365 Days Later
Marking my 1 year anniversary of daily meditation 10 minutes every morning.
By Marla Kaftan
I always planned that tomorrow I would buy myself a gift. And as I approach tomorrow, I choose to give a gift. Tomorrow marks my 1 year anniversary of daily meditation 10 minutes every morning. The gift I wish to give comes deep from my heart and it is to share the wisdom I have gained as a result of my meditation practice. I chose to do my first 10 minute Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt while suffering with a migraine from severe altitude sickness during a late August visit to Colorado. My husband and friends all took a hike high into the mountains and I stayed back to hydrate and nurse my headache. It was during that time alone staring at mountain peaks, a lake, a blue sky and whistling trees that I decided to try the complimentary 1 year subscription to the Calm App provided by American Express. I recognized the soothing sensation that came over me after completing what has become a ritual in my life, a segue to altering my mind and my body.
Throughout my adult life, I have had many caring and concerned friends, family and professionals suggest I give meditation a try. I told them and myself that I couldn’t concentrate, that my mind is too busy, that I can’t sit still, that I am too impatient, and that I don’t have time. Honestly, I blew off every suggestion truly believing meditation was not and will never be for me.
I now recognize doing the dishes was my first step towards meditation. Maybe this sounds familiar, dinner is over, kids and husband exit, mom is stuck doing the dishes. Rather than resent my truth that I was left alone standing behind the kitchen sink rinsing and washing, I chose to cherish the quiet and revel in my own thoughts. I now understand and recognize this is where it all began, the training leading up to my practice, it began in the kitchen, alone, washing, drying, and meditating without even realizing it. So now, as I plan to continue to explore my journey with spirituality, I will share some small and some large revelations discovered during my practice.
The number one largest lightbulb is that I have the ability to control my own thoughts. I am able to now shift my thought process to end the winding road of maybes and mights that entangle themselves inside my mind.
The mind is made to think. That is its job. My job is to take charge of those thoughts and either shift, delete, or capitalize upon them.
I find that falling asleep is no longer about tomorrow’s to do list or today’s incomplete tasks, but rather about gratitude, energy and peace. The quality of my sleep has been enriched by the quantity of my meditations.
Breathing has become a skill. I am capable of shifting that skin crawling, muscle tightening feeling with my breath. The breath is the tool to relaxation and rest. When I say relaxation, I mean the calm, cool and collectedness of knowing I am exactly where I am supposed to be and doing exactly as I am supposed to be doing. When I say rest, I mean the ebbing of the daily flow.
Mindfulness and thoughtfulness continue to increase. I pay attention to how I think, experience and live, and love myself as part of my mindfulness practice. I give much thought to others and I call that thoughtfulness. I slow down decision making and tasks with intention and purpose.
I recognize with gratitude that as little as 10 minutes a day for one year has created unsurmountable change and has established a positive habitual practice. One that I will continue. Won’t you join me, it starts with only 1 breath?
