I came to Emily last February after coming off of a tour that had left me feeling irritable, cynical and stressed. I tend to be the one in a show that is excited for two show days and sad when the contract ends and enjoying every minute of employment, but this felt so different. The tour schedule was grueling and it was sucking all of the enjoyment out of doing a show that I really loved to do. It also didn't help that I was heading back to a city where I was accustomed to feeling tired, poor and angry. As fate would have it, I had drinks with my friend Lindsey Clayton who told me about a class she had just taken in Vedic Meditation. I went to the Intro Meeting, and the rest was history...
Since that day, I have been meditating 20 minutes, twice a day. It's been hard. I've fallen off the wagon... I've forgotten about my second meditation until I'm 3 mimosas into a Sunday brunch... I've wanted to watch TV/cook dinner/sleep longer instead of sitting with my eyes closed for a while. But I've stuck with it and slowly but surely I've watched my life transform. I'm not even sure that I can describe the difference because the changes have come so very gradually that they are almost imperceivable. Emily talks about how people will come to her and say "My mantra isn't working...meditation isn't working." and she'll ask, "Well, how is your life?" They often reply, "My life is going great, everything is working out wonderfully - I have a new boyfriend, and I changed careers and I'm really happy! But my mantra...." The point is-we meditate to get good at life, not to get good at meditation.
When I think back to a year ago, I am amazed at the difference. I feel more gratitude, I feel less angry, I drink less, I am RARELY tired during the day, I sleep like a baby, I feel kinder and more empathetic, I am more in the moment, daily troubles don't bother me as much...I've somehow made big life decisions and followed my heart, taken leaps that I never would have taken before. Meditation is definitely helping me be better at life... But I think that the biggest change for me has been how much kinder I am to myself. That little voice in my head got a much needed attitude adjustment, ditched the negative self-talk, and became my biggest cheerleader.
By no means is the journey finished. From what I'm told, it's a 10 year process AT LEAST! So I've barely scratched the surface. But being a year in is such an accomplishment for me. I've faltered, but I've stuck with it....and that is huge. I'm proud of my 1 year Mediversary and I truly can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring...
And if you are interested, PLEASE check out zivameditation.com. You won't be sorry! :)
