Meditation has this mysteriousness to it, doesn't it?
When I first began meditating I had a few false beliefs about what it was and how it worked.
A few examples include:
- Meditation is difficult
- Meditation means silencing the mind (this is true, eventually)
- It takes forever to see any results from it
- It's boringggg
- I don't have enough time to do it (this is a big one, isn't it?)
- To meditate is to sit cross legged and chant "om" (that is one way!)
I could easily tell you more that I've heard others say about it but I think you get it and I think you have your own conclusions to insert here as well.
Here's the real and the raw truth..
Meditation could be all those things for sure. But it definitely does not have to be! Relieved? As with everything in life, what you think about meditation is what it is for you. It is your belief and in your reality, it's true!
We can begin to shift all of this if we take a little peek at what meditation is all about.
Before I dive into the explanation, know that I'm going to share with you a really fxcking easy way to meditate! And it works! It is my best tip, the one I give out to everyone and anyone, and one I used heavily when I first began my practice! I still use it on those "I don't have the time" days.
First though, let's break this shit down.
Meditation aims to do one thing.. maybe two. It encourages a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. What does this mean? This means that meditation helps you to reach a state of well being. Now I don't know about you but that sounds sweet to me!
Let's put the yoga spin on this.
According to the 8 limbs of yoga, the foundation of yoga, meditation can be broken down into two parts. Dharana and Dhyana. Dharana means concentration of the mind. Dhyana means meditation. Now don't get confused here, Dhyana is the 7th limb leading us to Samadhi or Bliss which is enlightenment. Most of us will never reach this because we are human. And that's okay! We can most definitely get pretty close! So think of Dhyana as that meditation that freaks you out. The empty mind meditation. Beginners to meditation will not be able to reach this. Honestly, unless your an extreme meditator it's not going to happen.
We don't need to worry about that part!
The amazing thing about yoga, as a lifestyle, is that working on ANY of the limbs gives us an opportunity to reap all the benefits!
Dharana is what most of us do when we meditate. And that should be a relief! Because there is a ton of options here for you to meditate in a way that serves you and that is easy for you! Yes, easy!
Let me list a few options here. Notice the ones that you do or have tried.
- concentration on an object outside of you (staring at a flame or looking into the mirror)
- guided meditation
- focused attention (listening to, feeling, observing the breath)
- body scan meditation
- visualizations
- mindfulness meditation (observing the thoughts)
- movement meditation (a walk perhaps?)
- mantra meditation
Those are the biggies but there are plenty more! ANY of these work beautifully and perfectly. Giving you so much benefit and moving you closer to wholeness and well being. They ALL are meditation and crush all the stereotypical myths about what meditation is.
So instead of all those beliefs I listed in the beginning of this telling us why meditation doesn't work for us or we just don't enjoy it, realize there are so many options to choose from! Maybe you just haven't found YOUR style of meditation yet!!
Let me rephrase all of the beginning statements in a more yummy way!
- Meditation isn't difficult because I found a style that fits me and I enjoy it!
- Meditation is about silencing the mind but for now, that's not my goal and there are tons of options for me to get the same benefits!
- It only takes forever to see results if I'm not practicing, so let me go meditate!
- Meditation isn't boring at all! I've found a style that I so enjoy!
- I have enough time for meditation because the style I found fits into my schedule and works for me!!
- There are literally tons of ways to meditate and they ALL give me the benefits I desire!
These are the TRUTHS of meditation. And my opinion?? Much better than the above!
So let's move into my super easy technique now that we've gotten that out of the way!
Be honest with me. Does this all still feel like too much to you? Too time consuming? Tried it all and still didn't enjoy it?? I get it and I got your back!
When I first started trying to meditate it was allll overwhelming and I could give you excuses for days on why these practices didn't "work" for me. Which inevitably lead any meditation practice to fizzle right out.
After all that I've learned through my teacher training and all that I've tried and practiced, I have found a technique that is easy, fool proof, beneficial and actually quite delicious!!
I call it the 1 2 3 second meditation.
It is the perfect practice for absolute beginners, those of us that "don't have the time", those of us who cringe at the idea of taking a peek upstairs, and literally every other human being on the planet.
I challenge you to give this a try. Do it every day for 30 days if you can and just observe what happens. This is a 3 second practice my love and I promise you it's an absolute game changer!
Here's how it works:
- Every morning when you open your eyes, before you do absolutely anything including get out of bed, going to the bathroom, checking your phone, getting a drink, seriously before you do anything!, I want you to intentionally take 3 deep breaths.
- On each breath make sure to inhale through your nose gently, slowly and evenly. Fill the belly alllll the way up with air!
- Make each exhale through your mouth gently, slowly and evenly. Empty the belly so your stomach reaches back for the spine. (you can add a little force here, a big sigh could feel really yummy releasing any tension or worries, you could even make it a little weird and make some noise it's delicious!)
- Be with yourself and your breath on each round, listen to the sound of it. FEEL it. Intentionally create it.
- After your 3 big breaths, if you have the time of course, return to your natural breath and rest in it for just a moment
- Get up and begin your day!!
See? Fxcking so simple! But I can assure you this seemingly too easy practice packs a big punch for your day ahead! And if you don't believe me.. try it!!
This practice definitely works best in the morning but it absolutely can help you at night too, after a long day! Actually, you could stop and do this anytime you want to or need to!! And I highly encourage it!
The more you do it, the better at meditation you get! And before you know it you'll be sitting in silence for long periods of time like a pro!
But again, if you only have one time to try, choose the morning to do it!
Giving yourself this, even just a moment for connection, is essential for your wellbeing. ANY amount of time you give to yourself is enough!
So what do you think? Will you try it?
Please come back and comment here on this blog and we can talk about your experience! I seriously cannot wait to hear all about it because I have an inkling I know what will be said!
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Tried this and want to practice more? I have a gorgeous FREE library of guided meditations you can use to kick off your practice further! Check them out HERE!
Thanks for stopping by and giving this a read!
Happy Meditating!!
So much love,
Trish
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