mighty meditation
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A couple of months ago I rolled up my yoga mat, put on my workout clothes, and drove to the gym to give a Yin Yoga class a try. I had no idea what Yin Yoga was and I was extremely nervous. This was the first class I was taking at my new gym.
:: Do I bring my yoga mat? I saw they had mats when they gave us a tour, but what if you have to rent those? Should I bring money? How many people do you think will be in the class? Will I look like a fool because I have no idea what I am doing? ::
Those were just a few of the thoughts that were swirling through my head as I drove to class. I gave myself plenty of time so I didn't have to rush. As I sat in the car in the parking lot nerves were fluttering through my body. I knew that I had three choices.
- Drive away and pretend this didn't happen. I didn't really need to take the class.
- Distract myself with my phone until it was time to go in.
- Use these few minutes to sit with the feelings and be fully present to what was coming up.
I choose option three. I turned off the music in my car and set my phone aside. I allowed myself to be fully present with my fear. It is perfectly normal to feel fear when we are doing something new. What is the worst thing that could happen I thought. I look like a fool? I bring my yoga mat and I didn't have to? The world wasn't going to end. There was not going to be any tragedy. No matter what happened it was going to all be ok.
Giving myself those moments to sit quietly helped me soothe my worries. As I walked into the gym I felt confidant and sure of myself. As the women at the front desk scanned my card and said "enjoy your yoga class" I knew I made the right choice to stay.
The Yin Yoga class began with 20 minutes of meditation. I had never done meditation before and it wasn't easy to sit that long. Thank goodness she did not tell us when we started how long we were going to be meditating. If I had known I would have turned around and choose option 1 {leave the premises, I didn't really need to take this class anyway}.
After class my mind felt free, awake, rejuvenated. I was happy that I walked through those doors and took that class. I had never meditated before and now I was hooked. There was something so serene about sitting still. I had an inner peace about me that I did not have when I walked into class.
I have gone back to that Monday class every chance I get. I have also said to myself time and time again that I wanted to begin a meditation practice at home. Finally last week I began. I didn't plan to begin but I noticed that I had some time before I had to leave from work. I remembered the meditation app Headspace that I downloaded weeks ago and never gave a try. That day was as good a day as any to begin, and so I did.
Dressed for work I grabbed a pillow from the couch, sat on it on the floor and began. The 10 mins of meditation flew by and I felt AMAZING walking out the door. That was it, I was hooked. Morning meditation before work needed to become a daily practice in my life.
The next morning I stayed in my pi's, turned on the twinkle lights, lit a candle with intention, and drew a card from my inner alchemy deck. Ten minutes of meditation was the perfect way to begin. It set the tone for the entire day.
Here I am almost one full week into my morning meditation practice. I have began documenting it on Instagram with the hashtag #mightymeditation to help keep myself accountable. Doing morning meditation makes me feel mighty and ready to take on the day. It opens up my heart and my mind and clears space for the new goodness that the day will bring.
I encourage you to give meditation a try. If you have never done it before sit quietly with your eyes closed for just five minutes. Let go of any expectations you have and just sit still. There is so much that we can learn from stillness.
“Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit.”
