Mindfulness has been a big part of my healing journey. I first learned to meditate about 22 – 23 years ago, when the research and hype about meditation had not yet landed.
I bought a book called ‘Meditation for Dummies’. It said to light a candle, sit cross-legged, and gaze into the candle for 5 minutes. I set the alarm, sat down, and looked at the candle. I tried to stare…gazing hurt my eyes…when I moved my eyes, there was the imprint of the candle still on them. Was this good for my eyes? My physical body was uncomfortable, and my mind was metaphorically on fire, jumping around all over the place.
𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐋 for first-time meditators. It is like taming a wild horse. Of course, it is going to feel uncomfortable and try to throw you off the first time you sit on it. The mind is just the same. The first time we sit down to still it, we realise just how noisy it is, and when we try to silence it, it simply won’t listen.
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝. For me, it has been invaluable. It has given me access to the observer and space to respond rather than react.
Put an emoji in the comments if your first time meditating was like mine
