It would’ve been really easy for me to blow off meditation today. I had a broken sleep (thanks Amarah), was woken up early (thanks Kaizen) and had a busy morning.
But after having such a wonderful afternoon yesterday, which I attribute to the meditation session I did earlier, I thought I had to stick with it.
I gave myself 15 minutes and found a guided meditation on youtube. It was so wonderful, check it out here: https://youtu.be/c0ves5wEA7c
Even though Amarah became fussy and needed to be rocked back to sleep half way through, I persisted. And afterwards – felt great!
Guided meditations are really great for beginners and also if you have a really active mind. The narrating voice gives you something to focus on. This particular meditation I did also had mantras, which again helped me tame my monkey mind.
While it’s only day 2, I am aware of how important it is to carve out non-negotiable meditation time. It is all too easy to make other things more important. There is always something that can be done. But if I am serious about wanting to master my mind, experience more energy and feel a greater level of well being, I need to invest the time.
We always find time to do the things we love. Meditation, for me, is not something I love (yet) and it can feel quite boring during it. So I really need to fall in love with meditation so that it becomes easier to make time for. I’m sure I’m not alone in this. The difficulty with meditation is that the benefits are not always experienced straight away. We may finish a session and think “what’s the point?”
So far I have learned that short sessions (15 minutes) are great – its an easy length of time to sit for without getting bored or restless.
Guided meditations are much more interesting that just soft quiet music or silence.
Also, setting up your space so that it is comfortable and distraction free (as much as possible anyway) is key.
Finally, and most importantly, meditation is not about the instant gratification. It is as much about the long term benefits as it is the small shifts we feel afterwards. Being aware of our emotions during the day can help us to identify the impacts of each session but keeping a journal (similar to this blog) will help to monitor progress longer term. So if we don’t think anything is happening, we may just need to tune into the more subtle shifts that are happening. Small shifts are just as important and impactful as bigger ones.
Bring on day 3!
Sign up to my e-newsletter to get regular updates and inspirational emails. Click here!