There are many benefits to meditation. They range from from being happier, calmer mind, better concentration and focus, emotional processing, compassion, inner wisdom... the list just keeps going. This is why you need to start meditating today!
I've been meditating on and off for over 10 years. Developing my meditation practice has been one of the biggest gifts in my life but it doesn't come without its challenges. I normally meditate first thing in the morning but sometimes the lure of my Nespresso machine wins and I simply just cannot sit. Whenever this happens the day is never as sweet nor my mind as calm or luminous. Not surprisingly, daily meditation has become a life line for me.
One of the greatest benefits for me is calm mind and laser-focus to help me focus on building my new businesses as a tech consultant and a yoga teacher, and of course, making sure my clients are happy.
Sitting in meditation has taught me how to be loyal to myself; that no matter what happens in my outside world, I can always cultivate peace and serenity through my meditation practice.
It also teaches me self-acceptance, that I am enough as I am with all my little imperfections. This has been really helpful for me as I tend to beat myself up about how I look. Looking back at my childhood, meditation would have been a great refuge during my teenage years when a lot of things felt out of my control. But, regardless of where I am in life, meditation is guaranteed to be my great companion. That's for sure!
I've also been able to cultivate clarity about seeing my life without judgements, and seeing it for the wonderful life it is. I get to understand myself more and more clearly, and I see what I do over and over again. The name of the person or employer might be different, but the themes and ways of being repeat themselves. Here I can see my habitual patterns run riot without the kind hand of meditation to ease and nurture them. It's like I can see right through all this and see myself for who I really am without my conditioning.
Meditation has been my loyal companion (kinda like a therapist who's a great listener) helping me navigate life's joys and challenges, such as my successful career in tech, a divorce, a recent neck injury, and building a life that's aligned with my soul's purpose.
Instead of getting into fits of anger or frustration, I get to process my uneasy emotions and just notice the emotions like energy working their way through my body. That's not to say I don't have road rage from time to time :) I don't think I would be human if I didn't experience that!
Another big benefit I get from meditation is relaxation with whatever the future holds for me, knowing deep inside that I'll always be happy within myself regardless what happens externally.
Think of all the money we spend on massage, acupuncture, therapy, and doctors and weigh that up against what we can achieve by simply sitting with ourselves in a loving and kind way. The verdict is in... you need to start meditating today!
I meditate for 24 minutes most days but it took me some time to build up to that. I started with a simple one-minute-meditation and things progressed from there.
Here's how you can meditate for 1 minute. It's simple.
Set a timer for 1 minute. Try Insight Timer app.
Find a comfortable seat with a straight spine.
Close your eyes.
Take an inhale and a long exhale. Repeat this three times.
Observe how the breath enters and leaves the body through the nostrils, observe its temperature and sensation.
When thoughts come up (and they will!) simply acknowledge them and bring your attention back to the breath.
Continually observe the breath.
I look forward to hearing how you get on. Feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions :)