Dipping my Toe into the World of Mindfulness Meditation

Overall, I would consider myself a healthy person. I eat well, exercise regularly and have transitioned over entirely to clean beauty products. But there was always something missing that I had a hard time committing to - and that was a meditation practice. After attending the BB&R and Gasparilla Inn Wellness Experience this past January, that all changed. At the conference, we were lucky enough to have Dr. Patrick Hwu from MD Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. Mike Roizen from Cleveland Clinic with us. During a panel session, they were asked about stress and anxiety. Both of them agreed that stress and anxiety, MORE so than what we eat and how often we exercise, contributes more to disease and decreased longevity. Something clicked in my head: I need to work on this part of my wellness routine if I want to truly live a well rounded healthy lifestyle. There are some big changes coming up in my life that cause me stress at times, so what better time to start than now? I got home from Florida and wanted to start right away. But where do I even start? I did some research and found that there are many amazing apps that are easy to use - including Headspace, Calm and 10% Happier (created by former Health Gig Podcast guest, Dan Harris!) My husband and I had recently bought a Peloton bike and a great thing about the Peloton app is it includes all kind of workouts other than cycling - bootcamp, yoga, stretching AND meditation! So that's where I have started. They offer all kinds of classes - from 5 minutes to 30 minutes long. I am starting small - 5 or 10 minutes twice a day - and hope to grow my practice over time. Sometimes I'll do a sleep meditation in bed right before going to sleep. Last night, I did a 10 minute sleep meditation before bed and fell asleep mid-meditation without even setting my alarm! (And this comes from someone who has trouble falling asleep) Each time I finish a meditation and open my eyes, I feel a clarity and sense of calm. All this to say, it can be intimidating and it takes work. Our brains naturally bounce around to different things - on average, we have 48 thoughts per minute! But the practice teaches us to be OK with those thoughts coming in, and guide ourselves back to our breathing and our body. I highly recommend dipping your toe into mindfulness meditation and finding what is right for you.