What started out for me as a simple, sure I’ll give this a try has become one of my daily rituals that I never (and I rarely use the word never) miss. It doesn’t matter if I’m camping, on vacation, or went to bed late or fell asleep early … daily meditation is something I never miss.
I use the insight timer app for guided meditations, and apparently to track my consecutive meditations. And then it happened, one night, I hit 400.
400 consecutive meditations, I’m not sure I’ve done much for my well-being 400 days in a row. I exercise 5 days a week, I try to eat healthy, I drink 1 – 2 of my 40oz Stanley water bottles each day. But this. This is something out of the norm, and so I sat still today and thought about what meditation has done for me. And if you are someone who is just not feeling themselves lately, or maybe you are missing something and just can’t put your finger on it. This might just help you too.
- The number 1 thing that consecutive meditation has done for me is showing myself that I can keep a promise. To myself. From myself.
Have you ever seen that video, where a Navy Seal Admiral talks about making your bed. And the ripple effect of that simple act. Well, I think it’s the same when it comes to that promise of meditation for myself. That simple act lets me know that a promise made to myself is important, and I will do almost anything to make sure I keep it.
You can watch the ‘making your bed’ video here. - I often meditate once during the day (which I address next), and then again at night before bed. And since meditating before bed, I can fall asleep so easily – and I have a very peaceful sleep. Does this happen every night? No, of course not. But the rule is, when I meditate before bed, I get a very good sleep and I wake up feeling rested. Again, not every day – but most days.
- During my daytime meditation, it gives me somewhere to go with my thoughts. This one is harder to explain, but if I have a guided meditation and it talks about moving through something, or self advocating … those thoughts and feelings hold over the entire day. I can approach certain subjects with calm and ease and I know it’s because I’ve meditated for 10-20 minutes on the subject. My head feels clearer, and I feel like I trust myself to make decisions thoughtfully and mindfully.
The last thing that I wanted to share with you is some of my favourite meditations, in case you try out the Insight timer app.
- Sarah Blondin is my absolute favourite, she has meditations around self-worth, healing, surrender, money. And all of them are about 12 – 14 minutes long, and all have a lasting impact on my day.
- I also really love Vanessa Michele, she has an amazing meditation on breath. It’s called Don’t forget to Breathe and I have probably listened to it about 100 times, you can’t over-hear a meditation. One you love, anyhow.
- For night time, any meditation that is labeled (Yoga) Nidra will calmly put you right to sleep. Jennifer Piercy has a really lovely one called Yoga Nidra for Sleep, and it has quickly become my go-to when I’m getting ready for a restful night.
I will leave you with this, if you want to try meditation, don’t quit after a week or so. I was about 65 consecutive days in and only then did I start to see the benefits. That’s over 2 months of consistency until there was a glimpse of change. Meditation can’t be rushed, and there is no instant gratification. It’s about calming the mind, and taking time to look after yourself. Meditation has become the best self care tool that I use every day, for me. From me.