Hello friends,

I'm very happy to share my meditation journey with y'all today.

When I talk about my mind and how it works, I lovingly refer to it as "a very loud monkey brain just throwing fucking darts at a board all day." and while that sounds harsh, it is the absolute truth. My mind literally doesn't shut up and I'm constantly getting these massive, brilliant ideas (shout-out to all those manic late night sessions of life-planning) and stream of thoughts all day. I turned to meditation coupled with mindfulness hoping to quiet my mind and better channel my mental energy.

My journey with meditation has been long a-brewing but I didn't actually start regularly meditating until about a month ago. Therefore, I am very new to this journey and if I can do it, you can too!

 I started by using simply sitting down (back straight, upright, eyes closed , legs crossed or dangling & body relaxed) on my bed. 

It's honestly that simple.

Unlike me, some people start off with apps, programs or classes but I'd recommend giving each a try before dedicating to any one way of practicing. 

From my personal experience, meditation is a journey that doesn't need to follow a specific schedule or rhyme or reason. 

There are no rules here but the key is to remain deliberate, consistent throughout and flow with pure intentions.

You won't be a professional or reach total relaxation in your first session but it's enlightening enough to keep you hooked for future sessions.

Let's begin...

First step: Sit down, set a timer for 5 minutes, place your phone face-down and out of your immediate reach. 

Dim your lights, if you can.

Check in with yourself & assess how you currently feel.

Second step: Breathe in, slowly & deliberately. Follow the diagram below for guided breaths.

Remember, inhale through your nose & exhale through your mouth.

Third step: Focus on your breath.

Thoughts will roll into your head and you just have to let them drift in and drift out without reacting. Focus on the life-giving sustenance of each breath. 

This step takes practice and I falter so much when it comes to this but that's why this is a journey. 

It's all part of the process.

Fourth step: Re-assess yourself. How do you feel post-meditation? Make note of the changes, if you'd like. Repeat as needed.

If you'd like to, take a few minutes to do this simple meditative practice.

If you're interested in using apps, the good news is that there are a ton of apps out there to guide you in your practice. The bad news is, many of them are not free. Below, I've compiled the free apps that I currently use but as I delve deeper into my practice, I will definitely invest in a paid service. 

1. Eternal Sunshine; available on App Store & Google Play: Everything offered on Eternal Sunshine is free and they offer daily mantras, meditation exercises, morning mindfulness, inspirational talks and essential wisdom. Eternal Sunshine is a great app for stepping into the world of meditation. 
2. Stop, Breathe & Think; only available on App Store: I love this app because it allows me to meditate on the go, especially on the days when I feel like I can't find spare time at home. Stop, Breathe & Think also picks meditation exercises for you based on how you're feeling and they have some 1 minute meditations that I use everywhere (at work, at school, on public transport) whenever I need to hit a quick reset. 
3. 7 Second Meditation available on the App Store: This app is really simple yet still so great. It sends daily reminders that are meant to ground and it encourages you to smile for a few seconds or more.

Here are some more apps if you like to shop around - most offer a free trial period: Headspace (App Store / Google Play),  Simple Habit (App Store / Google Play), 10% Happier (App Store / Google Play)

As I continue on this journey, I just try to remind myself to that this is a lifelong journey.  Sometimes, I might forget to practice but the following day offers an opportunity to start anew and pick up where I left off.

I'll leave you with this excerpt of talk by David Steindl-Rast.

This moment is a gift; it is a given moment. Opportunity is the gift within every gift.

And we have this saying 'Opportunity knocks only once'...well, think again, every moment is a new gift over and over again.

If you miss the opportunity of this moment, another moment is given to us...

As someone that excessively worries about my decisions, this always put my soul at ease. 

We always get another chance to be our best selves.

There are no absolute mistakes or missed opportunities.

Take care of yourselves.