My first exposure to meditation was in my college physical education required class. I chose yoga as my gym elective because having a background in dance, I thought it would be fun to stretch into all of the fancy contortion poses. Well, my teacher had a different class syllabus planned. As an athletic coach, his class emphasized the mind body connection and how to use meditation to self heal with visualization techniques for injuries and performance anxiety. Many years later after graduation and corporate life I found my way back to meditation through yoga during the postpartum period after the birth of my daughter while recovering from a c-section. The body scanning and deep relaxation of restorative yoga helped me self heal incision pain and sleep deprivation and being in community with compassionate nurturing yogis gave me emotional support and connection at a time I didn't know anyone at home during the day. I developed my own practice over time and eventually began teaching a lot of moms, women, and kids. I truly believe in our own ability to self heal mind and body so much that I chose to teach behavioral and special needs pediatric yoga to help kids and their parents. Meditation won't make clinical issues go away necessarily, but it will contribute to a sense of well-being and self acceptance of what is real. Over the past decade I've had the good karma to administrate, develop classes and teach yoga at local studios which exposed me to many styles of meditation beyond seated guided... including kundalini yoga, vibrational sound gong and singing bowl meditation, and Yoga Nidra. That led me to train/certify in facilitating mindfulness based guided meditation with teacher Marlie McGovern and Atma Buti Method of Vibrational Sound Healing Method with teacher Julia Abramova. Being out there doing this work as a teacher, I hear first hand from students about suffering Anxiety, Depression, ADD/ADHD, Autism, insomnia and chronic physical pain etc. Many are referred by therapists to begin a practice. It really is simple, and it really is accessible because there's many methods. You just have find the right one for yourself.
Beginning a practice doesn't have to be formal or involve secluded silent retreats. It can be simple, short, and convenient for you to just explore what is out there. Just like fitness, you build up and start experimenting and you go deeper following your own pace. Start with beginners mindset and your breathing body. I like creative visualization and body scanning and sound...counting breath isn't my favorite, but if I'm in a seated group meditation I follow the discipline. It's part of the process to do things that are work or uncomfortable without the duality of comparing. You just have to keep trying and doing. If stillness is a challenge start with a moving meditation. When I taught special needs , I never taught stillness, closing the eyes is hard for anxiety or ADHD. So , I used sound, hand gestures (mudras) with voice chanting. It's not one size fits all.
Tips for Starting a Meditation Practice
- Arrive curious and open, whether you start at home, with an app or attend group class
- Try different styles to feel what resonates for you (verbal guiding, sound, deep relax etc.)
- Find a realistic time that works for you even if duration is short, I spend a lot of time waiting in my car as a busy mom driving a lot, so my car has become a quiet place for stillness where I can listen to meditation, or do a short check in with breath and mindset.
-Gradually build up the number of times per week once you know what you like
-Make every session fresh and new without comparing it to the last. Part of a healthy mindset is letting go of comparing and judging everything so we can be fully present in the moment.
- Try to notice how your mind feels, emotions, & reactions the following day to bring awareness to mental patterns and actively redirect. I carry a journal because my best ideas and realizations come right after meditation. And, I've noticed many of them actualize just from allowing the visual to flow into written word.
Practical Benefits and Qualities of a Meditative Mind
- More creative energy, less procrastinating and distraction which I need because I'm a freelance teacher, I create sequences, communication etc. I have to practice what I teach so exercise, eat right etc. requires super focused creative energy because it's not a set 9 to 5 with clear expectations. I have to keep myself motivated.
- Improve focus for decision making and problem solving, managing finances and parenting with less stress, managing time, having patience and calm is more productive than panicking over small things, discerning what is top priority in the moment.
- More presence and attention in relationships with friends and family allows me to experience joy and sense of connection.
- More pause between thoughts and actions leads to good clear communication and boundaries.
- More noticing the good things with gratitude and resilience when things don't go as desired or expected, letting go of the illusion of full control .
Meditation is for everyone and you can't mess it up or be bad at it. It doesn't imply there's something wrong to fix in your mind or that you will become enlightened although it can be very spiritual if choosing that path. It is practical to set aside time to self connect and be quiet with self to notice thought processing. When we learn how to be present with our feelings and experiences without drama we clear out the stale mental energy that blocks our best self.
Sutra 1.2 -"Yoga is the ending of the disturbances of the mind"- Patanjali
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