I tried meditating for the first time yesterday, and it was delightful. I’ve done a few on my own in past years, but yesterday was the first day I actually attended a professional meditation with a world-traveling yogi.
Life can get
a little stressful at times, and I don’t handle stress all that well. Who am I
kidding? I don’t handle it well at all. Like at all, at all -- I stress-eat, I’m
constantly exhausted and I’m on edge. Those closest to me notice almost
immediately as the black circles under my eyes become more prominent and my mood
changes.
My job has a
wonderful “Color Me Healthy” initiative where they really stress the importance
of mental and physical health. From stand-up desks to weekly yoga sessions,
they offer us plenty opportunities to create a healthy work life balance and so
I decided to take advantage.
When I first
laid out my yoga mat, I was a little uncomfortable with the idea – I’ve read
Eat, Pray, Love twice (and watched the movie agajillion times) and I wondered if
I would be able to quiet my mind.
As the
lights dimmed and the music played, I found myself focusing on just my
breathing. My mind was finally silent and I was able to concentrate on exhaling
the negative energy within, and inhaling the positivity that overflowed the
room. The focus of the meditation was on accepting our
pasts, understanding who we are and learning how to see our negative experiences as a gift, rather than baggage. What's more, it emphasized on the importance of realizing everyone has their own unique story, their own set of experiences that have shaped them into the person that they are today.
As I adventure down a road to becoming a happier and more complete person, I find that there are many ways in which I can connect with God, and that is always beautiful. Through spirituality I have discovered a deeper level of self-love and that is worth the time I have invested on this road-less-traveled.
"May these
words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD,
my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
