Sacred Rituals: Meditation

Meditating for 10 minutes a day brings a much needed quiet moment.

You hear it everywhere: "Meditating can make a huge impact on your life." It's almost redundant at this point, but that's because meditating is AMAZING. In the past, I have tried to meditate, but was never consistent. A week here, 3 days there, but never over an extended period. In January, I decided to make meditating a habit. This year so far, I have meditated 283 days out of 361 days (we only have 4 days left in this year... yikes!). I may not have had a perfect score of meditating every day in this year, but I can say I am proud of the fact that I have meditated more than 75% of the year.

I am not going to lie, meditating was not easy for me. My mind is a wilderness that is evermore. Thoughts ricochet the vast dark corners of my brain and reverberate off the walls. It's like a sea that is never still in there with worries, to do lists, what to wear, do my friends still like me, I should call my dad, did I turn my straightener off or is it going to burn my house down.... On and on and on. Sitting still, breathing, and clearing my mind, now that was daunting.

In the beginning, I would find myself getting frustrated with myself for not focusing, for fidgeting, for letting my mind escape on this fantastic adventure it was taking me on when I "should" be clear and open. I started to realize that I was defeating the point by feeling frustrated with myself. The point was that I was showing up, I was doing the work, and I was aware that my mind was getting away and bringing it back every time, no matter how many times I had to. Now, that was not something to be frustrated about, but instead proud of.

How to Start

Meditating can be started at any time, any where. In January, I was determined, so I made a meditation corner for myself that I could go to every morning to start my day with a meditation. I ordered a floor pillow and found a cozy, quiet corner in my home. I put affirmations and goals on the wall around the area to promote a positive mindset. There is no need to make a whole little corner to meditate, but I found having an area that I could label "meditation area" really brought motivation and determination to my practice.

I mentioned before how I would get frustrated in the beginning about how active my mind was when I was trying to quiet it down. I have heard so many people who say they've tried meditating and stopped for this reason. "I just can't do it." But that's the point! It's like running. You may start with only being able to run 500 feet before being out of breath, but the more you do it the longer you'll be able to run. The same goes with your mind. You have to build your stamina so every time your mind trails off, you bring it back; that's what is making the difference. Every time you bring your mind back to focus, back to clearing your mind, back to the quiet, you are building that muscle to help you focus longer the next time.

Showing up is the hardest part, but once you do you feel accomplish and rewarded. You don't have to jump in head first and sit still and quiet for 1 hour. Start with 5 minutes and see where it takes you, then you can move up to 10, then 20! I am a solid 10 minutes a day at least meditator, but savor when I have time to get more. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can find at least 5 minutes a day for a moment to themselves and if you can't find it, MAKE IT! You deserve to have that time for do better. In the book, "Atomic Habits" by James Clear, the idea that only getting 1% better everyday makes a huge difference over time. Small steps over a year will be impactful. Show up for you and you will not regret it.

Mindful Walks

Walking mindfully is the act of doing an action deliberately that you usually do automatically. I consider a mindful walk a form of meditation. I am honing in on things I may take for granted or not pay attention to normally. The feeling of each step, the song of the birds surrounding me, the wind brushing against my cheeks, and the smell of the salty Florida coast air. Every detail I am mindful not to linger on, but to notice.

Often I will put my head phones in, get lost in my thoughts, and just try to get to where I am going. This all changes on my mindful walks. Being present has become infinitely more important to me as of late and taking a mindful walk helps support that.

Resources

My favorite app is the Calm app. It gives you guided meditations to help you meditate with ease. You get to choose your background noise (mine is "mountain lake" and I love meditating with the sound of a hike). You also have many types of meditations to choose from. I like to just do the daily calm that is a new 10 minute meditation each day, but they have sleep meditations, meditations for kids, and much more.

A podcast that I stumbled upon recently has become one of my favorite places to go for guided meditations. Mindful in Minutes has weekly guided meditations and podcast episodes about meditation. I honestly think Kelly Smith has the best affirmations in her meditation practices.

Benefits

Oprah is known for meditating and one of my favorite quotes from her is, "Be quiet. Part of your responsibility is to honor the quiet inside yourself so you can hear the call." Meditation is not an overnight remedy, it is a slow process, but all the best benefits come from the slow burn.

I have only been meditating consistently for a year now and know that I have not unlocked all the perks that come with it. Meditation is a practice not a solution. Many people have trouble sticking to meditation because they don't see the results they want right away, so be aware that if meditation is a plunge you want to take, then be ready to make the commitment.

Some changes I've already seen is awareness of myself. I am more aware of when my emotions are getting the best of me and I need to take a moment. Many times when I get nervous I talk fast and mindlessly, but I have found the thought cross my mind to slow down, take a moment, breathe, you have time to answer. I attest this change in reaction to meditation. Meditation is a habit that I plan to dance into the new year with and I am excited to see the growth that a will come from it.

What I would like to leave you with is that it is about the process not the outcome with meditation. Enjoy the daily quiet and breaths, rather than focusing on what you will reap. That mindset will be your biggest ally.