On January 24th, I started the 21-Day Meditation Challenge offered by the Chopra Center. Since my twenties, I have embraced, truly embraced almost everything considered alternative: yoga, reiki, homeopathic remedies, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), and Ayurveda. But meditation has always eluded me.

The challenge gave me something to look forward to everyday and I gave myself permission to stop and be still for a short time everyday. It was fantastic!

Four days after the challenge, I truly welcome that quiet time. One of the greatest benefits I’ve seen is in my sleep habits. Without making a huge change to what time I’m going to bed, I feel more rested in the amount of hours I do sleep. And I’m getting up earlier to have time for meditation.

Four days may not seem like a lot of time but when you can see those big changes, it’s significant.

Why 21 days? Studies have shown that it takes 21 days to either break or create a new habit. So far, so good!

For those of us who have wanted to meditate but found it difficult I know why. We were too hard on ourselves. We thought it was wrong for us to move, hear any outside noises, bad when our minds slipped away to other thoughts. That was me too. So, it was comforting to know that it’s OK when these things happen. That’s why we have the breath to focus on and can come back to when these things occur.

Another big lesson I learned about meditation is there is no conflict with religion and prayer. It was explained this way: Prayer is when we talk to God. Meditation is when God talks to us.

I’m thrilled I have this as a part of my life now. Sometimes, you just know when you need something else. This is my something else.

-Namaste-