Meditation!

My nemesis or so it seemed before I learned a few tricks at We Care Spa. Seriously, my mind is going high speed all day long so for me to quiet and calm it is nearly impossible. Does anyone else have this issue?

As you guys know I’ve recently spent a week at We Care Spa in Desert Hot Springs. I attended just about every class they had. Lucky me, the yoga classes all included a few moments for meditation. Having more than one teacher explain everything to me a few different ways was extremely helpful too!

What does every meditation session I’ve ever attempted have in common?…

A busy, wandering mind. I just cannot seem to focus and I used to think it was because I could not meditate. I thought I was terrible at meditation and even considered never trying it again.

Fortunately I learned that I had these preconceived ideas about meditation that were incorrect. Did you know it’s actually OKAY for your mind to wander. Imagine the look on my face when one of my teachers told me this. I was SHOCKED. I thought people who meditated were able to tap into a completely blank mind, living in their moment of meditation. Well, apparently I was dead wrong and there are many others out there like me with a wandering mind.

Our yoga teacher explained to us that it’s okay to let your mind wander. That’s why we focus on our breath in meditation. I learned the idea of mediation is to try your best to keep your mind focused on one thing (such as your breathing), but that if your mind wanders, it’s okay, because when you allow your thoughts to focus back on the breath, you return to your moment of meditation.

I love the elephant example our teacher gave us (anything with animals is extremely me as you guys can guess). So in India they have these huge parades in which elephants walk down the streets. She said elephants are very curious animals and love to grab everything they can get a hold of with their trunks. Well, that doesn’t work well for a parade when the elephant is grabbing local vendor’s fruits, clothes and dishes as they parade down the street. SO, they give the elephant a focus: a stick. They place the stick in the elephant’s mouth and he/she carries that stick the entire parade. Get it? The stick for an elephant is the breath for us. We need a focus too, just like an elephant or our mind will start grasping at thoughts like, “what’s for dinner tonight,” “where should we go on our next trip,” “why am I here,” and so forth and so on.

So what are some important things to consider when meditating?

1. Know that your meditation is YOUR meditation. It doesn’t have to be like anyone else’s. Free your mind of any preconceived notions and just go for it.
2. Focus on something! Try focusing on your breath. Feel each breath of air enter and exit your lungs. Or if you don’t like this, try focusing on something else, let’s say the number “1.” And every time your mind wanders to the day or environment you’re in or work to be done, return the the “1” and start repeating “1” “1” “1.”
3. Meditation works best in a quiet, calming environment with few distractions. You could meditate in your car if you wanted to just pull over to a safe spot, turn off your music and cell phone and start breathing.
4. Let go of any expectations. Just allowing yourself a few calming moments a day is wonderful for your mind. Sometimes, it is what gets you through a day of jam packed meetings, work and more work.

I’ve set a new goal for myself. I am meditating every day… no time frame. My meditation could last one minute or go on for 20 minutes. It’s all about how I’m feeling in the moment and what my body needs. So far, it’s really helping calm me down and give me more patience to get through my crazy busy day.

Is anyone else up for meditating? Any questions? Who already meditates on a daily basis? Can’t wait to hear any tips you guys have on how to quiet our minds even more!

xx Shanna