Beginning Meditation

Meditation can be done anywhere at any time! I used to get stressed even over the idea of meditation; actually, it was over the fear of failing at meditation.  I am not one who can sit quietly in lotus pose for hours at a time in mindless bliss.  That had been my perception of what it is to truly meditate.  The truth is, there are many ways to bring your awareness to the present moment, to focus on your being, and to focus on your breath.  I personally enjoy guided meditations.  The cell phone that is most likely in your reach right now offers plenty of meditation apps (my favorite at this time is “Calm”).   Today, in fact, I was at the orthopedic office where my son was having his cast removed.  He became very anxious after the cast came off because he did not have as much mobility as he thought he would, and to him his arm looked “gross”.  These thoughts of his started snowballing and pretty soon he had himself so worked up, he thought he was going to vomit.  So, I played a meditation app (because as you can assume, twelve year old boys don’t always like listening to the sound of their mothers’ voices), and gave him the opportunity to refocus on the present moment.  See, meditation can be done anywhere!  If the sound of voices tend to annoy you during meditation, then try a walking meditation.  Take a vow of silence for your walk, and what you notice about yourself as well as nature can be quite profound.  If the idea of that doesn’t suit you, then try focusing on an object (a flame from a candle, a flower, a gemstone) and do your breath work.  The point is, there isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate.  Just find something that works for you!  Even 30 seconds of meditation can calm your mind and body.  Just for fun, my mantra for my workouts is, “Breathe strength in; breathe fat out”…meditation doesn’t always have to be so serious!  Have some fun with it!  Good luck and happy meditating!