*A Good Thing* Vol.12

Meditation.

I started my journey with meditation a few months before I turned 35. On a mission to get my life “figured out” before a big birthday, I read every self-help book I could find and noticed a theme, everyone meditates.

Reverent, by Bonnie Lynn Felton, lynnfelton.com

I consider myself a spiritual person, tapped into a belief that we’re all connected, part of a flow, a universal energy stream. But I don’t think you need to be this way to benefit from meditation. You may develop spirituality through it, or not, it’s the practicality I find most beneficial.

At 35, I started with 5 minutes a day and gradually increased my practice to 20. During the pandemic, when I was living with my parents and had ample time, I’d mediate twice a day, sometimes for upwards of an hour. It was awesome but it wasn’t practical and certainly doesn’t fit into my life the same way anymore.

The past two years, I’ve meditated on and off. Like taking a bath for sore muscles, meditation is my way of dealing with emotional disturbance. This year, my daily practice has very organically reintroduced itself. I wake up at 7:30, turn the coffee on and meditate for 10-20 minutes, whatever I’m feeling.

In my experience, making anything too rigid or ritualistic, eventually sucks the power from it. There are some mornings when I don’t meditate, but those feel a bit like forgetting to brush my teeth. Making it a loose but conscious choice has infused meditation with a feeling of nourishment. A few moments to recalibrate my body with my mind.

Somedays, I sit for 15 minutes going through lists of tasks I’d like to accomplish. Sometimes I think about food or the coffee I’m going to drink. A lot of times I fret. Occasionally, I’ll have a really deep session and feel startled when the bell alerts me it’s over. I’ve found being casual and non-judgmental takes the pressure off of meditating. Picture yourself sitting on a bench and make your thoughts the people walking by, advice that helped me when I first started with 5 minutes a day and felt overwhelmed by my racing mind.

My favorite tool for meditation has always been Insight Timer. It’s free. It has a huge database of guided meditation and music and it keeps track of how often you use it. I’ve meditated for 21,500 minutes to date. Most often, I choose the Timer with background music and a starting and ending bell. But I also love Pura Rasa, Lawrence Libert and London Porter. Apart from Insight Timer, Joe Dispenza’s meditations and books have been a jaw-dropping delve into deeper spirituality but you’ll find those randomly dropped into your life if you’re seeking.

Meditation is a wonderful gift to give yourself. A brain cleaner, truly like drinking water in the morning or whenever you need quenching. It doesn’t have to be serious, it can be as light and easy as taking a few deep breaths, gentle self-care you can do anytime of day. It’s definitely a Good Thing I hope you’ll try.

Talk to you Monday, have a terrific weekend.

Cheers!