Meditation 101

Why should you meditate? I feel like the people around me frequently ask why I meditate and what it even does, or they ask how they can get into it. Meditating at first can feel intimidating. There are also multiple types of meditation and it may take a few tries to figure out what resonates with you at this point in your life.

Many people start their meditation journey with just taking 5/10 minutes out of their day to sit silently and try to clear their mind. Maybe they repeat a mantra or a word that carries meaning to them. This can help lower cortisol levels and can aid in stress relief. I recommend trying this method because many people swear by it, and say it has changed their life. Personally, when I try this method, it typically feels like an internal war zone rather than inner peace. Some days I have no problem getting to a quiet space, but usually, my brain works at a mile a minute and the idea of clearing it just isn’t fathomable at that moment. This takes practice though! And I am sure if I used this method every day, I would be able to quickly and efficiently quiet my mind for those 5/10 minutes.

There are other many ways to meditate though, and I have found some these methods to be more effective for me! It is such a subjective experience though, so I ask you to not shun the whole concept of meditation if just one method does not work for you. I also want to add that the methods I am talking to are only a few of the western adaptations of meditation. If you look into Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and other ancient religions there are many other methods and styles of meditation that have been effective for people for hundreds/thousands of years.

The first method is probably the one that I use most frequently, which is simply looking up guided meditations on YouTube. I like this method because it is free, easy, and there are endless options. If I am feeling a chakra aligning meditation one day then I have like 20 options for that on Youtube. You can find a guided meditation for almost anything, for example, sleep, positive energy, releasing resentment, third eye opening, meeting your spirit guides, etc. I sometimes look at how many likes the video has to determine if others found it effective, but I also like trying out some of the new ones that people are posting. It just may take trying out a few videos before you find one that you like!

The second method is going to a meditation class! The energy of the other meditators and the instructor is often pretty powerful and can help you get into the meditative state quicker. Obviously, you want to do your research about how much a class should cost you and if your instructor seems legit. Some instructors also just may resonate with you more than others, which is not a bad thing at all, it just might require you shopping around for the meditation class that fits you. I usually lean towards shamanic journey/sound healing classes because I am very sensitive to sound and I feel like I get the most powerful results in these classes, but I have friends who respond the most to breath-work classes or other styles! So look around and follow your intuition about what feels right for you.

The last method I am going to talk about is listening to binaural beats and guiding your own meditation (or maybe letting it guide you). There is an app called Ananda that is specifically made to create binaural beats that cater to the type of meditation you are looking for which is pretty cool! There are also a ton of free videos with binaural beats on YouTube and albums/playlists on Spotify (and maybe other music platforms). Binaural beats are pretty amazing and I recommend trying them to seriously all of my friends. When I can’t sleep I just turn on a playlist of binaural beats with frequencies that specifically designed to help you fall asleep! That being said, there are many videos of binaural beats where the frequencies are been designed to help you meditate or align your chakras or whatever you are looking for!

This article is just an introduction to meditation, but I feel like my experience with the different methods of meditation I have tried could potentially help others who are wanting to start or have tried before and weren’t satisfied. I could go on for hours about my experiences and why I truly love meditating, and also why I turn to it as a resource in many areas of my life. I am hoping to get into a lot of that through this platform, but I wanted to start with departing a foundation to meditation and the way that I receive the most benefit!

Thank you for spending part of your day reading this, and I hope you find a method that is impactful for you. I extend love and light to all of those who read this story. I hope your mood is great, your vibes are high, and your heart is full! If not that's okay, not everyday has to be a good one, it can sometimes just be a day. Love yourself and respect where you are at :) Thank you!