How do you feel when you wake up? Does your mind go straight to your to do list? Maybe replaying a conflict you are experiencing over and over? Or are you counting down the time you have to get to work and feeling worried you will be late?

When I talk to others about their day they often tell me they are tired because they don’t sleep well. They report that they cannot turn their minds off at night. Or that when they wake up they are immediately feeling a sense of rush or stress. Their mind is “always going.”

I’m here to tell you it is time to slow down. We all need a little bit of calm and time to bust through the inner chatter in our minds. I am learning to do this with guided mediation.

My Misunderstandings About Meditation

I will admit it. I thought meditation seemed a little “out there.” I pictured myself sitting on the floor with my legs crossed holding my hands in the position that looks like you are giving the ok sign and trying to keep my mind totally empty. I know there are people who do this…but because it is all new to me sitting in complete silence is not where I am at, yet.

Through my conversations with others, I kept hearing about the benefits they had with meditation. So, when I saw the opportunity to go to a Guided Healing Meditation in a Salt Cave led by Jill Goux I went for it! I am so glad I did!

Salt Cave Guided Healing Meditation

Oh her website, Jill explains, “Guided meditation helps us come within and connect to our inner wisdom and higher self. It’s a powerful way to get centered and release what no longer serves you, so you can create the life you desire. Slowing down and being present is such a gift. Meditation allows us space to receiving profound messages, clarity and insight, as we align and recharge all of our energetic systems.”

My experience was exactly that. The salt cave provided a unique atmosphere for my first guided meditation. The picture below gives you a small idea of what it is like. Going to the salt cave, laying down in the salt and just breathing it in gives your body and mind a sense of calm and focus.

I decided my job as a first timer was to remain open-minded. The experience was pretty profound for me. The Salt Cave Guided Meditation provided the time to get centered, let my mind rest and gain some insight. It is actually from this experience that I decided to start the 52 Weeks of Wonder Challenge!

Salt Cave Light Language Sound Healing

Since I liked the first one so much I wanted to sign up to do it again the next month. However, while signing up I accidentally signed up for the wrong one! I didn’t realize there were two different types. However, I decided it was meant to be and to give it a try. This meditation was about channeling which was completely new to me. However, once again I had a really intense experience. The time to slow down and let my mind release the thoughts and worries of the day was amazing. I left this session with the feeling of new things coming. I was filled with hope and excitement. I have now experienced this type of meditation twice!

Time to Bring it Home and Make it a Habit

I was so energized by these sessions that I knew it was time to make it a habit at home. The benefits and clarity were too big to just let it be a once a month thing. I decided to start meditating at home. I started by trying two different apps.

The first was Calm and the second was Headspace. I honestly enjoyed them both. I do like that Headspace gives you an option for the amount of time you are going to meditate. If needed you could choose a 5, 10, or 20 minute meditation. Both apps have meditations that are guided and by topic. This allows you to have a focus.

Last week I was struggling to feel like I was able to bring my A game to work so I did a few guided meditations on productivity at work. It helped me set some intention for my work day and think of how to solve the problem instead of just getting through it.

I did these 10-12 minute meditations in the morning. I sat in a comfortable chair in the basement. It felt hard to prioritize meditating and to justify making time for it on the first few days. I kept thinking, “I should just get to work early to try and get caught up.” But those thoughts are exactly the ones that build stress and anxiety in me. I don’t like starting my day that way. So I stuck to my plan.

And you know what? Ten minutes of time to clear my head and slow down in the morning is awesome! It is such a better way to start your day and to remind yourself that you need time to slow down your mind. It also is ten minutes without distractions! The ringer is off on my phone, my family is sleeping and I get to relax and FEEL CALM! My thoughts can come in and I can acknowledge them and I can let them go by focusing on my breathing again or the message being delivered.

Quieting my Mind to Fall Asleep at Night

A racing mind happens not only in the morning when you start your day but also at night when you need your sleep. I tried a guided meditation for sleep one night and guess what? I can’t tell you how it went becuase I fell asleep!

About a month ago I started listening to sleep stories on the Calm app. The benefit of listening to these stories is that it takes your mind off of whatever thoughts are racing around in your head becuase you’re concentration is on listening to the story. I have yet to hear the end of one of these stories.

Should I Really Make Time for Meditation?

I am a newbie. I was a skeptic. Daily I am bombarded by thoughts of schedules, deadlines, and trying to take care of myself. But I don’t see how ten minutes of time to feel some peace and calm could be harmful to anyone. And if you are going to tell me you don’t have ten minutes of time I am calling your bluff. Get up ten minutes early. Lay out your clothes the night before to create an easier morning routine to allow you the extra five or ten minutes of calm. Use your lunch break. Whatever it is you need to do. You owe it to yourself to SLOW DOWN and feel some calm, peace, and clarity in your day.

What’s your experience with meditation? Let me know in the comments below! Have more questions? Feel free to email me at marnie@marniepauly.com.