How can meditation help?

“If you don’t have time to meditate for 1 hour, meditate for 2 hours!”

I love this proverb, and I know from experience that it really is true. The times we think we don’t have time to meditate (or practice yoga) is when we would benefit from it the most!

Of course, 1 or 2 hours may not be realistic for many of us, but we can all spare 10 or 20 minutes a day, perhaps twice a day during challenging times.

When I went through my divorce, I knew I had to prioritise my early morning yoga practice and meditation over anything else ….. even with the demands that came with 3 young children, 2 businesses, a court hearing and subsequent house move (as well as still coming to terms with the breakdown of the marriage)….. I knew that the time on the mat was what would ENABLE me to get through the day in the most affective way possible. It influenced the way I worded e-mails, how I responded to situations, decisions I made and ultimately led me to the freedom I feel within myself now. 

I learnt that it is possible to ‘do’ less and ‘be’ more and still be productive. I learnt to do the absolute priorities ….. and let the rest carry over ….. I made friends with the realisation that the ‘to do’ list was NEVER going to be completely clear, and that’s ok! It’s ongoing, life’s ongoing... 

I learnt not to sweat the small stuff. I learnt to let things go. I learnt let things trust and unfold. I learnt that things can wait, I learnt that less was more 

And I am so pleased I had experienced this going into my cancer diagnosis. It has made a HUGE difference.  

We hear it all the time – “meditation changed my life”! “Meditate on it”. “Quieten your mind”

But what is meditation? When I first started ‘meditating’, I ‘thought’ the ‘objective’ was to sit still and not think about anything at all …… and that would lead me to SO much frustration. My hips were SO tight when I first came to the mat, and my mind was SO active. I would sit there with numb legs and sore ankles thinking I wasn’t allowed to move and I’d try to shuffle without anyone noticing feeling guilty that I’d moved, and I would feel frustrated that my mind would be performing a running commentary on the fact that I was thinking and that I shouldn’t be thinking!

If you are new to meditation, or if you can relate to any of this, then this recording is perfect for you! 

I now see meditation as something so different. Really, it’s a journey of getting to know your deeper self. And part of that is getting to know your mind ….. through observing and watching it… 

An advanced meditation practice may well be sitting for hours on end in a perfect lotus position connected to source, however, that’s not a realistic starting point! For most people, you can replace the word ‘meditation’ with ‘concentration’ and consider it a ‘concentration’ practice – and such practices bring with them a feeling of focus and clarity. 

There are SO many simple concentration and mind practices you can do to help you connect to your breath and inner being which I find brings instant inner peace, calm, assurance and feelings of well-being. Over time, you may find glimpses of connection to your source which feel like bliss moments. The more you experience this ….. the more tuned you are becoming. And it’s from this place that inner guidance may arise. For example, I have been guided on questions to ask, when to seek advice and I’ve been given beautiful messages of reassurance, encouragement and lots more! 

But first things first! Training the mind to be more present is going to help drop the fear and calm your mind at a time when it’s likely jumping all over the place, running ahead and thinking the worst!

Here’s a meditation practice to help.