The reason I found meditation being so beneficial for me is that as a type A personality my mind is often  somewhere else multitasking away, resulting in a tense look on my face and me missing out on the present moment. Meditation helps me focus and gives me peace of mind.

I am working my way up to sit from 5 minutes to 30 minutes each morning and evening. Yes, I have to get up earlier to get my morning meditation in, but it hasn’t been a problem as I sleep so well each night; it’s been an amazing way to start and end the day!

There are a lot of different styles of meditation. I’ve learned a very simple awareness –based style, where the goal is not to tune out the world around me, but to wake up to it. Full awareness of the present moment. Sitting and staying with the present moment takes some effort, but commitment to growth and peace help overcome the greatest part of the difficulty.

The basic focus of this technique is to stay present and aware of my body, my breath, and my surroundings. When thoughts arise, which they will, I will just recognize them and let them go without judgment, coming back to the awareness of my body, breathe and surroundings.

What differ each week of my practice have been the focus (intention) of the meditation and the length of time I sit. Last weeks focus was on equanimity. Equanimity is the art of meeting life as it meets you- calmly, without drama or fuss- the way out of frustration and into the light.  

Then we put the focus (equanimity and no reactivity) into practice throughout the week. That includes being stuck in traffic, when it gets stressful at work, when we make a mistake, in relationships etc. I can’t say I’m always successful, but just the awareness of those moments of reactivity is a good eye opener reminding me to take a few deep breath and relax.

A wonderful book I found helpful is Meditation for the love of it by a yogi named Sally Kempton.  It is a great “how- to meditate guide”. Very informative, practical and clear with inspiring guided meditations for both beginners and experienced practitioners.

How do you find your peace of mind?