True confessions of a meditator…

HERE YOU GO!

• I don’t sit to mediate every single day
• Some days when I am meditating I pretty much spend the whole time plotting out my day if I have a lot going on
• I don’t ever sit cross legged on a meditation cushion
• I rarely spend more than 16 minutes at a time in a “formal” meditation 
• I get the itches and the wiggles

And yet I keep showing up for myself because if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that with meditation, like with so many other practices and habits, consistency is the KEY. 

Many days are “good” meditation days. Body settled, mind quiet-ish, and I am able to drop into a place of peace and stillness for at least a good chunk of time. Those days, the timer goes off and it feels as if I’ve only been at it for just a few short minutes. I feel clear, focused, and grounded. 

Every day, no matter how my time goes by in my practice, I tell myself “thank you” and I always finish by pulling out my gratitude journal and jotting down three things that are at the top of my list that day. 

Although I’ve been teaching yoga for well over a decade, I didn’t add in meditation as a formal practice until several years later. I started out by joining the 21-day meditation challenges that Deepak and Oprah used to do together. I would do a pretty good job hanging in there for all 21-days, but soon after I’d fall off the wagon and drop the daily routine. 

Then, I attended a Chopra Meditation Weekend where I received my own personal mantra to meditate with along with a whole lot of great info on how to be a “better meditator”. Again, I stuck with it for a while and definitely started to notice more of the benefits appearing in my life.

It really wasn’t until I met my love, Andy, three years ago that I was really able to settle into a solid (almost) daily routine of meditation. You see, one of the reasons I agreed to go on a first date with him was that he shared with me that he was working his way through a transcendental meditation course at the time we met. I was like, “I gotta meet this guy! He’s into meditation!” 

From the very start of our relationship we would sit to meditate at least once a day. Many days we’d walk to the Self Realization Fellowship Gardens and catch a second round. We’d sit on a bench in the shade, holding hands and settle into our breath. It was magical.

Now that we are settled into a more “real life” routine (as compared to the lovey-dovey dating days), we have a pretty solid morning routine that includes a brief stretching routine, a 10-16 minute meditation (no idea why 16 is our magic number), and time to write in our gratitude journals. 
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I can’t say enough about how lovely it is to have a meditation buddy! Accountability and encouragement are key in creating and sticking with any healthy habits. Grab your partner, a friend, or a kid and give it a try!