Meditation has been on my to-do list for ions. And yes – I DO realise how contradictory that is!

So, for the past 6-weeks I have been incorporating this goal into my life.

With the help of Eoinn Finn and his Blissology dvds, my Duncan Peak meditation cd, and also the nifty little Headspace app on my phone, I have meditated every single day.

Wow, 10 minutes of stillness can really have a profound effect! I must say, it really has become an integral element of my life. My mind and body are calmer, clearer and more focused.

Looking back I wonder why it took me so long to take up this practice? To be honest, I never made time for it, for myself. Yet I’m learning that it’s precisely when I feel I have no time to meditate, that’s when I need it the most.

I’ve heard lots of anecdotal praise for meditation from friends, and there’s also lots of science to back up all that positive talk. Research has found the following benefits of meditation  –

• lowers high blood pressure
• helps depression
• relieves anxiety
• reduces stress
• fights heart disease
• improves immunity
• better fertility
• improves focus

Just a few small benefits. Yes, this I must try. (For more info on the benefits of meditation, check out this article on the yoga blog).

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” – Lao Tzu

I have many active forms of meditation – for me it’s yoga, running and swimming. But I have never allowed myself the time and space for still meditation. To just sit, and breathe. To allow for that kind of stillness.

I think it stems from a long held belief that:    HEALTH   =   MOVEMENT.

I took up yoga later in life, because well, I really didn’t know much about it, and I was always focused on getting the best work out in the least amount of time. I clearly remember going to the gym, looking at the class timetable, and completely dismissing yoga – I wanted to workout, not stretch! I wanted to arrive, sweat, and leave. Efficiency was key. (This was clearly before I knew about power and hot yoga!).

I now look at health more holistically, as a body, mind and spirit connection – not just the body.

“The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth, dwelling deeply in the present moment and feeling truly alive.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

My meditation has been varied. Sometimes nestled on the sand overlooking the ocean, or sitting cross legged in-front of my tv, others I watched the sunset from my balcony, or floated in the sea looking up into the sky.

It has been a slow process. At first (and much to my frustration), I tried to silence my thoughts and the voice in my head, but then realised that simply being witness to my thoughts is meditation in and of itself. I still find myself getting distracted by thoughts, or noises happening around me – but I’m learning to become more detached. My meditation muscle is getting stronger every day.

I recently finished a book by the Dali Lama – “How To See Yourself As You Really Are”. In it, he talks a lot about meditation reflection. How to meditate on objects, things, philosophy, people, feelings – this opened up a whole new world for me!

What? I dont have to sit there and try to clear my mind, try to empty any thoughts, try to silence myself – instead I can use my thoughts FOR meditation? Now that’s a new concept. I always thought that meditation was trying to rid my mind of thoughts completely.

“Before I started meditating, I didn’t know how to be a non-judgmental observer of my thoughts – letting them float past me like helium balloons and picking the ones I want. I experienced my thoughts as happening to me and ‘real.’ Meditation helps me be aware of the thoughts I’m having without getting lost in the storyline of them.” – Stephanie StClaire

There has been a lot of change happening for me lately, new country, new job, and moving between houses every other day. The frantic pace of Christmas and the holidays only adding to this. I was starting to feel quite unsettled at times.  Normally this would send my mind into chaos, leading to stress and irritability. But my new meditation practice has allowed me to connect back to myself and reduce this considerably.

Coming to my mat every day to breathe has kept me balanced and clear headed.

Focusing on the breath brings me out of my head, and back into my body.

I find this still reflection a chance for me to block out all the busy noise, the parts of life that can drown out our pure intentions. The stillness allows the less important things to evaporate away.  It leaves me with a sharper focus, clarity around who I am, and how I want to show up in this world.

“The vast majority of my innovations, ideas, plans, and life insights have come from the clarity I get when I stop my barrage of thoughts. Intuition follows from paying attention. Learn to pay attention, and you’ll begin to hear the quiet voice within that will guide you.” -Christine Comaford-Lynch

Do you meditate? How has your experience been?

What is it that brings you stillness in life?

The secret is in the breathe.

“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of because in the silence you hear the truth and know the the solutions.” – Deepak Chopra