Photo by Keegan Houser on Unsplash
How Meditation Saved My Life
I only wish I started years earlier.
2024-04-01T15:21-07:00
Life demands a lot from us all. There’s always another task to check off the list and we often view happiness through the lens of when. I’ll be happy when the chores are done. I’ll be happy when I get that new job. I’ll be happy when I find the perfect partner.
I spent years of my life thinking this way and it made me not only miserable but also physically unwell. My doctor told me I had dangerously high blood pressure, and I knew constantly chasing after that perfect future was to blame. Then one day I decided to sit down and look for contentment outside the when. That’s the day my meditation journey started.
If you think you have to become Buddha to find inner peace, I’m happy to tell you the bar isn’t that high. Like all journeys it begins with a single step. Take a tiny pause, a mindful glance around the room, and you’ve already started. What do you see right here in this moment? Now close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Noisy thoughts will come, but try to rest in the space between them. The greatest musicians understand that the pauses between notes are just as important as the notes themselves. Life’s rhythm is the same. Without a rest in the melody we become overwhelmed by the noise. Finding that space is the secret to meditation.
For so long I believed that meditating meant unplugging from the world, but it’s not that at all. Meditation’s not about crushing intrusive thoughts – it’s about accepting the noise without letting it control you. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being yourself.
Daily practice reveals the very best side of who we are. We become less stressed, our blood pressure drops, and those we love grow closer to us as we learn to cherish them in each moment. We stop cramming more into a fixed attention span and start expanding the borders of our patience.
Anyone can start a meditation practice. Nobody is too busy or broken to find peace. Here are some tips for beginners:
- Start with small time intervals. If you’re really struggling, set aside just five minutes. The more comfortable you become with your practice, the longer you can sit.
- Count each breath to settle your mind. It’s a great way to interrupt a constant stream of thoughts. One technique that I like counts odd numbers while breathing in and even numbers while breathing out. Count up to five, then back down to one: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1, then repeat.
- If a thought does arise, don’t force it from your mind. Welcome it with loving curiosity, acknowledging it and then letting it go.
You’ll notice the benefits after just one session. It’s common to experience a sense of lightness in the body and a calmer, more focused mind. If you’re anything like me, you’ll feel that life is just beginning.