LIFESTYLE 6 years ago

Meditation 101

I’ve been going back and forth about doing a post on meditation. I honestly didn’t think you all would be interested in hearing this from me but in Paris, I posted that I was meditating and I got an overwhelming amount of DM’s and comments about it!

Disclaimer: I’m not a yogi and I’m not an expert, I’m just sharing my story about why I started and how it’s helped me and my lifestyle! Keep scrolling to read my 101 on meditation:

WHO

Anyone who’s looking to bring more sanity, clarity, and calmness to their life.

I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of meditation. When I’ve heard people talk about it I was never able to relate, which is why I dismissed it for such a long time.

This past year, I’ve increasingly felt like my world was spinning too fast ahead of me and I would get so anxious just thinking about what I had to do on a day-to-day basis. I soon realized that I was just creating a stress that wasn’t even there.

WHAT

Meditation, for me, has been more of a mindset shift than anything else. Before I started meditating in the mornings, I used to wake up every morning by my alarm clock, get myself and Chloe ready, rush out the door and that would set the tone for my day.

WHEN

Meditation forces me to wake up at least 30 to 40 minutes before I start my day or workout. At first, it’s a little strange because you have to embrace being calm, the quietness and being still. I like to do it before Chloe and Allen wake up so I have some time to myself. It took me a full week to get used to feeling okay with just doing “nothing.” It allows me to free up mental space to create a place for more ideas and creativity throughout the day.

WHERE

Anywhere! If you’re a beginner like me, it’s recommended to be in a quiet space at first. But soon enough, once you get the hang of it and learn how to zone out- then you can do it anywhere. In your (parked) car, at work- anywhere! During Paris Fashion Week, I would meditate on my bed in my hotel room. I still haven’t perfected meditating with a toddler running around, but that will be an updated future post! 😉

HOW

There are so many ways you can meditate! You can do it during yoga or a meditation class, read a book on it, an app, or a podcast. Personally, for me, I’ve been using an app called HeadSpace (this is the app that I put on my IG stories!) I love how it breaks it down and it really walks you through it. At first, it almost seems too simple and repetitive, but it’s through repetition and consistency that you’ll see yourself improving!

Another podcast that I really love for meditation, is called Affirmation Pod. I also use it when working out! It’s more affirmations than it is meditation, but it really helps to calm me. What I like about it is that it has different affirmations for different situations. For example, they have affirmations for mornings, at night, when you don’t want to get out of bed and positive body image!

Meditation may not be for everyone but I just wanted to write this because it’s something new in my life that’s impacted me in such a positive way.  I plan on continuing this- so I’ll keep you posted on how I’ve improved! Since I’m such a newbie, if you have any tips/thoughts for meditation, please leave them in the comments below I’ll greatly appreciate it!  Or, if you have any questions, ill try to answer to my best ability!

Credits:

Photography by Drew Scott