Nyk’s meditation classes are the reason I can now sleep at night.
Miranda Hilbig
You can read all kinds of very technical and traditional definitions of what meditation is online, and there are numerous articles and scientific studies about how meditation affects our mind, and improves stress, anxiety and blood pressure, etc. This is not going to be that. Instead, these are my personal thoughts on meditation: what it is, why I think it’s so important, and how it has changed my life.
I have anxiety, and I now know that I always have. Turns out that what I thought for years was just a tendency to worry actually has a name: anxiety. My meditation practice has been the number one thing making a difference with my anxiety. Meditation has given me the tools and skills to see my anxiety for what it is (and what it is not).
My meditation practice has also made me a more patient person. Learning to witness my thoughts and realize that I am not my thoughts, I simply have thoughts (and lots of them), has helped me to be better able to respond, instead of react, in stressful situations. I’m less likely to explode when feeling stressed or triggered.
Meditation has helped me be more empathetic and kind. I’m a helper and giver for a living, and before practicing meditation, I had a tendency to give too much, burn out, and not have any reserves, leaving me with nothing left to give. Finding a way to regularly fill my cup with my meditation practice means that I have reserves I can share with others.
Grounded, anchored, and calm. Meditation has helped me find an inner resource within myself I previously didn’t know was there. The simple practice of sitting on a cushion, focusing on one thing, and gently bringing my mind back when it wanders away (which it does often) has created a resilience in me that’s hard to put into words. It is something that must be felt.
I have had trouble falling asleep at night since childhood. Whether it’s thinking and planning or anxiety, my mind likes to kick it up into high gear right as I am trying to settle down for the night. Practicing meditation in the evening, before bed, helps to settle my mind so that I can fall asleep.
If you are still skeptical and want to read more:
- You can read about my journey to Meditation here
- The five common Meditation Myths (and the true story) here
- Or why I believe meditation can change the world here
If right now you are thinking, “Um . . . hello, you had me at anxiety,” then you can click these links to see how we can work together to develop your meditation practice.
Meditation 101 Group Course
Private Meditation Course
If you have questions reach out