I was very much in the camp of “I know it’s good for me but I’ll get round to it one day when I have time” and frankly a little like yeah whatever/ skeptical about it actually working. I’m definitely a workaholic and not a hippy, I need to see results and the feel good attitude is all great but just not really my cup of tea.

Now I have done mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises before for a medical condition I have (I will be writing about dealing with this in the future) and it kind of worked but I gave up.

However having been recommended a meditation called holosync by a good friend of mine who also runs a business and seems to be doing very well at it, I figured, why not give it a go and see what it can do for me. I mean at the end of the day no harm in trying right?

So the first night I lay on my shakti mat, popped on an eye mask (like for in planes) and my headphones and listened to the sound of the rain pouring on a roof (Which I love normally and find so peaceful) mixed with the sound of Tibetan singing bowls (I had to google metal sounding bowl to find its actual name). It was an incredible space to exist in for 30 minutes. The Shakti mat, which I use to relax muscles after pole dancing, is usually unbearable but I managed to lie on it for the whole time and afterwards found it amazing. The best part though - I GOT A FULL NIGHT SLEEP for the first time in what must be years. Usually I wake up multiple times through the night, and sometimes spend a good hour awake.

Truth be told, meditation isn’t a fad, in fact it's been around for millennia and has an impressive list of benefits like reducing stress (check), improving concentration (check, hell I’m even writing a blog without getting distracted), increasing happiness and self-awareness and even slowing ageing (yes please) and improving immune health. I mean who doesn’t want a piece of that??

However, even with its benefits it can be hard to figure out how to start - it's easy to get overwhelmed and think you don’t have the space, money, time or attention span so throw it into the too hard basket (I did for sure).

To get started, I honestly think the best thing to do is schedule it in. Schedule some time (it can be 5 mins, an hour, or whatever time you can make work for you) in your diary each day (I find it easiest to do before bed, just get off your damn device 30 mins earlier than you would.. Looking at your electronic devices before bed is bad for your sleep anyway) and when that alarm goes off actually do it.

The easiest way to start meditating is to sit in a chair or lie on the floor (get a pillow for your head), set a timer for how long you want to meditate for, then close your eyes, take three deep breaths from your belly if you can and pay attention to the breath as it flows in and out. Let yourself concentrate on the breaths, and if you find yourself getting distracted, clear your mind and just bring it back to your breathing. Concentrate on the in and the out of the flow of breath and there you have it your meditating!

If you find yourself struggling to start on your own, there is a world of guided meditations you can find on youtube to help you out.

With a little planning and consistency, you can integrate a simple meditation practice into your daily life so you can reap the rewards of what it has to provide.

Let me know below if you have started or are thinking of starting meditation and what your experiences were.

Jessie xo