My Real Life Experience with Mindful Meditation

I’m back. Four months, three different countries, and one retreat later, and I’ve finally returned to the not-so-sunny British Isles.

A lot has changed since I left in January. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the weather. However, I sit here looking out the window as a very different person to the one who set off on that Gulf Air flight to India via Bahrain.

I’ve covered a lot, not just in aeroplane miles, but in learning too. I started off with a very basic understanding of meditation and practically zero knowledge of chakra healing, and now I’m fully versed in some of Buddha’s most important teachings around mindfulness and meditation, along with many of the tools used in healing the body’s energy centres, or chakras.

I Was Living a Pretty Yogic Lifestyle in India

Practice started at 6am, with my last class finishing at 6pm. Food followed a strictly Sattvic diet: no garlic, no onions, no meat, fish or eggs, and the only free time we had was on Sundays. It was pretty full-on, but wow, did I notice the changes, not only in my body, but in my mind too.

During my time there, the war between Israel, the USA and Iran broke out, and people began dropping out of my retreat in Sri Lanka, which I was due to host in April. As time went on, it looked more and more unlikely that it would go ahead. Some of the guests who were already booked had flights cancelled and weren’t sure whether they would even make it.

I said to myself that even if one person arrived, I would still go ahead.

Normally, I would have been a nervous wreck. Money was tight, other things were happening back home, and my retreat was on the verge of collapse, but instead I felt surprisingly calm, centred, and very much in the mindset of: if it’s meant to be, it will be.

I found Meaning in Everyday Meditation

I can only attribute that sense of calm to my yoga and meditation practice, and that’s when I realised how important these practices really are for everyday life and balancing everything out.

Sometimes meditation can feel a bit daunting for people. There’s this belief that you have to do things a certain way, and if you can’t, people assume it’s too hard and give up altogether.

But meditation isn’t about trying to completely empty your mind. That’s just not realistic in today’s world.

We live in a society of information overload. Many of us multitask constantly. We scroll on our phones while drinking tea or coffee, read while eating breakfast, or go for a run listening to a podcast. Unless we intentionally choose to slow down and simply be, we’re often operating from a place of constant stimulation, distraction and overwhelm.

Meditation and Breath

Meditation is not about suddenly saying, “Right, for the next ten minutes I’m not going to think about anything.”

Thoughts will come. Your mind will wander. That’s normal.

The practice is in noticing when it happens and gently bringing your attention back.

And that’s where Anapanasati, or mindfulness of breath, can be such a powerful tool.

The breath becomes your anchor.

If your mind wanders, that’s okay. Just bring it back to the breath.

Focus on the inhalation. Focus on the exhalation. Quietly say in your mind, “breathing in” as you breathe in, and “breathing out” as you breathe out.

Notice the breath. Notice whether it is long or short. Notice how the body responds to it.

When you focus fully on the breath, it becomes harder to focus on everything else going on around you. And if the mind drifts, simply acknowledge it without frustration or judgement, and return to the breath again.

That is the practice.

Meditation is such a powerful tool for helping to manage stress, feel calmer, reduce anger, ease anxiety, and support positive mental wellbeing.

If you’ve never really given meditation a proper go, I’d really encourage you to try it and see if you can incorporate even a few minutes into your daily routine. I’ve personally noticed such a positive difference in my own life.

Steps of Meditation

So, if you fancy giving it a try, here are some simple steps that might help:

1. Find somewhere quiet where you won’t be interrupted.
2. Turn off distractions and put your phone in another room.
3. If it helps you concentrate, you could play some calming meditation music in the background (I put this playlist together: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/03hMwfKOwy3Hv1gS0qtzfw?si=000279e5a9304dd5 ).
4. You may want to light a candle or incense to help create a calming atmosphere.
5. Find a comfortable position. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, sit on a chair, or even lie down.
6. Close your eyes.
7. Begin breathing in through the nose and out through the nose.
8. Notice the sensations as you breathe in and out.
9. If you hear noises around you, simply notice them without trying to block them out.
10. Notice the breath coming in as you inhale. Does the air feel warm or cool?
11. Notice the breath leaving the body as you exhale.
12. Quietly say in your mind, “breathing in” as you inhale.
13. Quietly say in your mind, “breathing out” as you exhale.
14. Notice what happens in your body as you breathe. What happens to your chest, stomach and shoulders?
15. Notice whether your breath is long or short.
16. If the mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath without judging yourself for it.
17. Repeat for as long as feels comfortable.

Afterwards, you may want to reflect on a few simple questions:

1. How do I feel after the meditation?
2. What feels different for me now?
3. What can I take from this practice into the rest of my day or week?

If you would like a guided meditation to follow along with, you can access the video on my YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/qZjEk8y6Hok. And please remember to subscribe to keep up to date with new videos.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you tried meditating? Which part of it was easy for you? What about breathing with intention feels easy or difficult to do?