I hate new year's resolutions. For the past several years, I have refused to even make them. I think that we often set ourselves up for failure with unrealistic goals and we end up filled with stress and anxiety and feelings of failure more so than if we just never made these promises to ourselves in the first place!
But this year, I'm going to be making an exception and have decided to start a daily meditation practice. Of course, I have been hearing and reading about the numerous health benefits of meditation for years now, but I never really thought it would help me in any way. I am lucky enough to have a pretty naturally calm demeanor already. I don't get stressed easily and am not prone to anxiety. I just always figured that mediation was something that people only needed if they struggled with these issues.
I'm not sure what changed my mind about it. It might be the realization as I get older that it's inevitable that your body changes. Physically, you just are not going to be able to do all the things you did when you were young. After turning 40, I have definitely begin to feel these things shift. I also am pretty well informed about how to keep my body heathy. Balanced eating, moderate exercise, and yoga, of course. But what about your mind? As you age what keeps your mind healthy? and happy? As we yogis know, emotions get stored in the body. Stress, stuck emotions, unresolved anger, sadness, etc. can directly contribute to unhealthy bodies. It makes sense that we need to not only concentrate on the 'healthfulness' of our bodies, but also our minds. Meditation seems to be the simplest and one of the best ways to do this.
Luckily, there are several apps that can be downloaded to your smart phones that can help you start your meditation journey. I downloaded one called Mindfulness and have been doing it for 2 days now. There are also several others that I hear are great as well - Headspace, Buddhify, Calm and Omvana, just to name a few.
So, I have began my meditation journey. I'll keep you updated on how it goes!
Do you have a meditation practice? How has it impacted your life?