How I learned to meditate

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I became super enlightened last night: I went to a Buddhist meditation class. I’m basically best mates with the Dali Lama now.

I am not a religious dame by any means, but I do enjoy picking and choosing little bits from the plethora of religions on offer. One of my good friends has been going to this weekly meditation class for a couple of years and suggested I come along for the ride. As I’m one of those people that might be described as ‘highly strung’, I decided I should give it a go.

For the last 12 months I have made it my mission to meditate daily (told you I was awesomely enlightened). I have a guided meditation app on my iPhone that I attempt to log on to every morning. It’s amazing how it’s only a 10-15 minute meditation session, but I often find it so challenging to make the time to do it.

Over the years I have attempted meditation, become frustrated and quickly stopped. I found it really hard; it felt like I was doing it wrong for some reason. Recently I learned there actually is no wrong way to meditate and the pressure has eased off a little. Sometimes when I press play on my app, my mind monologue continues but I become more aware of it. As soon as I notice the noise I acknowledge it and focus on breathing in and out. Within a few seconds my mind is racing again, but that’s okay (or so I have been told).

Even though I often have to convince myself to lie down and meditate, I really am feeling the benefits of daily practice. If I find myself getting worked up and stressed, I force myself to take the time to do the guided meditation. It’s started to take the edge off my stress and I begin to feel a little more relaxed and in control.

If you are new to meditating, or keen to give it a crack, give one of the following apps a try:

Simply Being

Relax and Rest

Smiling Mind

They have 5, 10, 15 and 20-minute options. You can choose between music or beachy sounds and a lovely lady will guide you into bliss. And don’t worry if your mind races the whole way through it – the lovely lady will guide you back with her dulcet tones.

Can’t wait to see you in 20 years when we all look super youthful, stress-free and are sipping tea with Mr Lama.

This post originally appeared on Show and Tell Online and has been republished with full permission.