The Lazy’s Girl Guide to Meditating.

If you have felt a lot of resistance towards starting a meditation practice, this post is for you.  Regular meditation is like regular exercise.  You resist it so much, but every time you do it you feel so much better.

What Is Meditation?

My definition of meditation is setting aside time to clear the brain.  It is space to build up your positive intentions and get clear on your daily focus.

Why Does Meditation Make Us Feel Better?

I believe that meditation is needed more than ever. We are bombarded with so much information from social media, streaming TV, blogs, videos, etc. Not only that we have mile-long to-do lists of organizing our life, work, and goals. It is so easy to clog up our brains!

And if we aren’t intentional it is easy for fearful thoughts, negative emotions, and beliefs that don’t serve us to come in.  We absorb messages without always realizing it. And slowing down can be key to realize the negative thoughts that are hiding.

This is the time to clear the brain of the pressure, fear-driven thoughts, and anxieties that hold us trapped. If we avoid clearing them, they can become buried deep and cause future pain.

Why Our Thoughts Matter.

Our thoughts are very powerful. They create our reality and it is up to us to review our thoughts and rewrite the ones that aren’t serving us. When life gets busy or we pack our time with absorbing info, it is easy to ignore our deep thoughts. No one wants to look at their negative thoughts, it is much easier to ignore. Unfortunately, it is very easy to endlessly avoid these feelings by staying busy. 

Why People Don’t Meditate.

One reason is that people have a view that meditation is emptying the mind and not thinking. That takes a long time to get to this point and you don’t need to be a Buddhist monk to reap the benefits. For most people, I don’t think it is realistic to “clear” the brain of all thoughts.  

The second reason is that people don’t know where to start or what resources will resonate with them. It takes some time to find what works for you. And many of the resources out there are hippie and trippy and you might not like that.

Why I Meditate.

For me, meditation is a time to not only physically calm my body from anxieties. But it provides the space and mental boost to propel me forward through life. It is like my personal cheerleading time. Lol

Doesn’t that sound great??

How to Start Meditating

So how do you start? For me, it has to be simple and easy. And that is why I like guided meditations!

I love guided meditations because of how easy it is to just turn them on and listen. They snap me into the right state of mind. I highly recommend them because they help you get started. The more you do it, the more you will learn how good it feels and that will propel you to do it more often. Make it work for you and you will succeed.

Also, don’t worry if you fall asleep. Don’t judge any of your sessions. You will get different benefits each time and no one session is “better” than another. Be proud for just showing up. (even if you fall asleep)

My Favorite Guided Meditation Resources

My favorite meditation app is the Calm App. I have tried numerous apps and this one is by far the best. I wanted to buy a membership, but then I realized that having so many meditations available would be overwhelming. This would probably lead me to not using it and then wasting my money.  I just use the free app and listen to those over and over.

My second recommendation is To Be Magnetic. I purchased the Unblocked meditation before the membership was released, but I would recommend the membership. These are deeper meditations as you work on deep fears and beliefs during each session.

Third, I recommend Grace Space “The Inner Circle”. Grace is a hypnotherapist and I was a member for a few years. Her voice is so calming and friendly and will resonate with many people. She defines hypnotherapy as “meditation with a goal” which is exactly how I see meditation. Your goal may not only be to release anxiety but to release bad habits and fears.

Last, I recommend Gabby Bernstein’s Miracle Membership. She has a wide variety of guided meditations with more of a spiritual, abundance, and happiness focus. 

Pick what excites you! Don’t overthink all these options. Heck, for now, try the free calm app!

Other Ways to Meditate:

Here are 3 other ways to reset the brain and provide space to set intentions.

One way to meditate is to journal! I love it because it is a great way to clear the brain and get quiet. I don’t know what it is about pen to paper, but it is very cathartic.

Another way is through walking! I love taking walks outside exploring or even just at the gym. I avoid distractions like podcasts or TV and instead choose to clear my head.

The last way to meditate is by reading affirmations. This is a way to give you focus and inspiration for the day. Personally, I love reading bite-sized motivational books or articles. My go-to resource is Marc and Angel Chernoff’s blog and their book “Getting Back to Happy”. Everything they write and put into the world is just the best!

And there you go! You might still feel resistance around these strategies, but try it out and see how you feel. Once you start feeling the benefits, you will find yourself regularly turning to these practices. The goal is for this is to support your life and keep your mind and thoughts on track! There is not a wrong way to meditate.

Comment below and let me know what your favorite way to meditate is! xox
Chelsea J