It’s not as hard as you think to start a meditation practice. You absolutely should If you struggle from: anxiety, work stress, sleep deprivation, overwhelming feelings or thoughts, lack of concentration, lack of creativity, lack of patience, lack of motivation—really, the list of issues meditation can conquer is endless. By incorporating a meditation practice into your life, you will feel better and more fulfilled. I promise you. Finding something good in every moment and being in the moment is possible. It is within you. You just have to begin.

So, here is a quick lesson….

What you’ll need:
Something or somewhere comfy to sit (and, NO, lying down does not work)
A timer (start with a small amount of time, maybe 3 minutes. Then build up to your desire)
Silence, sweet meditation music, or nature (ditch the chaotic area)

How to begin:
Start by following your breath.
Follow each inhale.
Follow each exhale.
Count the seconds you draw your breath in, and count the seconds you make your exhale last.
Try to comfortably lengthen the times of each.

Let’s begin…

Now hold your awareness on that breath.
Try not to lose sight of it, even feel what happens to your body as you breathe.

Then, wait.

What are you waiting for, you ask. Thoughts—lots of them, most likely.
If you’ve never meditated before, it’s going to be overwhelming.
Please don’t quit because you think.
That’s really the entire point, right? We get so consumed in our thoughts.
So, here we are trying to tame them. It’s a practice, taming those thoughts.
It’s hard work, but

IT works. 

Try thinking of your thoughts like clouds on a beautiful spring day.
They start to float by, you notice them, and like the wind, use your breath to blow them away.
You are simply holding awareness on the present moment.
Notice you are thinking, then push the distraction of thought away. Let the thought go, and

begin again.

Try to hold blank space in your mind. Hold it until the timer goes off.
Don’t quit because you are thinking too much—just go with it.

Keep trying.

Some days will be easier than others, and that is so very similar to life.
What you are trying to do is be present, in the here and now. Not the past or the future.
You don’t have the ability to go backwards anyway, and we certainly do not have complete control over what lies ahead.
Let your meditation be just a practice of quieting the mind and finding stillness and peace, in the present.

Over time you will see results in your daily living. It won’t happen instantaneously, so be patient.
All good things take time, right?

You’ll start to notice little things:
You don’t get so worked up about about things you can’t control.
You don’t mind if things don’t go perfectly as planned.
And, you begin accepting life as it comes.

Your meditation practice teaches you to be in the moment.
It teaches you to use your breath to blow the things away that, maybe, are not so important.

The more you practice, and the longer you make your sessions, the deeper your sense of peace.
Overtime, you will begin to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of your mind.
You will start to really understand yourself, your thoughts, and your feelings.
You will have a deeper sense of who you are and why you do the things you do.
Decision making will get easier, breathing through challenging situations will be easier,

life will get easier.
Other Tips:
Feel free to add in a mantra or intention; test out a guided meditation, or even contemplation meditation—when you feel ready, of course. I’m just suggesting you begin with holding a still space on your own to grasp what meditation is all about. There are so many many more ways to meditate; and, when you finally do feel ready to venture on, go for it!

Enjoy the journey.

Oh, yes, and yoga. Yoga is my passion. I absolutely could not end this blog without mentioning how yoga is, in my opinion, the most beautiful guided mediation. You are incorporating the body, along with the breath and mind connection. This practice truly helps you live from the heart, and with compassion and honesty to yourself and all beings. Flexibility is not required, but you may find yourself much more bendy over time.

You should give yoga a whirl too—if you haven’t already.

I am over the moon to bring my meditation workshop, “Sit Still”, back to Release Well-Being. Being able to create a home meditation practice has positively impacted my life in every way imaginable. I was once lost in my messy, anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, chaotic mind. Self-destruction was a consistent pattern. Things began to shift when I became aware of the madness in my mind. The clarity, focus, compassion, and peace this practice has brought me is priceless. It’s given me a deep appreciation and understanding of who I truly am and where I want to be. My hope is that I can help others who are struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or just looking to flow a little easier in life. 

The process of unlearning our conditioned existence and redirecting the mind to see clearly and honestly works with consistent “practice”. I believe in the process wholeheartedly and I am so excited to share this workshop with you!!

Sit Still: A Meditation Workshop with Gina Sunday 2/21 – 3/7 1130 – 1230. To register visit https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/asp/adm/main_enroll.asp or call 508-986-2330.