About 5 years ago, I was working in the fashion industry. I was traveling like crazy to New York and LA, working with high end designers, living what I thought was my dream, but at the end of the day it left me feeling stressed, fatigued, and completely exhausted. I distinctly remember the moment I said out loud, “I’m going to quit my corporate job, teach yoga, and never be stressed again!” It felt so freeing. ha I may have been a little naive but I was also determined to feel better! Two weeks later, I quit.

The following year I did the only thing I knew how to do, I threw myself into my work. I knew how to work hard and channeled that into learning as much as possible about the yoga industry. I felt free at times, but that lingering stress was still there, and over time, it came back with a vengeance. I was now teaching 20 classes a week, including early mornings, and private classes. I was driving all over the city, working late into the evenings. Again, I found myself physically tired, stressed, and emotionally exhausted…only this time, without a 401K.

At same time, one of my friends, a successful lawyer, who seemed way busier than me, was just killing it at life. He had this calm, content way about him and could handle whatever was thrown his way. I finally asked him what his secret was, and he said, “I meditate”. He had just gotten back from a weekend meditation training in NYC with Emily Fletcher. She is an expert meditator and teaches high level performers about stress and how to perform at the top of their game. I was immediately curious, went home and googled her, and watched hours of her YouTube videos.

She said that stress has become an epidemic, medical researchers are calling stress the Black Plague of our century. Stress is responsible for 90% off all doctor visits, according to the world health organization. She went through the entire process of exactly what stress was doing to our bodies, and honestly it wasn’t pretty. I was hooked, I immediately signed up for her two-week online course, ZIVA online.

My first-time meditating was a whirlwind of thoughts, “what am I doing?”, “I should be working on my to do list.”, “am I doing this right?”, “What am I going to eat for dinner?“. I kept thinking, this can’t possibly be it! And then I think I fell asleep…

But the more I learned the more I realized that was it! I began to understand that having thoughts during a meditation is completely normal and to be expected. Emily explained our 4^th state of consciousness, the bliss field, and how you will never know that you are there, when you are there. She explained the significance of having a mantra (simply a mind vehicle or tool to bring you from your left brain thinking into your right brain being). The interesting thing about meditation is you don’t have to do much, you really don’t have to do anything at all. Meditation is more about letting go and giving your body deep healing rest.

Biggest misconceptions about meditation:

1.  You cannot stop your mind from thinking. Thinking is an involuntary act, it’s like telling your heart to stop beating, not possible. If you watch the mind, perhaps through meditation or self-observation, you’ll quickly notice that our minds are always generating thoughts. Some are helpful, some are neutral, some are unhelpful and a lot of them are just random ramblings, but all of them are just mental events. They’re simply bits of language that pass through our minds. Try not to resist thinking. What your resist, persists. I like to use gratitude or humor with my mind. For instance, if I have a negative thought, I simply say “thank you mind for that information” and then let the thought float away. We cannot always choose what kinds of thoughts we have, we can always choose how to react.
2. You cannot be good or bad at meditation. You cannot fail at meditation. The fact is: if you can breathe, you can meditate. If you have the intention to sit down and meditate, you are doing it right. There is no such thing as a bad meditator.
3. You cannot magically know how to meditate. I highly encourage you to take a class, find a teacher or an app to help you get started. It takes practice!!! I don’t know if I would have stuck with it without a mentor to encourage me.

Biggest lessons I’ve learned from meditation:

1. Done is better than perfect! Just like meditation, you don’t have to be good at something at the start. Meditation has allowed me to leave things undone, it has allowed me to not get caught up in perfection, and actually be really proud of myself for trying new things. The little downloads of inspiration and intuition found through meditating are there for everyone. It’s the people that listen and  follow their intuition, that are successful. You are unable to hear these callings when you are overly stressed! When I first started meditating, I had the idea to start my own t-shirt line. Without knowing exactly what I needed or what I was doing, I just went for it. It has been one of the most exciting, rewarding, lucrative, creative experiences I have ever had. It fills me up, even if I get it wrong some days. Before meditation, the fear of failure would have kept me from ever trying.
2. It is ok to be still. In our culture it is a stigma that being still is unproductive, or a waste of time. It seems counterintuitive to our busy lives, but when we sit and meditate for 15 minutes, we get the same amount of energy we would get from taking an hour-long nap. A 15-minute meditation gives your body rest 5 times deeper than sleep. When you take the time for stillness, for meditation, you are more productive, more energetic, more creative, your brain works faster, you feel more connected to the people and things around you, and your immune system will get stronger!
3. Consistency is key. With the benefits listed above who wouldn’t want to meditate… AMIright?! The key is carving out the time to do it… like literally schedule it… on your calendar. The most optimal time to do it is in the morning before breakfast or coffee. If you are not a morning person, maybe you try it in that mid-morning slump when you usually reach for a coffee. Honestly anytime you can carve out is better than nothing. If you have 10 minutes, great! if you have 5 minutes, just as good! Start small, but just start… and build. Create the habit!
4. I’m a better mom because of it. Motherhood changed everything for me, including my daily meditation schedule. Honestly there where day/weeks I just skipped it because I was maneuvering through my newfound lifestyle. I really started noticing the difference when I went back to meditation, even just for a few days. I felt calmer, more patient with my family, and even more productive (with less sleep!). Even my son would say, “Momma you’re a lot nicer when you meditate.” ha. This can apply to any area of life. Meditation will make you a better friend, sister, dad, co-worker, husband, employee, just an overall better human!

So, are you willing to invest 2% of your day, to make the other 98% of it better?

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES I LOVE

• Emily Fletcher just published her first book, Stress Less, Accomplish More. This book is great for beginners and advanced meditators. She actually makes meditation fun and enjoyable. Her online course is called Ziva Meditation which is a 3 part system, including mindfulness, meditation and manifesting. Students get the tools to be at the top of their personal and professional game.

• I love Deepak and Oprah’s Free 21-Day Experiences that they offer every 3 months. I love the guided aspect and having an intention and mantra provided. I often re-listen to the opening for inspiration in teaching my yoga classes and at night to fall asleep peacefully. Going to the online library and choosing one for a family member or friend makes a great gift too! And it’s Deepak and Oprah, come-on! 🙂

• I’m a fan of Light Watkins who has a great book on Meditation titled, “Bliss More”, a TED Ex talk and fun interview on Mindbodygreen’s podcast. He is such a delightful human.

• Headspace and Calm are great meditation apps with tons of different options to choose from. Whether you are looking for better sleep, mindfulness exercises, calming music, or guided meditations, there is something for everyone looking to CHILL.

If you are interested in guided meditation, Power Life offers multiple opportunities throughout the week! Check out your local studio’s schedule!