Author: DanyaWhite

Ooh, I meditated twice today.  Generally speaking that’s supposed to be standard practice but I don’t always do it. I have gotten much benefit from a once daily practice.  Having said that I do pretty regularly meditate more than once a day.  Well, I liked today’s meditation so much this morning I decided to do it again when I got home, using the same guided meditation from today’s challenge.  Honestly, I think I would be darn near psychic if I practiced meditation twice a day everyday.  Hmm reason for me to step up my game!

  You want stress relief?  I always thought the best way to get relief from stress was to be physically active.  Shake it off. Go for a run. Take a walk, so that’s what I did and afterwards I’d enjoy a nice hot shower and it worked to a degree. But, there was always an underlying restlessness that stayed with me.  I only recognize this in hindsight.  Physical activity does relieve the superficial layers of restlessness but the feeling persisted that there was something more, an agitation I didn’t reach. I don’t think I’m alone in that sentiment.  Since I started meditating I have experienced more relief from that restlessness and yet I know there’s more.  Meditation is an attempt to go deeper into a part of ourselves we don’t access easily.  It is a practice worth undertaking.  I continue because I know I can go deeper and I look forward to getting there.  I might discover some genius.

Today is the second day of the 21 Day Meditation Challenge presented by the Chopra Center and my first blog post.  Deepak Chopra.  You’ve heard that guy’s name right?  Check out www.chopracentermeditation.com to participate.  Now I’m already a meditator, so for me to participate in a “challenge” is not a challenge at all;-) What I like is the opportunity to participate in some new guided meditations different from the ones I’m currently using, hopefully adding some excitement to my regular routine.  Is it ironic to discuss excitement with meditation which seems like a particularly boring practice anyway?  What would qualify as excitement in a meditation experience?  I decided I wanted to write a blog about it. Ugh, yet another blog. Yup.

I got the idea for my blog on the first day of the challenge, a result of the meditation, who knows? So, today it starts.  What I really wanted to do is share my experience with meditation.  I recommend it, but I have yet to have someone tell me they took my advice.   “It changed my life.” I imagine someone telling me as they hug me tearfully…hasn’t happened yet.  I’m still waiting.  Meditation makes me very patient.

The actual act of meditation is a very quiet practice.  You’re breathing, possibly focused on a phrase, called a “mantra” or an actual physical object like a candle and then you’re done, five, ten minutes, fifteen, twenty, thirty your choice.  Quiet right?  Shhhh.

I started meditating because although my life was okay something didn’t feel quite right.  I didn’t have any major problems but I felt like I could be happier or at least less agitated. That was more than a year ago and I haven’t stopped since.  I count my blessings every day.  I know that things are okay when I meditate. I’m less restless and I don’t panic, that is probably the greatest gift I’ve gotten from a meditation practice…so far. Lots of things have happened since I started my practice and I’ll discuss those as time goes by.  I will end by saying, I feel lucky to have discovered it and yes I do recommend it.