Years ago I used to practice meditation. It was a life changer that also led to a couple of those brilliant “Ah ha!” moments people talk about. One that protected me from myself in a very dark moment and a later one that then filled in the void with bright meaning. Meditation brought clarity, mindfulness, depth. I got so comfortable I could literally blink and feel at peace in the moment. The sober way.
I got so comfortable with it I stopped actively practicing. It came so easy I thought it would be like riding a bike. That is so not true. I took it for granted. I’ve become so trapped in my own thoughts it is so much harder to let go than I remember.
I feel stuck on this and it hurts. Because I really, really miss it. Yesterday there was just this little flicker before the noise flooded in again, so the peace isn’t gone. But geez… it feels so far from where I started before getting caught up in whatever-the-hell.
I actually teach mindfulness to my students as a means to self regulation and it is fabulous. We do deep breathing while we focus on our breath and try to clear our heads of anything going on at home our school. I use a chime, and we focus on the sound as well as our breath. We also practice gratitude circles. It’s probably one of the most powerful tools you can teach kids- that they can indeed control their bodies and emotions. I also feel so much more calm, and capable of resiliency when I actively practice. I notice a difference in my anxiety and my ability to cope with life stressors in general. Great post!
I am trying my best to do 10 minutes meditation most mornings. I use the Calm app and love it.
Started meditating earlier this year and have dipped in and out of it. Like you I tend to start feeling better then let it slip… Although quickly notice the difference!
A couple of us have a thread going to share meditation and motivation posts, if you manage to get into the routine and want to add to it!
When I have a hard time breaking into my meditation I will use a guided one until I get that peace going again. There’s decent ones on YouTube that work for me and when I was using apple there were great meditation podcasts. I hope this helps.
I would love to lo earn meditation but I dont know where to start. I actually have a book explaining that but so much info. So anyone suggest how to start etc… thank you
Do you have YouTube? I found there to be a huge amount of meditations there so if you find one that doesn’t work, try another one. It really helps! Guided meditations is where I start.
I found YouTube a bit overwhelming trying to work out where to start!
@Vitamia Check out the Calm app. They have a 7 Days of Calm series which is an introduction to meditation. I did buy the subscription after that so I’m not sure how much free content there is. But it’s a good introduction anyway and then like Mandi says there is tons of stuff available online.
There are a few threads on here with links to meditations, here are a couple:
I feel like I’m in a similar situation. I’m trying to get back into it because the benefits you described are life changing. Meditation definitely takes practice though so I’m just trying my best to commit to a routine.
Check out the book 10% Happier. It sounds like a self help book but I really don’t think it is. It’s by Dan Harris, the news anchor. He documents his struggles with substances and his eventual path to mindfulness and meditation. It’s a great read.
Another great app for meditation is simple habit. They have all kinds of genres 5-10 minute meditations, and they have a featured daily one as well. You can set an alarm on the app to remind you to meditate also. I didn’t pay for the full subscription so it’s free and I feel there’s plenty. @MandiH@Vitamia
I love that you do this at school! So powerful to teach kids! I started to do guided meditations with my kids at night and they beg for them they love them so much, no doubt your class does too ️
Yes! It’s a program called “Mind Up”… I just love it That’s great that your kiddos at home love guided meditation, at bed time my kids are apparently the hungriest and thirstiest they have ever been in their lives lol…
ha mine too but the older two are ten and eight so bedtime does get easier when they get older. I remember when they were 3 and 1 oh bedtime hell is what I called it. My 2 year old now doesn’t understand the meditation yet but it’s nice the older two appreciate it!
It sure does take a routine! Thanks, I’ll check out the book.
@siand, got the app. Do you use any of the alarm features or really just the meditations? Are any guided?
I might look at YouTube again too and appreciate any links to good guided ones to get started again. It is a bit much searching there for them, but I can stream it to the living room pretty easy for practice.
I just use the meditations. There is a timer there with no guidance but I use the guided ones. I started on the 7 days of Calm, then did the 21 days, did a couple of the other 7 day ones (found the focus one particularly good, need to revisit that!) And now I mainly do the Daily Calm which is a pretty good way to start the day
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That’s great that your kiddos at home love guided meditation, at bed time my kids are apparently the hungriest and thirstiest they have ever been in their lives lol…