I have some good news for you. If you’ve ever tried meditation and quit because you ‘weren’t doing it right,’ the truth is, you simply cannot do it ‘wrong’. And doing it, period, can make you feel like a super woman.
If you have come to believe that in meditation, you must sit in a lotus position on a purple satin pillow, with your palms facing upwards, while your thumb and third finger clasp, for 30 minutes straight while thinking of absolutely nothing… well, that is… let’s see. How can I say this respectfully? That is like living in crazy town. Not happening in my house.
Meditation isn’t that complicated or difficult. Somehow we once got the message that it was.
I’ve been learning and teaching meditation and mindfulness for 4 years now. And what I’ve come to learn is that meditation is simply a state of reconnecting to yourself – whether for a period of 20 seconds or 20 minutes.
Let’s be clear though on one distinction: Mindfulness and meditation are different.
Mindfulness is a state of being, looking at the world through a difference lens. It’s a lens of being in the present moment with no judgments whatsoever. Nothing but just observing, experiencing, feeling. And it often accompanies a feeling of gratitude or joy, but not always. You can be mindful and aware during difficult times too.
Meditation is one way to practice mindfulness. But it is a deeper state of this feeling. It is intentional time spent diving into an internal awareness through solitude, quiet and reflection. It’s often, but not always, achieved through a focus on your breath.
It’s easy to see how meditation got a bad rap. The mind likes to be busy. How can you suddenly sit with zero thoughts? It seems impossible! Maybe it feels like a relief to know that’s not required. Truthfully, you have to practice it yourself to know. But let’s try a little experiment while you’re reading this:
If you are sitting someplace comfortably right now, try this. Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
Don’t try to change it. Just notice it. (Open your eyes every few seconds to read the next line!)
Feel your chest rise and fall. Feel your abdomen moving with each breath.
Hear the sound your breath makes as it enters and leaves your body.
Got it? Great! Now do it once more. Close your eyes and notice your breath for one full breathing cycle. In and out.
~No, really. Try it. I’ll wait.~
Had a thought yet? If so, that is perfectly okay and natural! It happens to me frequently, and I’ve been practicing for years. Here’s what we do when thoughts creep in:
Imagine that the thought you just had (need to do the laundry, I’m hungry, my to-do list, why did that woman look at me that way?, etc.) – Imagine that thought is floating up in the sky like a passing cloud.
You watch with curious eyes as the thought floats from left to right, and out into the distance, away from you.
You don’t judge yourself about that thought. You don’t say that you’re doing this wrong. You don’t say anything about the thought. You simply notice it, and it floats away. Return your awareness to your breath.
You’ve just had a meditation. It really can be that simple. Here’s how doing that for 20 minutes makes me feel like a Freaking Amazing Super Woman.
Power lies in repose.
If you are running around like a mad woman, answering emails, returning calls, making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, changing a diaper, building your website, putting make up on in the car on the way to a networking meeting, and so forth, do you feel in control? Do you feel large and in charge? Do you feel like a boss?
Be honest.
Hey, I’ve had those days too! But ultimately, it is not the way I want to live my life. I want to feel in control. I want to feel empowered. I want to be a Radiant Mompreneur. I want to be a boss. Meditation gives me that. No matter how busy you are, take the time. Make the time. Get up 10 minutes early (Read, “The Miracle Morning,” by Hal Elrod). Sit in your car an extra 5 minutes. Let the kids watch a tv for 20 minutes. Hey, we’ve all had those days when our kids watch a little too much tv. No mommy guilt here. Instead of using that time to get an extra load of laundry in, or respond feverishly to emails, sit your rear end down and take time to super-charge yourself. Yes, you heard me. Park it.
Get creative with how to get in the time, but it takes mere minutes. When you sit at your desk ready to work, delay it for 5-10 minutes and meditate instead. I promise you’ll still feel productive. And I challenge you to try it. Chances are strong that you’ll actually get more done, and be in a more empowered and focused mindset when you do work. Thoughts will come. It is okay. Notice them, send them away, return focus to your breath. Rinse and repeat.
Meditation builds up an energy within me that I feel honestly resonates throughout all of my interactions, whether it’s with my family, my colleagues or clients. You are doing nothing short of cultivating inner peace. In a time where we all want world peace, I think cultivating a little inner peace is a good start.
When I’m meditating, I feel as though I am living in a world full of all of my potential. I sometimes see, but often feel a sense of what wonderful things are unfolding for me. I generate a deep-down feeling of gratitude for my breath, for my life. I feel it in my heart, in my mind, in my body.
This feeling emanates and surrounds me. I begin to take on this notion that I can do, have and be anything I choose. (I know… crazy right?) What a world to live in. If you begin to generate that feeling internally everyday through meditation, imagine what your outer world will begin to look like. Let the frustration of doing it perfectly go.
Sit, breathe and enjoy. Let the tension go. The world will be waiting for you when you’re done.
Choose your inner feelings and let meditation lead the way forward towards peace, your own personal enlightenment and feeling like a freaking super woman. Go ahead mom. You got this. You were always radiant. Now let’s make you shine.
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- Meditation | How It Makes Me Feel Like a Super Woman - April 28, 2016