You have the right to meditate
This month I want to talk about meditation because it's such an essential part of my life, and I feel it's a very confusing topic. Today more than ever, the importance of meditation is a given fact. In the past, Yogis, Buddhist monks, and some spiritual leaders would talk about the importance of meditation and also teach it. But since modern science, including neuroscience, started to prove the effects of meditation in the brain and show outstanding outcomes, meditation gained a new spotlight. Even though I frequently hear people saying, "- yes, I should meditate, but I just can't!". The reasons vary from I can't be seated for too long, it's impossible to be still, I can't focus, or even I don't have time for that. Many people also say they would love to meditate, but they don't know how to start.
Well, I'm not here to say that you must meditate nor how you should meditate. I'm here to encourage you to do so if you slightly think it could be right for you. Don't worry too much; start with baby steps, with no expectations but for sure being curious, sitting with an open mind and heart. If you are willing to have this experience, you will find the right place, the right time, and the right meditation for you. Not sure how to start? I can only tell you how I started my journey and what worked for me at that time. I used to sit to meditate in the morning a few days a week (till today is my favorite time); before sitting, I would do a short sequence of 5 yoga poses; you can even stretch or shake a bit to release any emotion or tension from your body. Then I would put a short guided meditation. After the first week, it became easy, and the truth is it's good to be easy; you want to end your meditation with the feeling that you want to come back on the following day to find out what will open for you.
Don't overthink your meditation or get worried about other people would say. I firmly believe that everything happens how it should and, of course, if we are open to it. Once you start your practice, you can think about why you want to meditate but don't create a goal. You are not supposed to become "The meditator"; meditation is such a profound practice, but it's ok to take it lightly in the beginning. Over time you will figure out where you want it to lead you. Just relax, enjoy the experience, and notice how, over time, things will naturally evolve.
Since I started to meditate, more than 15 years ago, everything changed. The reasons I had to meditate, the time I would sit, the regularity, the type of meditation. Today it's a very personal practice, it's true I have my teachers and my guru supporting me along my path, but they only showed up in my life after my initial decision that it was a practice that I want to have in my life.
Today I can say my meditation practice supports me in a way that I never thought was possible. Its effects are present in my life, improving and supporting my self-knowledge, work, family, relations, and career.
Do you want to know why I meditate? Because it makes me a happier person!
