I have meditated on and off for at least 4 years now. I remember how I started, I finally got a job that a really wanted but as it often happens the inner happiness and satisfaction I have been promising myself didn’t come. One day my sister and I met in St Albans and went for a walk, she mentioned that she has been using Headspace app and she really enjoyed it. So I signed up for the free trial.
I started mediating in Chester actually, in a Holliday inn where I was staying for a few weeks for work. I enjoyed meditating, as it felt like I was learning something new. Which is exactly what it was, meditation is a skill and we can teach ourselves to meditate. I finished my free trial and subscribed for the paid one. I think I paid for Headspace for good 3 years. I didn’t use it daily but anytime I did, I could feel the difference it was making. I felt so much calmer and my ever-present anxiety started to calm down.
For the last year I have been meditating on a daily basis pretty much every single day. I don’t use apps anymore, I learned how to meditate by myself. But I still enjoy the guided meditation once in a while, there are plenty on Spotify, youtube and SoundCloud. Some of the spiritual people on social media share guided meditations which are really useful. I have actually completed a meditation teaching course now and have read numerous books on it. It is a life-changing practice. There are lots of scientific reasons behind it too, meditation changes our brain waves which can be monitored and compared. By meditating regularly, we can change the way our brain operates.
The biggest change in my life, was around reducing anxiety, something that I have lived with my entire life. But also, I find it much easier to focus on tasks and I can feel when my ‘monkey brain’ kicks in trying to distract me. Mediation taught me to be in charge of my brain rather than just responding to instincts.
The biggest change in my life, was around reducing anxiety, something that I have lived with my entire life. But also, I find it much easier to focus on tasks and I can feel when my ‘monkey brain’ kicks in trying to distract me. Mediation taught me to be in charge of my brain rather than just responding to instincts.
I know it is ‘in fashion’ right now, but there are reasons why people are obsessed with meditating. Also if you have tried and think it is not for you, I would recommend trying different types – visualisations, mindfulness or even walking meditation. Have you ever tried meditation?
