I never thought something as simple as sitting in silence could change my life. I would read articles and watch videos from people talking about the power of meditation. I didn’t truly understand the power behind such a simple act until I started practicing meditation on a regular basis.
Let me start by telling you what my meditation practice looked like at the beginning vs what it looks like today. At the beginning of my practice I was that busy mom who thought I didn’t have time for meditation. I knew it would probably feel good to meditate, but I felt guilty about just sitting in silence doing nothing. Little did I know that I wasn’t actually doing nothing during meditation. My mind and body is busy healing and rejuvenating itself during meditation.
Today I meditate for 20 minutes twice a day. I wake up in the morning, work out, take the kids to school, do some asanas, sing kirtan and meditate. In the evening before I go to bed my husband and I meditate together for 20 minutes. This has been a major change from barely being able to sit for 5 minutes at a time to meditating twice a day for 20 minutes.
Why do I meditate twice a day?
Here are 5 ways meditation has changed my life in the last year. I could list more, but this is a good start.
Stressful situations are easier to deal with
Just months after we started our daily meditation practice our family went through a devastating loss. My husband’s grandmother passed away leaving us all heartbroken. She was the most loving woman. Imagine the perfect Grandma who bakes cookies, make crafts, tells stories and loves to spoil her grandkids with love. That was Grandma.
While we still miss her dearly to this day, meditation helped us get through our grief in a healthy way. Meditation also helped us cope with the stress that comes with planning a funeral, gathering family, having an estate sale and generally holding everything together. With the passing of each day we have healed our hearts and minds and are able to hold Grandma in our hearts with each thing we do.
Surrendering Control
I have always been the mom who wakes up and get the kids ready for school, takes them to all of the various school functions and sports activities. I make sure they are getting their homework done, have money in their school accounts for lunch and have everything they need for school. I do this because it has just become a habit for me and I love it.
When I went away for my yoga teacher training for over a week I had to surrender this control. I had to completely let go and let my fully capable husband take care of all of those things while I was gone. I didn’t want to pester him or the kids. I just had to trust that their world wasn’t going to fall apart while I was gone. And guess what. They were fine without me.
Sound Sleep
I used to have a hard time falling asleep at night. I would lie in bed with a racing mind. Some nights I would just give up and get out of bed to read or write in an attempt to shut my mind down. Now that I have my meditation practice before bed I am able to sleep soundly. Most nights I am able to fall asleep almost immediately after meditation.
Greater confidence
I have a terrible tendency of second guessing myself and talking myself out of following my dreams. Since I have started meditating I have found it easier to follow my dreams. I do the things I truly want to do without second guessing myself. Take my blog for example. I have blogged off and on throughout the years. When I stop blogging it’s normally because I am second guessing my blog. Now I feel like I am blogging with purpose and don’t plan to stop.
More organized thoughts
Have you ever heard the term “mom brain”? I feel like I have walked around with mom brain pretty much since pregnancy. I have felt scatterbrained and forgetful. I had a tendency to have a hard time following through with things.
I feel so much more focused with meditation. After just 9 months of meditation my husband and I worked together to plan a local yoga festival. We successfully hosted a yoga festival with over 100 attendees. It was fantastic and such a confidence booster to know we had it in us to do something like that for our community.
I tell you all this as my testimony as a normal busy mom who just wanted to find something to make my life easier. I still have days when I don’t get around to meditating twice a day. Or even days when I can only meditate for 5 minutes instead of 20 minutes. But I’m sticking to my practice because I have seen the benefits it has brought to my life.
Do you have a meditation story to tell? Leave me a comment. I would love to hear how it has helped you.
Great for you! I don’t “meditate” – meditate, but I do just calm myself by visiting places that is peaceful. Helps me recollect myself
Wow, that was great to hear. Meditation is really a good thing and routine to do. It has lots of benefits.
I used to meditate, I think I should get back into that routine, it did well for me. I hope you get the chance to be consistent with it and enjoy its benefits
I love to meditate it also has changed my life….Positive energy flows while I meditate!!
Meditation and visualization have a great power of the vision one has of life and how one lives it. It’s like that for me!
Have been wanting to turn to meditation for more organized thoughts…keep trying but keep dropping out of it. Try try again! Thanks for the motivation.
I heard about the benefits of meditation and learn during my yoga lesson but sad that I could not practice it daily as my minds seem to wander around like a monkey.
I completely agree. I was mugged at knife point a few years ago and ended up with PTSD I tried counselling and numerous options and this is what helped me the most
I like this article and I enjoyed reading this. I used to meditate normally when I feel mad or feel so much stress this helps me to be calm and to relax my mind.
I am glad that meditation helps you a lot.
I’m a huge fan of meditation! I recently started using Headspace and it’s been a game changer for me too. I always wake up in the mornings with racing thoughts and I have to get out of bed. It’s been becoming increasingly worse lately, but meditation helps me keep it under control.
I love meditation. It’s the first thing I do every single day, being a faithful practitioner of the 5AM Club.
Great it worked for you. I also love meditating it gives me positive energy
Yess! I am all for meditation and positive thinking. I have been meditating this year a lot and it has change my life in so many ways.
I don’t meditate, but i do enjoy heading out for a nice quiet walk
I just started doing meditation and loving it. It has definitely changed my spirit!
meditation can do wonders for the body and soul. so glad you started doing this too!
I’ve heard great things about meditation, but I’ve never tried it. I would definitely love to try it someday.
It really is amazing how one little thing can make a big difference. It surely can though, I agree.
I do meditation regularly when it’s time for bed and sometimes in the morning with a cup of coffee and my favorite book with me. It is really nice meditating