One of the focuses I wanted to have this year was to practice meditation in my life. I've heard and read about the benefits of meditation for a while now, but haven't been able to practice it for more than a few days at a time.
Sometime in the Fall of 2018 I came upon the Brooke Snow Podcast and loved every single episode. It was all resonating with me and as I further investigated her work I found that she had a course called Christian Meditation 40 Day Challenge. I immediately decided I wanted the course for Christmas and would start the meditation challenge in the new year. For me, it seemed to be the guidance I was looking for that would teach me how to start my own meditation practice with lots of great ideas, interesting meditations, and a Christian emphasis.
I'm about a month into the course and have practiced meditation every day since I began. The main meditation she teaches I do every day and the other meditations she shares I practice when I think about them.
It is hard to describe what I feel like meditation has done for me, and the differences I have experienced over the past month. Although I only meditate at night for about 5-10 minutes, I feel the effects of meditation throughout my days. I take more deep breathes throughout the day. I feel like my pace of life is slowing down. When worries and fears are presented to my mind I feel a greater ability to not be consumed by them. It hasn't changed much of my daily living circumstances, but I do feel like it has changed me. I love the practice so much I have shared it with my husband and want to start doing a more child appropriate meditation practice with my daughter.
In fact I recently got these kids yoga and meditation cards. Every night she gets to choose one yoga pose and one meditation to do before bed. It has been a fun way to introduce her to yoga and meditation.
I think the most interesting this about practicing meditation so far is that I feel the difference in myself, but it is not very logical to my mind. To me, it is magic.
As far as the course goes I still have about 10 more days of practice and more to learn, but I can already tell that I want the practice of meditation to continue beyond the 40 days. I want to learn and expand in my own practice, and allow it to change and flow freely as I enter different seasons of life. I'm really excited to see how it all unfolds for me, and I am extremely thankful for the practice I currently have.
If you are interested in meditation from a Christian Perspective I highly recommend Brooke Snows Christian Meditation 40 Day Challenge. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I have found this course to be even more meaningful, since Brooke is also a member and draws many of her ideas from that perspective.
Although I love this particular course, the most important thing is to find a practice that resonates with you. There are so many ways to practice mediation, and you really don't have to do them all. It's more important to find something that you can do diligently and consistently in your life, than to find something that seems cool. I struggled with that for a while, but finding something that works for me has been so much better.
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