Looking for ideas to help you raise your vibration? Or maybe you are just looking to feel calmer in today’s world. One of the best ways I’ve found to be happier, is to avoid that which stresses you. Specifically, I stopped watching the news, reading the newspaper, and posting or reading negative thoughts on social media. Maybe these ideas are too radical for you right now.
How About Meditation?
Meditation doesn’t come easy. Rather, it is a learned skill. My first exposure to it was at age 14 when Mom and I took a Hatha Yoga class together. The meditation was at the end in the Shavasana or corpse pose . I clearly remember how easy it was to relax as the leader led us through tightening each muscle group and then letting go.
Why Do We Stop?
For most of us, all it takes is an outside change. With the yoga class, it simply dropped off the recreation center schedule. I tried to continue on my own with a paperback copy of the poses. The unfamiliarity was more than I could overcome at the time. Other more familiar forms of exercise filled the void.
The meditation portion of yoga wasn’t something I considered pursuing. It seemed too ‘out there’ for me at the time.
What Motivates Us to Restart?
My next interest in meditation came nine years later. I was pregnant with my first child and decided to try the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. Meditation was still difficult. Consequently, when the idea of imagining a candle flame was offered, I jumped on it. That flame, coupled with breathing techniques, was my lifeline through the final stages of my nearly 24 hours of labor.
Why not just take the pain medications offered? Above all, the health of my unborn baby was too important to me to even consider it. Therefore, my motivation was functioning to the best of my ability, on a team in the delivery of a healthy baby. Thankfully, the same nurse who taught the Lamaze call at Orange Memorial was on duty. She stayed with me the entire time. Her encouragement kept me focused when it seemed too difficult.
Are You Struggling Now with Meditation?
There are so many reasons it may be difficult to meditate now.
- Continuing pandemic stress
- Political turmoil
- Stress in your personal relationships
- Feeling pressured by the New Year expectations
- Work or business anxiety
Perhaps your meditation habit is taking a holiday. Or you’ve never meditated in your life. The reality is meditation is more important now than ever.
We are all connected through our energy. Reading the scary newspaper headlines or watching the news lowers your energy field, resulting in a feeling of constriction and fear. Meditation calms your fears, centers you, and enables you to see what is truly important to you, the individual.
How to Start or Restart Meditation
There are many free meditations on YouTube; relaxing, brainwave changing, and help falling asleep. I’ve tried many of them, but found they didn’t help me stick to a schedule of daily meditation. Then I found Ten Percent, an app founded by Joseph Goldstein and Dan Harris, the author of the book 10% Happier and the 10% Happier Podcast.
After I downloaded the free app on the last day of the 2021 21-day meditation challenge, I checked the price, $99. My first thought was, “No way!” But since it was free for 6 days (you have to cancel 24-hours before the 7th day), I decided to give it a try. By the third day, I realized it is worth every penny.
Here are some reasons this app is different:
- It is customized to your meditation experience
- The meditations are without music
- Sleep meditations that actually work
- All the teachers are leaders in the field of meditation
- Dan understands meditation skepticism
Closing Thoughts
May these ideas to help you raise your vibration take hold this week. Furthermore, from a meditation led by Anushka Fernandopulle on Ten Percent, “May you be peaceful and happy, may you be strong and healthy, may you be safe from harm, may you be at ease today.”
With Compassion,
Dawn
