Meditation will change your life. There isn’t one person on this planet that is impervious to benefits of meditation.
You won’t be a master on day one, that’s expected. Educate yourself on the process and what’s to come.
Learn what I’ve learned through 10 years of meditation.
10 Years of Meditation
Meditation has been an integral part of my life. You don’t need to meditate every day nor should you.
The benefits from meditation cannot be ignored but most people miss the mark on the purpose of meditation.
Lessons learned from meditation should be brought into your daily life. The present moment can be experienced at any time.
There is no barrier or “amount” of meditation required to live presently. It’s a matter of realizing that the now is always here and always will be.
Meditation helps you get to this conclusion. You’ll experience what it means to “live presently” outside of what others have written about it.
It’s a single moment that changes your life forever. However there is a caveat, if you don’t bring these lessons into your daily life you are essentially spinning your wheels.
You shouldn’t have to meditate every day. I meditate only when I feel the time is right.
I’ve learned that there is no reason to “force” myself to meditate. I meditate less now than I did in the beginning!
But what’s different is my ability to stay presently has grown exponentially. Every moment of life is a moment where meditation can be practiced.
My meditation sessions are deep and I no longer use it as an escape. Meditation has become one of the best tools I have for exploring uncomfortable emotions.
By learning to confront myself rather than running away, emotions no longer have a vice over me.
Should you meditate?
Yes!
But do attempt to bring the insights into your life outside of your sessions.
Becoming Aware
Before I started meditating emotions would take over rather easily.
It was only through constant practice that I understood how emotions work.
I was distancing myself from uncomfortable emotions. It’s natural, you don’t want to “feel bad” so your initial reaction is to shove them into the back of your mind and deal with them later.
The issue with this is that these emotions never get resolved. They evolve, they take over your life. A simple emotion can turn into weeks or months of depression, anxiety, fear, and regret.
It was only until I sat with them during my meditation sessions that I began to experience resolution.
I didn’t want to feel all of the repressed emotions and baggage I’ve been carrying around for years. I had a troubling childhood and these thoughts and beliefs don’t simply fall away on their own.
I was in a constant battle. I was never enough. I wasn’t smart enough. I thought I’d never feel “happy” and my state was how I’d live the rest of my life.
I became aware of my emotions. Meditation doesn’t let you hide from yourself. You’re essentially having an honest conversation with your deepest being.
The little boy that was crying in his room late at night, that was me. I was unaware that this memory was harboring my soul. I saw it for the first time during a session and started to explore it deeper.
Meditation showed me that this memory isn’t me. It’s was a representation of the unresolved childhood depression that I had gone through.
I didn’t let go of this memory easily. It took months of sitting with it, feeling every inch of the emotion, and letting everything go.
Meditation made me aware of my thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Aware of how by exploring your deepest internal conflicts resolution is able to be found.
Staying Present
It’s getting harder and harder staying present in such a quick-paced environment that we’ve all been accustomed to.
Attention spans are dwindling and quietness seems like a privilege rather than necessity.
Out of all the thoughts you have throughout the day, how many of them are useful?
Five percent? Maybe 10?
It’s become normal to overthink. Instead of anyone speaking out about this worldwide epidemic, it’s been swept under the rug.
Thinking 24/7 is not how humans were meant to experience life. There is a space in between each thought that you may not be aware of.
This is what the “present moment” is. It’s the silence that encapsulates everything.
Without meditation, I’d have never experienced a second of the present moment. I wouldn’t have thought that there was another way. I would be a victim of my own mind.
Meditation showed me that there IS another way. That my mind doesn’t need to think all day. The mind is naturally quiet.
Thinking is a process that happens. Much like your stomach digesting food without your consent, thought is the same.
You should be able to walk down the street during a busy day taking in the moment. Noticing the people around you, how the air smells, the energy that your environment is breeding.
I thought that I had to be thinking to accomplish anything. That if the mind was quiet, thinking wouldn’t “work” anymore.
The opposite is true. The present moment is a state of flow. When you’re present, tasks become infinitely easier.
Singers and athletes experience flow. Their own “meditation” has been years of hard work and dedication granting them access to the present moment. They act without thought.
You’re no different. By meditating you will experience the beauty and richness that the present holds.
It takes some dedication until you’re bringing mindful awareness into your waking life.
Wrapping it Up
I hope I’ve inspired you into why you should begin meditating.
Meditation has changed my life in so many ways. I would not be the same person I am today if it were not for meditation finding me.
I’ve got a clear mind, let go of the past and realized the power of now.
What else more could you ask for?
