It's World Meditation Day- Why Should I Care??
Here’s how sitting still could actually help you get more done and feel better doing it
For as long as I can remember I have had an overactive mind with a big bias toward negativity. My stance was that it was much better to focus on the negative and be pleasantly surprised, rather than to try and expect good things to happen and then get crushed under the disappointment when things ultimately crashed down around me.
Of course, thinking this way did not serve me much in my life, it actually increased my worry, anxiety and depression, but I didn’t really know there was any other option. Until I found meditation.
I remember when my best friend completed yoga teacher training and started talking to me about how obsessed she was with meditating, to which I responded “I HATE meditating. It sucks. It’s hard and frustrating and doesn’t do anything for me”. I was in my early thirties and by that point in my life I had tried it a few times, but had found it absolutely awful. I couldn’t even handle a two minute Savasana at the end of a yoga class without wanting to jump out of my skin (for those of you who don’t know, Savasana also known as “corpse pose” is the final resting pose in most yoga practices and is meant to help with integration between the body and the mind).
Lucky for me, the universe had decided it was going to give me an offer to commit to a meditation practice that I couldn’t refuse, and after that my opinion on meditation slowly started to shift.
A few years later I found myself doing the taxes for a yoga and meditation teacher. I didn’t really want to charge her anything for it because she was just getting started in her business, and so when she offered me free access to her 15 minute morning meditations and yoga classes in the park as a trade, I said yes. The meditations were Mon-Fri at 9 am and because they were only 15 minutes (and I needed to feel like I didn’t just do the taxes for free) I decided to give them a try.
Without boring you too much with the details, I will say that over the next few months things started to shift for me. The biggest catalyst of getting me over the “I hate meditation” hurdle was my teachers reassurance that my annoyingly busy mind talking to me during the whole meditation was normal, and I wasn’t doing anything wrong. She would say things like “Just watch the thoughts like they are clouds in the sky and let them pass through with no attachment to them”. In fact, one time I asked her if it was okay that I was constantly falling asleep during the meditations, to which she told me that if I was that tired I should probably listen to my body and let myself sleep! HA!
After a few months I began to be more comfortable with meditation and started to feel the urge to explore other teachers and different types of practices. Eventually I was even able to do a silent meditation here and there (where I just put on soft music and practiced with no guide. Those are still hard for me though I’m not gonna lie.)
Over time, I noticed that the benefits from my practice were infusing with my day to day life. I would be thinking some ridiculous, negative thought when all the sudden I would notice it and say to myself “what the heck was that?? That was so awful!” This happened more and more, which eventually started to shine a light on just how harmful my untrained mind was being. I also found my anxiety and depression ease, and by using meditation as a coping mechanism I was able to quit drinking alcohol (formerly my only stress reliever) and find more peace with my struggles.
In short, meditation has absolutely helped me transform my life. To my bestie I want to formally say “You were right and I was wrong!” I notice that when I don’t do it consistently I feel more worried, more stressed, and generally less grounded. So today on World Meditation Day I would like to encourage you to give it a try, and if you feel inclined, commit to a practice for at least three months and see how you feel.
Finally, if you don’t know where to start, I will end this post with some suggestions:
Begin with guided meditation. There are great free apps like Headspace, Calm and Insight Timer that offer great options. There are also MANY great options on YouTube.
Start with simple 10-15 minute meditations and then work your way up to longer ones. You would be surprised at how much more effective you are in your day when you take this time beforehand to sit in stillness.
Force yourself to be consistent. Find time at least five days a week for at least three months. Even if you put on headphones and do a walking meditation during your break at work it will help. Consistency is key to help you find ease with the frustrating chatter
Give yourself grace. The mind is loud, and very hard to train. Like the most hyper puppy you will ever meet in your life (at least mine is). Don’t expect to EVER be at a place where you have mastered the practice. I was just meditating this morning and my mind was so loud the whole time that it was like I had never practiced a day in my life. But that’s okay, I will just try again tomorrow (or maybe later because lets be real, meditating is addicting and you might find yourself wanting to do it more than one time a day)
I hope that I have given you a little bit of motivation to try this amazing practice out. If you are already a meditator let us know why you love it and give our newer meditators any additional tips you might have, and if you are a newbie let us know what kind of support you need to get started.
Happy Meditating!
