Someone once asked me - "If you could leave your children with one thing, what would it be?" My answer was, MEDITATION. Today, I am going to tell you my best practices and how to meditate because meditation is by far hands down the MOST powerful tool I have ever practiced. Sure, meditation is great for stress, and has tons of health benefits - but that's not why I do it. I do it because it develops something within the brain called, Awareness. Awareness is the ability to disengage from automatic behaviors and live from the present moment in a conscious, intentional way. Awareness allows us to see the unseen, feel and sense beyond our physical realm and tap into our psychic abilities such as intuition.
Meditation has an infinite ROI, so if you haven't started yet, now is your chance! In this video I discuss best practices when beginning a meditation practice that I have found to be very beneficial in all my years meditating and teaching others to do the same. Here are some of the tips I discuss in the video:
Choose the Meditation that works for you. Not every meditation is created equally. If you are just starting, I do not suggest starting with a silent meditation practice. The space of stillness may create more thinking and more anxiety for you. I would suggest starting with one of the following: a guided meditation where someone is guiding you through the process; a meditation using a mantra, where you focus all your attention on the mantra; or a physical practice such as yoga or kundalini where you are using your movement during the meditation - again, something to focus your attention on while you train your mind. Once you begin building your meditation muscle, you will be more comfortable with sitting in silence because your relationship to your thoughts will have changed.
Start small. This is a new habit you are beginning, so plan to succeed by starting small. Begin with 3 or 5 minutes rather than burning yourself into the ground with an hour or 30 minutes. You want to do this daily so make sure whatever you choose it is sustainable for your schedule.
Schedule it. Use whatever tools work for you - your planner, your phone calendar - but schedule it. You won't need to do this forever but as you begin to fit this into your schedule and create the discipline, using technology like a meditation app or a calendar tool could be helpful. Give yourself enough time and do it at a time of the day where you're not rushing. Provide yourself the space to sit longer if you feel called to.
Accept that you will think. You are going to think. Accept it. It's what the brain does. Again, it's all about your relationship to the thoughts themselves. If it bothers you that you think - explore and work through this. If you get anxious when you think - then explore the feeling and the circumstance that is pulling you. Neutralize yourself and allow yourself to have the exact experience it is having. Even if that means the kids are crying or the dog is barking. Remember, no mistakes in the Universe. Accept that you created this moment, appreciate the incredible power you have, acknowledge the thought and create a new thought pattern. Then return to the meditation. It will get easier I promise.
Commit to a daily practice and have compassion for yourself. This is a journey within itself. Just believe you can do it, be in a good space of mind, provide yourself with a supportive environment and stay committed. Something that was helpful for me when starting was to do a 21 or 40 day challenge. It would force me to meditate no matter what time of the day it was and I was able to create the practice I wanted.
You have everything you need. You are powerful beyond measure, all you have to do is get your mind to believe.
Let me know what meditations are your favorite or pop in and tell me how you got started on the journey. I’d love to hear from you!
Sending you lots of love and presence today!
xo
Monica
