For a long time I saw meditating as a mystical cross legged practice with lots of “ahhs” and “ohmms” and didn’t really understand why you’d want to sit there when you could be getting on with a to-do list. The thought of slowing down felt impossible when I could have been doing so many other things.

Then a few books about meditation started to grab my attention and I kept seeing apps like Headspace and Calm pop up. This was shortly after a rough few months with high anxiety in 2021 which was probably caused by my lack of being able to chill the hell out.

Thankfully my curiosity took over and I read the books and realised the power of your brain and that it needs exercising just as much as the rest of your body. Did you know that people who have been meditating for a while have more grey matter in the hippocampus (a region in the brain which is crucial for learning and your memory)! I learnt so many interesting facts and I was ready to begin.

The vision I had for myself? Sitting for 20-30 minutes, totally zen, with time absolutely flying by. The reality? I was very bored and trying so hard not to fall asleep. I wanted it to click straight away and to feel like a monk that had been meditating for 20 years. So I decided that meditating wasn’t for me and carried on with my life.

A few years later, after having been to some yoga classes, my yoga teacher suggested going to her class on meditation. She said it was an hour long and it would change my life. My instant reaction in my head was no thank youuuuu. But it got me thinking again. And then I found an app called InsightTimer – the app I still use to this day! Sadly I didn’t have the confidence to go to the meditation class, but I started with a few courses on the app and I finally found my way into meditation that worked for me.

What I’ve come to realise is that there are so many ways of meditating – for me it is courses that hold me accountable and take me on a journey. For my husband, George, it’s surfing. For others it is walking, running, or sitting in silence. It varies so much for everyone but once you find your thing, it will change your life. Since starting with the courses, I panic less, catastrophise less, think less – but most importantly, I appreciate more.

One of my more recent learnings is how it’s not just something you can do and then you are done. Meditation is a constant practice and there is always more to learn or more silence to be had. When I first started my journey with meditation, I didn’t think that I would have just finished an 83 day course for the second time or be booked into a weekend meditation retreat next month.

But here we are – anything is possible. And my goodness am I happy my life isn’t driven by my to-do list anymore.

P.s – here is a link to InsightTimer if you want to give it a go https://insighttimer.com/. (This isn’t sponsored – I just genuinely love it)