10 day challenge | Meditation
finally doing things I've always wanted to try (part 2)
“Meditation is like multivitamins for your brain. Good to take it every day.”-livetodare.com
There are tons of scientific studies about how & why this stuff works. All the greats do it. People are writing best selling books it. CEOs, newscasters and celebrities discuss how they are adding it to their morning routine. People I admire have created entire companies around it, travel the world talking about its benefits. It helps decrease depression. It helps improve focus. It teaches you to live in the present moment, releasing doubt, fear and anxiety. Its available to you at any time, and it's free.
During the nine months of my yoga teacher training, my teachers would encourage us to adopt this daily practice. “Start for just 2 minutes. Inhale ‘let’, exhale ‘go’.” I just couldn’t get into it. 2 minutes of focusing on the breath. Nope. It became a battle with myself. Instead of sit and meditate, I would spend wayyyy longer than two minutes convincing myself to do it until I had to rush out the door, only to ignite this new routine of self deprecation. Meditation is such a huge part of yoga, of internal freedom, of self mastery. What was I so scared of? Why couldn't I start?
A few months later, I flew to India for a retreat where I first meditated 10 days in a row. After a 2 hour yoga class, we would sit and be still for 15 minutes every morning. This is all very "eat pray love" but that's when I felt it. And life hasn’t been the same since.
This is NOT to say I wake up before dawn, sit cross legged in a field and shut my mind off. This IS to say that on the long stretches when I don't meditate, I feel the effects. In some miraculous way, most of my friends are into this stuff, and countless conversations have started with “ugh i feel like shit cause i haven’t meditated in weeks”. We get it. Hopefully you will too :)
Inspired by the power yet simplicity of the breath, I joined a mindfulness & meditation course where I got to dive deeper into the practice with 14 like minded women. (nothing better than a powerful group of women trying to better themselves). I’ve read countless articles about the benefits. I am creating a program to teach people how to incorporate it into people's lives. I have brought it into all of my yoga classes and I have introduced guided imagery to kids yoga classes in schools. When anyone in my life says they’re anxious, getting overwhelmed or feeling a wave of sadness coming on, I always come out with the big ol' “you should totally meditate”.
People can be put off by this idea. Meditation sounds a little scary. But I'm here to make one thing clear. It isn’t about shutting off your brain. Stopping your thoughts and emptying your mind. No one can do that. Maybe Deepak Chopra, but he meditates for 3-4 hours every morning, and that isn't our goal. Meditation is about focusing on the breath and re-directing our thoughts. Allowing what comes up, giving ourselves permission to feel, and coming back to our breath again. Its a beautiful cycle, but its hard as hell. It takes practice.
The reason I’m writing about it today is because this week started on a crappy foot. I realized I haven’t meditated regularly in about a month. Fathers day always sets me off (i love so many of you dads out there, but ya know...i miss mine). The news in this country (and the world, lets face it) is weighing me down. My physical body has been kinda funky and I’m feeling unmotivated. I guess I’ll take my own advice. “Liz, you should totally meditate”.
I am posting this blog early - in hopes this will inspire my wonderful friends, and whoever is reading this, to join! If you’re just starting out, a great app is “insight timer”. Its free! You can set a timer, ocean waves guiding you through a mediation ending with the chime of a bell. Start with 2 minutes and work your way up at your own pace. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your experience, and I'll see you tomorrow for my day 1.
To bust any mindful myths, check out my blog post about it here!
love & light, LrM
