5 Simple Tips to (Finally!) Start Meditating

If you are anything like me, you've tried to meditate 1,000 times but it never stuck

Here's how to make it work in your life 👇🏼

✨ I N S P I R E

“You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. Unless you're too busy, then you should sit for an hour” - Old Zen Proverb

✨ R E F L E C T

It took me YEARS to create a consistent meditation practice

I would look for the 'perfect' guided meditation

... which would eat up all the time I had for the meditation

... leaving me with no time to do the actual meditation

#whyamilikethis 🙄

And then I went on a 3 day silent meditation retreat

And I learned how beautiful, healing, and calming silence can be ✨ 

Now I sit quietly every morning

Just me, exactly as I am in that moment

With my To Do Lists, and my all of a sudden itchy leg for no reason, and the comment that girl made to me in 7th grade...

All of it. And I get to sit and breathe and be still anyway

Create space in your life for quiet, intention, and awareness.... watch what changes ✨

✨ T H R I V E 

Follow these tips to unlock relaxation and awareness:

𝟭 --> 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 (𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆) 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹

Set a timer and sit quietly for 2 minutes

Resist the urge to go all in on 10/20 minutes from the start - you've been there, done that and it hasn't worked

Try to focus on the feel of your breath

You're meditating!

𝟮 --> 𝗢𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽

I like Insight Timer (many also like HeadSpace)

I've listened to these two meditations more times than I can count (Often while I stretch - so more of a 'moving meditation'):

** Manoj Dias: Loving Kindness Practice

** Sarah Blondin: Remembering Your Worth

𝘗𝘳𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘱! Choose a meditation the night before so you don't waste all your time searching for the 'perfect' one (this kept me stuck for so long...)

𝟯 --> 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝘁

Attach meditation to an existing habit (ie after you get out of bed, before coffee, when you lie down at night)

𝟰 --> 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵

Keep it simple; try inhale for 4, exhale for 4

𝘚𝘢𝘺 "𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨" 𝘰𝘳 "𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯, 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵" 𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴

𝟱 --> 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

I can assure you that your mind will wander, you will be stretched for time, you will be bored...

Do it anyway  

Important!! Practice regularly so the skill of bringing on awareness and calm is available and familiar when you need it in real life ✨

Your life is waiting for you...

Love,

Carolyn

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