at the end of the challenge on whether meditation is for you.

Who knows, maybe you will start floating at the end of the 21 days? ;)

How to Sign Up: 2 Simple Steps

For the 21-days of meditation challenge, group coaching, online journaling platform and group support, it will be priced at a grand total of…. absolutely nothing!!!!!!!!!!!

All I request of you is to (a) commit yourself to complete the 21-days of meditation and (b) do the following steps below to sign up:

1. Sign up for the Personal Excellence newsletter / RSS feed. This is where you will get free articles on personal excellence for the rest of your life, as well as 2 free ebooks (Book of Inspiring Quotes and 101 Things To Do Before You Die). W00t!!! :D
2. Sign up by posting in the 21DMC sign-up thread (if you don’t have an account in the forums, register first).

After Signing Up… 5 Steps

1. Post your introduction in the 21DMC Introduction Forum. Read others’ introductions and get to know your fellow participants. We will be supporting one another in the 21-day journey ahead!
   
2. Create your 21DMC Meditation Journal in your respective group in the 21DMC Forums. (Select based on the first letter of your *forum username*, not your *name*.)
3. Stay connected: I highly recommend that you add me on Facebook (simply “like” the page) and Twitter (@celestinechua) so we remain connected in all 21 days of the meditation challenge and thereafter. Many Personal Excellence readers and upcoming 21DMC participants are on my Facebook page and Twitter. While all activity for 21DMC will take place in the forums, it’s great to be connected in the social media channels for additional boost!
4. Tell all your friends and family about 21DMC by sharing the link of this post on Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz! (social media links at the bottom of this post.) The more people we have on the challenge, the more momentum we’ll build, the more we’ll get out of it as a group!
5. Preparation Post: Hop over to the Preparation Post and get ready for your 21-day meditation journey ahead!

What are you waiting for? Sign Up Now!

Now that all is said and done, sign up now by following the 2 simple steps above! I’m closing the comments section here so as to funnel all discussion to the 21DMC forums.

Update: The meditation challenge is now over! Thank you everyone for your interest and participation! :D

(Image: Meditation)