Mid-Week Meditation

Meditation is one of the most beneficial and healthy habits. With all that we have going on in our lives, it can be a difficult habit to maintain and keep up with everyday. First of all, what is meditation? To meditate means to purposely engage in “thought” or “contemplation,” it means to think, especially in a calm and purposeful way. Meditating allows you to calm your mind and forget about the stresses from your day and focus solely on yourself. Here are a few quick meditation tips that will help you find time and meditate everyday.

Finding time: This could possibly be the most difficult part of meditation, finding time to do it. During your busy weekly routine, it’s not ideal to try to fit it in the middle of your day. Instead, do it before bed; and just modify your existing pre-sleep routine a little bit to accommodate meditation. The minutes before we fall asleep are almost meditational as it is, so this is the perfect time. Calming your mind and thoughts right before bed will most likely result in a wonderful night’s sleep!

First, it’s recommended to do some light stretches prior to meditation, so while washing your face or brushing your teeth, just stretch some of your muscles. Maybe bend and touch your toes, roll your neck, stand on your toes. The purpose of stretching is so you can remain in one position for an extended amount of time more comfortably. Also, put your cell phone on silent, so it won’t distract you!

Next, find a comfortable spot to sit, either on the floor or in your favorite, sturdy chair. Sit with your spine straight and your shoulders back. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Feel the air enter through your nose, feel it fill up your lungs, and feel it as it exits your mouth. Focusing just on your breathing is a great way to start to clear your mind. Once you feel your mind calming, focus on your body parts, start with your toes and move up your body, including your organs.

Focusing on your body is another way to further calm your mind from all of the outside stressors in your life. You should meditate for about 30 minutes, or until you feel your sense of meditation to dim. If you had your eyes closed, this is the time to open your eyes and reflect for 2-3 minutes on your time meditating.

My book, Fearless Beauty, has even more information about meditating and how to apply it to different aspects of your life. Setting aside just 30 minutes a day to wind down and calm yourself can have amazing affects in your personal, professional and love life.

Before I learned to meditate, my mind would always be racing, thinking, wondering, figuring out ways to get over some sort of anxiety I had. My feelings and thoughts about myself would range from am I good enough, pretty enough, do I know enough, will I look like a fool or am I capable of achieving my dreams — like writing a book or becoming a public speaker. All things I know many women worry about given the hundreds conversations I have had with women sitting in my makeup chair over the years. These self-defeating conversations are rampant in women’s minds regardless of her physical beauty, talents or intelligence.

My first introduction to meditation was about six years ago on a retreat I attended in Carlsbad, CA. I sought out this retreat after a series of unfortunate events being hospitalized, losing my only source of income and my recent separation from my husband of seven years. Between all of this and my constant self battery I lost all confidence in myself. The retreat was temporary, but the gift of learning to meditate continues to build my self-esteem.

In my first lesson of meditation, I felt quite silly, sitting in a circle with a group of people, doing absolutely nothing; my mind raced about 1,000 miles a minute. Every few minutes, I would open my eyes, peek at the other people and wonder if they were looking at me, too! After a few days of meditation, my mind chatter slowed down and I started to enjoy myself. By the time I left the retreat, I was determined to make meditation part of my daily life. Something that I strongly recommend any one do that wants to feel more confident in their own skin.

The effects of meditation on your body, mind and spirit are expansive, so much so that there are whole sections in bookstores dedicated to this subject. Of all the information that I’ve read and studied, my own experience with the practice has been my greatest teacher. I’ve learned to accept my imperfect perfections, forgive myself and others and, best of all, love the little girl within me and the woman whom she continues to become.

Meditation won’t make your nose smaller or your lips more pouty—at least I don’t think it will!—but it has a real impact on the way you feel about yourself. Regular meditation leads to calmness, inner peace and lower stress levels. If you are curious about meditation and want to explore it for yourself download my FREE 30-Minute guided meditation and I’ll continue to send you tips on cultivating a beauty ritual that helps not only look good, but feel good too.

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