The rumours are true… Meditating every day really does make your life better. But only, I think, if you’ve got the right method / class / app. Luckily, I’ve found it and I am telling everyone I know about it.
It’s an app called Insight Timer and it’s changed my life (really). I’m on 45 consecutive days of meditation, which would be impressive except that I don’t even care about the number any more because it’s become such a part of my daily life. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit (probably), and I think that’s probably right – the first 20 or so days I was so psyched to see the uninterrupted numbers. Now I wouldn’t want to go to sleep without doing my meditation.
I started with Insight Timer to stop me grinding my teeth at night (motherhood frustrations unleashed while I sleep). Amazingly, it worked. It also helps me sleep better, is the best possible way to fall asleep (a 15 minute meditation before bed clears your mind, deepens your breathing and chills you out) and gives me more patience, and energy. It’s like a wonder drug, except it’s free… And constantly available.
What makes this app so cool is that you can choose how much time you have: 0-5 mins, 6-10 mins, 11-15 mins etc. So it’s not intimidating at all. And you can choose who you want to listen to – most of them are guided meditations, which is great if you’re just starting out. All you have to do is listen. I actually did a meditation a day for a year (in the time before kids) but it was the same 4 or 5 guided meditations over and over, and it got a little boring. I really like the variety here. That said, I am almost entirely hooked on the ‘Live Awake’ series by Sarah Blondin. She speaks so beautifully about these amazing soul topics – presence, stillness, anger, fear – and then guides you into a meditation. I’ll fairly frequently do a second meditation during the day, when I feel like I need to focus or I need an extra boost of energy.
The best thing about it is that it feels effortless. I was putting off starting a meditation practice because I didn’t want to add something else to my already Too Long To Do List. But this isn’t like that at all – it’s such a joy that I want to add it to my every day. Give it a try and let me know what you think…
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