Why Meditation Will Be the Most Powerful Start to Your Day
The absolute best and most powerful way for me to start my day is my early morning power hour that includes meditation, journalling and gratitude. It sets the tone and energy for my day. If I miss it for whatever reason, my day is less intentional and more scattered. My power hour has evolved over time and meditation was admittedly one of the last pieces to be added in.
I used to brush off meditation as a waste of time or a practice only for those who had a lot more free time on their hands that I did. I felt like I was just didn’t have the right energy for meditation. I preferred activities where i was moving, being physically challenged, or that met me at the vibrational frequency with which I lived my life. Truthfully, I didn’t understand what meditation was, how it affected our emotional and physical well-being, nor that it would literally change my life.
What is meditation?
Perhaps we have to begin with what meditation is NOT. When I used to think of meditation, I imagined myself sitting in the middle of a room, perfectly straight, with my thumb and finger connected while resting on my knees, chimes and soft music playing in the background, and me changing “ohhhhhhmmmmmmmmm” over and over. I assumed I would have mastered meditation if I levitated off the ground.
That last statement may be a bit of an exaggeration but, I did look at meditation as something I had to master, something I had to perfect. It’s how I had approached most of my life. Learn a new task. Perfect it. Move on. I was always in competition with myself to do more and do it better or don’t do it at all. It is probably why meditation was a turn-off for me because how does one get better at sitting still?
I realize now how misguided this thought process is.
Meditation is not a competition. It is not something to prove. it is not a badge of honour or something to brag about. To me, it is about being with my thoughts, in a quiet space, where I feel at peace. I love the definition that meditation is not about controlling your thoughts, instead it’s about not allowing your thoughts to control you.
Meditation is a practice. It will evolve for you over time as you feel more and more at ease with the practice. It is about focusing on your breath or perhaps an object to train your awareness and use mindfulness techniques to create a calm and peaceful state.
How does meditation affect physical and emotional health?
The benefits of meditation are numerous and scientifically proven. While most people begin to meditate as a means to calm their emotions and response to stress, there are many physical benefits too.
Stress stimulates our bodies to release hormones in response to the situation we are facing. These hormones, like adrenaline, are designed to increase our heart rate, send blood to our muscles, and release energy into our system that will help us respond to the stress. If we are under chronic (long term) stress, this constant release of stress can lead to negative effects on our body. It can induce physical responses like high blood pressure, decrease immune response, agitation, exhaustion (but not able to sleep), sadness (can lead to depression), irritability, brain fog, and more.
Committing to a daily meditation practice has shown to significantly improve our overall health and well-being.
A decrease in the inflammatory response to stress (1)
Improve symptoms of depression (2)
Improves attention (3)
Lowers stress hormone (cortisol) release (4)
Improves immune response (5)
Improve age-related memory decline (6)
Help with addictions (7)
Helps with better sleep and fighting insomnia (8)
Helps to relieve pain (9)
How To Start Meditating
Beginning a meditation practice is easy. Sticking with it can be more difficult. You do not need to buy any materials or programs. All you need is a quiet space. However, there are some tools and resources you can use to make meditating a more enjoyable experience.
Body Position
Find a comfortable space in your home. It is best to sit up during meditation (trust me, lying down may cause you to fall back asleep especially if this is a morning practice for you). You may want to sit in a chair or on a comfortable pillow. I find that if I sit against a wall or couch, it gives me some back support. Sit cross legged or, if sitting in a chair, with your feet planted on the ground. Rest your hands softly on your knees.
The Practice
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Focus on your chest expanding and releasing with each breath. Feel your shoulders rise and fall. Feel your belly expand and contract. When beginning, I found it easiest to simply focus on the ins and outs of my breath. Your thoughts will wander. it’s inevitable. You may think of what happened yesterday or what you have to get done today. It may be a few moments before you realize that your thoughts have wandered and this recognition is a gentle reminder to bring your focus back to your breath. Continue this practice for five or ten minutes (perhaps set a timer on your phone so that you are aware when of how long you’ve been meditating for). When done, gently open your eyes and honour yourself with gratitude for taking time to simply be with your thoughts.
Tools and Resources to Help
Sitting for 5-10 minutes may seem excruciating in the beginning. Take heart. I was there too. I snuck glimpse of my timer regularly only to be discouraged that I was only a minute into what I thought had been ten minutes of mindfulness.
I turned to guided meditation. Guided meditations are an audio in the background that is keeping you focused on your thoughts. You can find them for free on different platforms. I invested in an app called Headspace as a means of simply tapping on the app to get started. There are other apps and individuals similar to Headspace like Calm, Abraham Hicks or Gabby Bernstein that I enjoy listening to aswell.
Using Essential Oils can also help create an environment to support your meditation. My favourite oils to go to for meditation are Balance, Sandalwood, Siberian Fir, and Frankincense. These oils create a tranquil environment and also help to support me emotionally. (10)
Balance - the oil of grounding. It helps me settle, centre, and connect myself back to my intentional practice
Sandalwood - the oil of sacred devotion. This oil traditionally assists with prayer, meditation and spiritual worship. It is a powerful oil to calm the mind, still the heart and help you connect to a Universal intelligence.
Siberian Fir - the oil of aging and perspective. This oil assists individuals transition into a full and mature awareness.
Frankincense - the oil of truth. It invites us to let go of lower vibrations and makes us aware of new perspectives with light and truth.
If this has inspired you to begin a meditation practice, I encourage you to start TODAY. PRO TIP: Set an alarm on your phone each day as a reminder to meditate. By choosing a consistent time in your day (first waking up or before going to bed is usually best), it will help you create this new habit. Enjoy.
RESOURCES:
(1) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0889159112004758
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24395196/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6088366/
(4) https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/mindfulness-meditation-associated-lower-stress-hormone
(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26799456/
(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24571182/
(7) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29471923/
(8) https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-helps-fight-insomnia-improves-sleep-201502187726
(9) https://www.nccih.nih.gov/research/research-results/mindfulness-meditation-relieves-pain-but-works-differently-than-opioids-in-the-body
(10) Essential Emotions: Your Guide to Process, Release and Live Free.