My Meditation Journey
How I started to meditate
Jenna
7/20/20232 min read
Year 2015
I meditate 30 minutes every morning when I wake up and right before I go to bed,” she said to me. “Would you like to join?”
I had been couchsurfing for a few years and opened my home to visitors. This time, I hosted a woman traveling around the world on a meditation journey. She had already been to Bali, India, and New Zealand.
It was my first introduction to meditation. I had kind of heard of it before but I didn't really know what it was.
I said, “Okay, what do I do?”
“You just focus on the breath,” she told me, “How your body moves up and down as you breathe. When you feel something in your body, focus on that until it goes away and then go back to the breath.”
“Okay…” I replied sheepishly.
I sat there thinking, “What am I doing? Is it supposed to be like this? Okay, breathe.
Okay, now my foot feels sore.
Okay, don’t think about that, think about breathing.
What the hell am I doing? This is so stupid. Keep breathing.”
A thought pops up. Immediately I don’t know what to think. It hadn’t been on my mind for some time. But it came up and surprised me. I think, “Maybe there is something to this.”
Then the sound goes off. The minutes that once felt like forever went by so fast. She asked, “So… how was it?” I replied, “It was interesting.”
Fast Forward to 2023
The simple act of asking me to join her changed my life. Mindfulness makes me react slower, think twice about my actions, and stop myself from spiraling with doubts. It is still a choice I make to sit down and dedicate time to focus on the breath. I use a mix of meditation, visualization, and journaling when there is something difficult going on in my life. It helps me to slow down and take the bird’s-eye view of my thoughts and actions. I have to constantly remind myself that it is a journey and that it is not linear. It takes many twists and turns. I will be distracted. I will fall asleep. I will notice things that are difficult. But I will always make the conscious choice to sit down and practice.
Don’t just take my word for it
I encourage you to try it for yourself. Each time you sit down to reflect and focus on your breath, you’re tending to the garden of your mind, fostering growth and cultivating a deeper understanding of yourself. Learn about the power of your mind. Each person’s mind is different and each reaction is totally normal.
