I wouldn’t say that my mind is a calm and quiet place. From the moment I wake up to when I go to sleep, it’s working at a million miles an hour, running through to-do lists and composing work emails.
I’ve always told myself this is just how my head works, but after taking on a few too many commitments in the run-up to Christmas I found myself feeling a bit weary. It was then that I decided to try meditation.
I’ve always assumed meditation wasn’t for me, preferring to clear my mind with intense forms of exercise like CrossFit and running. But after a colleague waxed lyrical about their own positive experiences with the practice, I resolved to give it a go.
How I meditated
My first steps into meditation were the same as many people around the world; I downloaded the Headspace app to learn how to meditate.
I watched the introductory videos, then I progressed to two meditations: one 11-minute guided meditation and another 10-minute breathwork session.
While I wasn’t expecting it to be easy, I was surprised by how much I struggled with the sessions. Here’s what I noticed after trying to meditate for the very first time.
1. It didn’t come naturally to me
As soon as the person leading the meditation advised me to shut my eyes, deadlines, dinner plans and all the other clutter that had been sitting in my sub-conscious flooded my mind.
I tried to focus on the voice coming from my phone, but it proved impossible. I kept missing chunks of the guided meditation because my brain was otherwise occupied.
According to Headspace, experiencing restlessness and negative emotions is common for beginners. You’re supposed to give these emotions your full attention, then let them go.
“Over time the mind learns to recognize these emotions but gets used to not getting caught up in negative patterns of thought—a skill that can be enormously beneficial not only during meditation but also in daily life,” reads the Headspace website.
By the end of the session, I think I’d become marginally…
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