Meditation is hard! And I’m too busy anyway

So you don’t meditate because you can’t.

It’s too hard, takes too long, and you don’t really know how.

Well here’s a little surprise … you probably already do some forms of meditation without being aware of it!

I was lucky enough to be raised in a family where my mother was a meditation teacher way before it was cool or talked about. I didn’t love it because it seemed too unmeasurable and, honestly I had a …’rebel against what mum does’… attitude, as most kids do at some stage.

I remember I would do this ‘thing’ back then, where I blocked out the world until it felt like I was either floating away or sinking into the ground. It scared me a bit so I would bring myself back to reality as fast as I could.

I now know this was a form of meditation. 

Please don’t add to my to-do list

Every day we are required to bathe, brush teeth, floss, brush hair, do a certain amount of chores, go to work, maybe care for our children’s basic needs … please don’t give me more things to do you say!

I hear you. There are days it seems we get out of bed and go go go, until we flop back into bed that night. Life gets busy, things need doing, appointments must be kept.

3 mintues can change your brain and your life!

How can you ask me to do more?

I promise you I will not do that. However what if 3 minutes a day gave you an extra hour a day?

No promises, but try this: for 6 weeks, try taking 3 conscious minutes per day. If you don’t have 3 minutes to sit intentionally in meditation, that’s ok. (I remember a time in my life where this seemed impossible;  young children and sleep took priority). However, If you can find a short time to be still and focused, this can change your brain and your life. I won’t bore you with the scientific facts, suffice to say if you wish to Google, the hard science and brain imaging is there.

Mindfulness IS Meditation

For those of you with zero spare time or no desire to sit in stillness, here’s the gold…Mindfulness is Meditation!

Next time you bathe, brush your teeth, tie your shoelaces, wash the dishes or do any of the required mundane things of everyday life, do them in mindful meditation.

Yep it’s that simple. It is however still a skill to learn. Just like going to the gym and expecting to be fit and trim after 1 week is unrealistic, so is learning this new skill. (Do yourself a favour and stick with it for 6 weeks before you judge the results).

Easy as this:

It’s a simple matter of being present with an event/action at 100 percent. If you are brushing your teeth, be completely absorbed in the action. Smell the toothpaste, hear the noise of the brush on your teeth (or the electric noise if that’s your style), feel everything from your gums, your tongue, your aching arm holding the brush, and have your mind be completely present with brushing your teeth.
It almost becomes a ceremony, a form of self-love maybe –  and within this moment you are meditating! Voila’ as they say in France. You are meditating daily!

At first your mind will wander and that’s ok, resist frustration and say gently to yourself something like…..’back to brushing my teeth just for this moment’.

The skill is being fully in the moment. Not thinking about the past, not thinking about the future, just being present in that exact moment.

This has the effect of tidying your mind, is how I explain it. Most of us have a pretty big mess within our heads which is totally ok, no shame required in a messy mind, it’s just that life is easier when it’s tidy. (Being a messy housekeeper is not corelated to your mind by the way, they are very different.)

Need help?

The Virtual Women’s Village provides weekly experiences including Mindfulness, plus many other opportunities to learn a variety of well-being techniques, including the power of presence. I highly recommend participating.

In kindness and love,

Niomi Reardon
Virtual Women’s Village Service Provider,
and Author. Nurse. Health Coach