"Mediation is hard, but if you can create the willpower to stop your brain from thinking long enough, you can pretty much create the willpower to do just about anything." -Mamata Venkat

It’s amazing to see the progression of something you practice every day. It’s fascinating because once you first start doing something new, it’s uncomfortable. And I remember when I started meditating for the first time. My legs would get numb so fast. I hated to keep my back straight for a half hour. And now, I can hold the stillness position for more than an hour. Meditation has put me on the fast track of happiness.

Jay Shetty shared a beautiful analogy that compares the first time you start meditation to cleaning a dirty mirror: "When you rub a mirror with a piece of cloth, the 1st thing that happens is that all the dust comes in your face. When you cleanse your identity, you start to see a lot of stuff that you don’t like. " Or as the well-known spiritual teacher Osho has said himself, in the same way that a lightbulb has the capacity to lighten our external world, meditation has the ability to lighten our internal world.

One of my biggest hopes for the future is that one day, mental exercise will be as normalized and encouraged as the importance of physical exercise. The best part about meditation is hands down the fact that every human being out there has the capacity to practice it. It is accessible to all of us. The second-best part (there’s too many hihi 😚 ) is the fact that it never gets boring. Every practice is a new adventure.

Most people spend their busy lives running around from one obligation to another. And it continues the next day. But scheduling time to take care of our inner selves is something to not neglect. What If I told you that as little as 10 minutes a day of meditation could hep you to see more clarity and be more at peace with the disturbing thoughts that float through your mind?

Recently, a massive shift has occurred in my inside and outside world. I have attained several times a thoughtless state of mind. I simply find myself not thinking at all. This morning, it was the best. I was walking to do some errands, and I usually dislike walking where I walk because it’s a busy intersection, and there’s always cars passing by, and as someone with anxiety, it really gets to me. (Fun fact: sometimes I have to chew gum in order to feel more comfortable in public 😏)

However, this morning I felt completely different as I was headed out the door. Not only did the cars did not bug me, not even a little, but I felt like I was walking on top of the world. Literally…. I want to keep this PG-13 because I do not consume any form of alcohol or drugs, but the feeling I felt this morning resembled the one I felt when I first tried cocaine many years ago. (I'm sorry I had to make the comparison🙈) This morning, it was 28 degrees and as I was looking at my arms, the airs were up… like I was getting shivers from feeling that way…. It was crazy. My mind didn’t crave to be anywhere else, I was ecstatic just from walking on a sidewalk.

In addition to this, I have noticed how less anxiety I’ve been feeling lately. Meditation has increased my self-confidence, my inner strength, my discipline and willpower, the awareness of my unconscious mind, the love I have for myself, my resilience, and most of all, I became free, and free of my inner demons. I have not had any internal conflicts with different voices inside of my mind. I’ve been playing the observer role for quite a while now.

I’m so thankful I’ve been feeling the healthiest and happiest I’ve felt in my entire life recently. It’s been so great that practicing meditation has allowed me to feel profound waves of inner joy.

Nevertheless, it is worth noting that just like any discipline or practice, sometimes you will encounter roadblocks and challenges. And sometimes it will get uncomfortable. The only key to push through it is with persistence and consistency.

My long-term goal is to meditate 2 hours a day as my daily practice.
I don’t know when or how I’ll be able to get there, or if I ever will be able to do it every single day, no matter the circumstances, but I do know that with time, I will teach my mind that I am stronger than it gives me credit for. And that is exactly the first lesson meditation has taught me. We are larger than our inner demons.

We live in a world that is busier than it has ever been.
Take some time to refresh your soul and to get in touch with your self. 💓

Here is a simple practice, if you wish to slowly introduce meditation into your life. 🚿