You may have noticed that I haven’t been very active on the blog this year. I have had a difficult year and perhaps I will explain more in a future post. I’m still pretty guarded with the details, but I will say that I am now using this time to improve myself. Personal growth can be a life saver in the difficult times, but one lesson I’ve learned is that we should never drop the ball on this.

We should always be growing and learning. Not that there’s anything wrong with where you are at, but in my experience the times where I’ve been stuck are the times when I’ve stopped caring for myself. Some of the things that I use to keep me grounded are gratitude journaling and having my crystalsaround me. One thing I’ve never been good at, but have recently added to my routine is meditation.

I was inspired by a course I was taking. The first module involved creating a morning routine that set the tone for the day. I found that the tone for my morning was frantic, irritated and generally grumpy. I’m a bear in the morning. I’ll admit it! It’s not pleasant, so I wanted to change this. First, I decided to get up earlier and do some journaling about what I’m grateful for. This allows me to focus on what’s good in my life as soon as I open my eyes. Then I added meditation to the practice.

What does it mean to be good at meditation?

I decided that even though I’m not good at it, that’d I’d make it a habit, but when I thought about it, what does it mean to be good at meditation anyway? I’m picturing these people at retreats spending hours in stillness and silence. Other times I picture that people who are good at meditating have all these awesome visualizations and or revelations. I’m lucky if I can stop my mind from wandering. I picture people being able to meditate without any guidance. They can just go into this state of total relaxation and feel so refreshed afterward.

Lessons Learned from Meditation

I am good enough!

I can’t say that I’ve ever been in a meditative state, but I can say it’s relaxing. I can’t always still my mind, but I go with the flow. I have the thought and then try focusing back on the meditation. I use guided meditations, so I have something to concentrate on. Even though I sometimes find it hard to visualize, the guided meditations help with this.

Get in touch with your body

I’m learning that it’s okay not to be in a certain position. Sometimes I sit or lay down. I pick which ever position feels best to me at the time. Usually, I’m laying since it’s right after I wake up, but if I try meditating later in the day, I sit. If you need to be moving to stay focused, they even have walking meditations. Meditation is also a great way to check in with all parts of your body, but more on that later.

Trust Your Intuition

I used to feel guilty or bad if my mind wandered. Now I go with it because maybe those thoughts are the start of a break through. You never know unless you follow your intuition. You can use some of your thoughts while you are meditating for journaling as well if you feel you need to explore something further. You can also use your intuition to find which meditation will work best for you.

You can Meditate on Anything

Is there a specific issue you are working through? There are meditations for just about anything as I’ve recently discovered. Some of the themes I’ve chosen are the beach, letting go, forgiveness, crystal healing and being more confident. I’ve even used a couple meditations for kids with Rosebud to help her calm down after a bad day. I had no idea of the possibilities open to me.

The importance of trying something new

One of the promises that I’ve made to myself is that I will take as many new opportunities as I can. Meditation has never been something I put much effort into, but it was relatively easy for me to try. I didn’t think it would benefit me, but I figured why not try? Here is what I found so far. It helps me get and stay more relaxed while starting my morning. I have a space to either think or zone out. It’s my choice. I can explore specific themes or just listen to some nature sounds or restful music. I can get in touch with my body. Where is the tension? Where do I feel pain? How am I feeling today? Finally, I can feel good about taking ten minutes each day to care for my mind and body.

There are numerous benefits of meditation, but each person’s experience is unique. I have learned that you don’t have to be good at meditation to get started. You should always trust your intuition. You can meditate on any topic. Meditation is a fantastic way to be in touch with your body. Last but not least, you won’t find the good stuff if you never try something new.

Do you have a meditation practice? What have you learned along the way? Do you have any favorite meditations? I’d love to hear in the comments!