How many days would you give yourself to learn a new skill? And how long would it take to develop a healthy habit?
When we practise something consistently over time, not only do we improve in that activity, but the practice itself becomes a natural and habitual part of our daily life. It happens almost effortlessly — we do it without having to think about it. In this way, we can develop healthy habits and, by the same process, unlearn unhealthy ones. All it takes is perseverance, courage, and mindfulness. Developing a regular meditation practice works exactly like this. You patiently build it day by day, with diligence, resilience, curiosity, kindness, and care. Then, one day, without consciously thinking about it, you find yourself sitting effortlessly on the cushion, ready to explore your inner world, to observe your mind, to simply be present with your thoughts.
The benefits of meditation are numerous — you can easily find countless scientific studies and articles about them online. I must admit, I’ve never had the patience to read through many of those reports myself. Instead, I trusted the process and observed its effects on the people around me who were already regular meditators. I noticed the quality of their actions, their presence when listening or speaking. There was something about them I wanted to cultivate, and a part of me knew those qualities came from their meditation practice. This was my firsthand confirmation that meditation and mindfulness really work. Practising meditation benefits not only the body and mind but also positively influences those around us.
During my own practice, there were times when I struggled to maintain it. I experienced periods when I stopped meditating altogether, only to notice how life felt rougher, how I became more irritable and less patient. Each time, when I resumed my practice, it took some effort to bring it back to a regular habit. What helped me was setting clear targets — committing for a month, a season, or a full cycle of three moons. I set a fixed period during which I intended to meditate every day. Every time, this worked well, and I got my practice back on track.
Sitting for 100 days in a row seems to be an ideal timeframe to build a solid habit — to turn something you do occasionally into a consistent part of your daily schedule. It’s like brushing your teeth: something you do without thinking because it just feels right. If you weren’t doing it, it would feel odd. The start of a new year is a perfect time to set such a resolution. As humans, we love setting goals, and a new year feels like a fresh opportunity to focus on change or exploration. The new brings energy, vitality, and determination — and that’s wonderful!
For the beginning of 2022, I’m setting my own resolution to consolidate my meditation practice. I invite anyone reading these words to join me. It’s simple once you set a strong intention: start the new year by committing to meditate for 100 days straight, doing your very best not to miss a single day. It’s fascinating to observe the resistances that will arise in your mind. My advice? Be curious and explore them with openness. You now have 100 days to become familiar with these challenges and learn how to respond to them.
When I teach mindfulness and meditation courses, I always challenge participants to meditate for 100 consecutive days. After the 100th day, we come together to share experiences. Some find it harder than others, but everyone appreciates the benefits of this ‘meditation run’. I remember when I first set this target for myself. I kept count of the days, made sure not to miss any, and used various strategies to reach the goal. I wrote about my meditation in a diary and set reminders on my phone to meditate at least once a day. It was a valuable experiment in understanding my own mind — my blocks, my highs, and my lows.
I quickly saw how the mind can become your best or worst friend in seconds. All I had to do was allow my attention to follow the stream of thoughts, and my energy, mood, and perception of the world shifted accordingly. When seen clearly, I began to discern my own thoughts better. I realized I could let them go; they didn’t need my full attention. They had a life of their own, separate from mine. Spending so many days in a row exploring this naturally leads to a deeper understanding of your mental patterns — which situations trigger certain reactions, which make you angry, which bring joy. In other words, you tune into your own mental ‘unit’ and start to see what is healthy and what isn’t. You notice which circuits bring happiness and which ones cause misery. It’s like becoming an IT expert of your own mind, your mental hardware. You start fixing what needs replacing, reconfiguring parts, and appreciating what already works well.
Who wouldn’t want the best possible mental unit to bring more happiness? Like any skill or achievement, completing a 100-day meditation streak can have a profound impact on your life — and it helps develop a solid, healthy meditation habit. All it takes is willingness to try and curiosity about the process. Something will change at the mental level. This is called neuroplasticity, and using the hardware analogy again, it’s like rewiring your mental circuits. Our minds consist of millions of circuits that govern our behavior, reactions, and responses. Bringing mindfulness to these circuits lets us observe how we react mechanically in certain situations. We notice how fixed patterns develop and influence us. With awareness, we begin responding more consciously and build new, healthier mental patterns. Old circuits fade, new ones form. Without realizing it, we start acting differently — in healthier ways.
All we have to do is bring mindfulness to our unconscious mind, watch what arises, and be patient enough to observe without reacting impulsively. Instead of responding unconsciously to life’s situations, we learn to respond consciously and kindly. This gradually reshapes our mental habits and changes how we perceive and live in the world. It takes perseverance, courage, and mindfulness.
The mind can be an excellent servant — but a terrible master. Developing a meditation habit helps us ‘employ’ this excellent servant and dismiss the terrible master. Try 100 days and see if it’s the right time for you to learn this skill and build this healthy habit.
Zen Mindfulness Cambridge Zenways Italia 