What Meditation Has Taught Me

I have been meditating consistently for about five years. I started off by doing a 10 day challenge on the app Headspace and throughout the years, have tried various different practices from mantra & breath work to affirmations to walking meditations and even did one year of mostly unguided meditation 20 minutes a day. To say that it has been a staple in my wellness routine is an understatement. The principles of meditation were taught to me by my therapist Dr. Michele Kambolis. I highly recommend her Monday Meditation course, and her book and meditations on Insight Timer.

These last few weeks, and really anytime that I am in a state of stress, I dive even deeper into my meditation or what one might call my spiritual practice. The deeper I dive, the more I know I am meant to be right there, sitting into the feelings that are being called up in me that I am being pushed to work through. Not necessarily to come out the other side, but more importantly to learn and grow as a person in that exact space and moment in time.

I am not religious by any means. I grew up resonating with the idea of being agnostic when it came to God. I always felt as though there was a power greater than myself, the “Universe” if you want to call it that. It’s interesting because the more I meditate and access the deepest parts of myself, the more I understand that meditation is actually a form of prayer in a way. But instead of praying to something else, you are finding that strength within yourself. This has allowed me to rely less on the “Universe” or a force external to myself and more on myself. My own inner knowing / soul / being - whatever you want to call it.

Meditation has taught me that every single person on this planet holds the power to shift their way of thinking, work through the utmost challenges, and find a strength deep within them to carry them through. Each person has the ability to create and to grow and to change and to know. Not every meditation is going to be transformative but I believe coming back to yourself every single day gives you the power to become better because each meditation brings you back to the essence of who you truly are, which often aligns with the person you’re trying to become.

*set is old Free People