Going within...

Meditation is a state of deep peace that occurs when my mind is calm and silent. It's a state of being where I take time to disconnect from the world around me, go within, center myself, and find answers, clarity, and guidance. I began to meditate about a year after my spiritual awakening. I didn’t know anything about meditation yet, so that’s how I knew it was time to begin. I started seeing a lot of meditation posts on social media, researching how and when to meditate, and putting it into practice. It was tough to do when I began to meditate because I could not keep my mind from thinking. I thought about things from the past, what I was cooking for dinner, etc. I remember reading in one of the articles I researched that this kind of nonstop chatter happens during meditation, but you should keep trying. After a week of trying, I discovered a meditation app called Calm. Once I started using the app, I realized the guided meditation helped me control my thoughts by letting them go and refocusing on my breathing. Eventually, as I continued with my meditation practice, I started to go deeper and deeper each time into a meditative state. I could finally keep my mind quiet and focus on my breathing long enough to do a full meditation.

What I discovered about meditating was the calm, relaxed feeling I carried through my daily life. As a single mother of three children, my life can get busy and frustrating sometimes. I was always on the go and hurried to get things done. I began living in the present moment more and becoming mindful of my thoughts and what I did throughout the day. I noticed I had more energy, felt less stressed about the circumstances that came up in my life, and felt more at peace. I got to the point where if I went two or three days without meditating, I started to get back frustrated, impatient, and in a hurry, and I knew right away it was time to meditate again.

Meditation heals my mind, body, and soul. A place where I find my center, a place where I find my inner strength and peace that starts from within and then manifests itself into my outer world. Meditating is how I connect with my higher self to receive guidance about life situations, direction on my awakening path, and spiritual growth. Meditating helped me connect with my authenticity as I discern my thoughts and feelings. At some point, everyone’s awakening journey has to begin with meditation. It’s a big part of how I transformed from not becoming too attached to receiving what I think I need from the outer world to learning and understanding that all the answers are already within. My soul already knows and will guide me to the answers that I seek, and all I have to do is go within to connect and receive guidance and insights on what’s best for me. Meditation has been, and always will be, beneficial throughout my spiritual journey and life.

4/5/17