My dear readers, I have seen the other side.
Want me to tell you what it looks like? I see calm breathing, hushed tones and rational thoughts, all in the face of a screaming, out of control 4-year-old. That's right. No yelling. No saying things I wish I hadn't said. No wondering how the heck I'm going to handle (and get out of) this irrational situation. It was a slice of sanity that I want you all to enjoy, too.
Thirty days ago I accepted a 21-day meditation challenge. Sure, I've heard good things about meditation and can buy into the benefits of it but, every day for 21 days? We will see how this goes.
It was truly life changing. Within a week of the challenge, I started craving my 20-minute morning meditation ritual. I put a sign up on my office door and everyone in the house knew to leave me alone for that short period of time. (Sometimes my 4- and 7-year-old would sneak in and quietly join me. What a treat!) Even though the 21 days are up, I continued to do the meditations because I feel the benefits more and more as they accumulated. When my kids used to have explosive moments, I would become part of the problem, screaming with them and adding more stress to the situation. We were never able to solve anything. Now, I can take a deep breath, step back and actually help.
I love this quote from Deepak Chopra, "You can learn to make choices that lead to increased happiness. The most important is choosing to meditate. Starting from your first meditation, you have strengthened the mind/body connection and improved functioning on many levels, including the expression of our genes. Even five years ago, it wasn't known that meditation affects the genes. But now, it is proven fact."
I highly recommend finding a guided meditation for yourself. When you do, these are the only rules you need to follow:
Find a quiet space
Be comfortable
Breath deeply
You can check out these free resources and see if one suits you:
UCLA Mindful Research Center
Chopra Center
Tara Brach
Fragrant Heart
The Secret Garden Meditation
Interested in how to get your kids involved in meditation? Check out these great suggestions!
Do you meditate? Do you have questions about meditation? I'm just a beginner but I am a believer! I would love to hear your stories and/or questions.
I participated in the meditation challenge through The Chopra Center Meditation. You can click through to the website to see what it is all about, but I regret to say the challenge is over for now. They do these challenges three times a year, though, and I will be sure to let you know when the next one is coming up!
