What's a good daily practice?

[Digity]

What is a good daily practice for a lay person? Can someone outline it? I recently took up the five precepts, because I want to get more serious about my practice. Other than that, I typically meditate in the morning, which I've been sticking to lately and feel more motivated to do. Whenever I have any free time I usually spend it reading up on the teachings either through this forum or from reading articles on sites like accesstoinsight.org.

Should I be doing chanting and prostrations? As someone born in the West, these both seem very foreign to me. I think I would feel silly doing them. Anyway, just curious to see what a good set a practices should look like. Also, do some of you follow the eight precepts? If so, when do you practice them...on the Sunday? My biggest concern about the eight precepts is not being able to eat after noon. I think by the time I went to sleep I'd be starving if I could only eat from dawn tell noon. Also, if I sleep on a regluar bed does that mean I need to sleep on the floor or something? What sort of bed is acceptable?

Thanks!

[barcsimalsi]

Should I be doing chanting and prostrations?

I heard that chanting will help concentrate the mind better during early meditation. Can consider trying if there's no hippies nearby to laugh at you. Prostration? Isn't it for Muslim?

do some of you follow the eight precepts? If so, when do you practice them...on the Sunday? My biggest concern about the eight precepts is not being able to eat after noon. I think by the time I went to sleep I'd be starving if I could only eat from dawn tell noon. Also, if I sleep on a regluar bed does that mean I need to sleep on the floor or something? What sort of bed is acceptable?

I think the eating precept are best to apply when you are able to meditate continuously from noon till night. As i know, the bed precept is intend to lessen the loss of mindfulness because some monks told me sleeping on a luxurious bed may rapidly drains mindfulness. I had tried the bed precept(sleeping on a small and stiff bed), find it harder to dos off but will contribute to a more stable posture through out the sleep. However i don't sense any improvement of mindfulness during the day...

[appicchato]

Cultivating the beneficial, avoiding what isn't, and purifying the mind...

[Cittasanto]

While agreeing with Bhantes advise I would say to develop
Right Views
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
The other three-factors of the eightfold path can be incorporated initially or not yet these are a good start to begin with.

Should I be doing chanting and prostrations? As someone born in the West, these both seem very foreign to me. I think I would feel silly doing them. Anyway, just curious to see what a good set a practices should look like. Also, do some of you follow the eight precepts? If so, when do you practice them...on the Sunday? My biggest concern about the eight precepts is not being able to eat after noon. I think by the time I went to sleep I'd be starving if I could only eat from dawn tell noon. Also, if I sleep on a regluar bed does that mean I need to sleep on the floor or something? What sort of bed is acceptable?

You can get all the food you need in the morning and it is done on the lunar days, although if it is easier doing it on a specific day each week is just as good. the worst part about fasting for any amount of time is the thought of fasting. and you may find you prefer the lesser amount of food during the day.
Try learning a text related to the eightfold path, and the four noble truths, you need not learn it as a chant but a daily practice of learning one sutta on this and or the precepts is excelent to be able to bring to mind what you need to remember at any time.

Prostrations... are peculiar things for westerners so if you are not comfortable with it wait untill you are in a group setting (i.e. monastery/meditation group...) and learn/incorporate it from then. don't jump in head first into practices alien to you.
any bed is acceptable really, but my personal guide is if I can sit on it as I would a chair it is the tallest hight, if my feet dangle any it is too tall.