What I’ve Learned After 50 Meditation Sessions
I set out with a goal to learn how to meditate. I tried to practice daily in order to make this a priority since it was a new skill I was trying to add to my repertoire. While I did not make it every day, I made it most days. Its amazing how quickly the days add up when doing anything daily. So after 50 sessions, here is what I’ve learned:
- It is a skill
- It is not weird
- It is really helpful
- It does not take long
It is a skill – While it is not necessarily hard, it is something that I have gotten better at. With repetition, I feel like I have improved my ability to train my mind and that this training is paying dividends. Since Dictionary.com defines skill as “the ability, coming from one’s knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well” I would place meditation in that category.
It is not weird – I’ve received a few strange looks when I tell people that I have been meditating. For many people the term meditation elicits some unusual thoughts. If talking about meditation makes you think of things like incense, Buddha, monks, robes, silence, etc and find them a little too out there for you, don’t worry you can meditate without researching other religions. You can also meditate without burning anything or sitting in an unusual way. The first 30 sessions were a consistent routine of relaxation and quieting my mind. The next 10 were reflecting on appreciation and the most recent 10 were about a visualization technique to find balance. See, nothing strange, just beneficial things we can all use in our lives.
It is really helpful – As I have practiced meditation I have found it to help in several ways. Meditation has helped me calm down after a hectic, stressful day. It has helped me gain composure either before or during a challenging day. It has helped me gain better control of my emotions and mental state throughout the day.
It doesn’t take that long – I have been using the guided meditations on the Headspace app. The app lets you choose the length of your sessions and I have consistently chosen 10 minutes. Thus it takes only 10 minutes per day.
