Ok ladies, I’m going to share a little secret with you. Mamas that meditate aren’t doing it because we are some zen beings that have it all figured out and are the epitome of peace and calm.
Many of us are practicing meditation because we struggle! We may struggle with our kids, our family, our spouse, our job or a host of other things. As women, we are often pulled in so many different directions, and it can sometimes feel hard to manage. A meditation practice can help keep us grounded and try to manage the rollercoaster of emotions we can experience from life.
Basics of Meditation
Meditation is a fantastic way to get a few minutes of peace and quiet, and also be mindful about how we want to show up for the day. It is a self care practice that you can do for yourself everyday, and I promise you it will make a difference in your life! Things around us can get chaotic, and meditation can help us not be as affected by those outside forces.
If you are new to the practice of meditation, guided meditations are a great place to start. Basically how it works is a person is speaking, usually with calming music in the background, and they walk you through things to visualize and think about. They also help you to manage your breathing and reduce stress and tension in your body.
It is recommended that you meditate 20 minutes a day for optimal results. But doing something is always better than nothing! So start with as little as 5 minutes if that is all you can manage. It is a practice, so you want to be consistent with it and start to train your brain.
Intention Setting
There are plenty of general meditations you can follow, but I find it helps to be a little more specific. Intention setting is a way you can drill down what type of meditation you want to focus on.
Intention setting is something that has really helped me in my life in many ways. It's changed the way I interact with people, how I think, how I react and how I work towards my life vision and goals. Living with intention means is that you decide how you want to show up on that particular day, or in your life in general, from an emotional state. Do you want to be joyful, peaceful, calm, loving, confident, free, etc?
When I started working with my emotions, I honestly wasn’t able to easily identify with the full spectrum of emotions inside me. I must have been a bit disconnected from them, and I found it to be a challenge. Looking at a wheel of emotions really helped me, so I’ve included a simple example of one in case it helps you too.
First, I’ll give you the breakdown on kinds of emotions. There are two main types of emotions, love-based emotions and fear-based emotions. Most of us want to experience love-based emotions. Those are the ones you see on the bottom half of the chart - peaceful, powerful & happy, and they branch out and get more specific from there. And then we have our fear based emotions are on the top - sad, angry & scared, and the different flavors of those feelings.
What love-based emotions do you want to focus on? What lights you up? How do you want to show up? This can help you pick the type of guided meditation you want to practice.
This wheel can also help you identify fear-based emotions you may be struggling with. I’ve been taught not to look at emotions as good or bad. All humans experience a spectrum of emotions. That is good and healthy. And you can learn to fully feel and accept any emotions that arise, and make the decision to shift to another state, if you desire.
If you want to dig deeper into your feelings and how you want to show up in your life, check out this blog post - 3 Tips To Help You Find Purpose in Your Life.
Free Meditations You Can Try
There are some great resources for finding meditations. I really like the Calm App. There is a free version that you can download on your phone, or there is a premium membership you can purchase. I love that they even offer children’s meditations, and I do it with my kids every night before bed.
Another great place to find guided meditations is on YouTube. You can find different types of meditations based on what you want to focus on.
Here are some great ones that you can try out. Keep them handy so you can access them whenever you need them!
- Guided Meditation to Calm Anxiety (9 minutes)
- Hard Parenting Day Meditation (15 minutes)
- Guided Meditation for Calm and Peace (16 minutes)
- Self Love Meditation (15 minutes)
- Meditation for Sleep (10 minutes)
- 5-Minute Intention Setting Meditation (5 minutes)
Take Your Intention Setting, Mindfulness & Meditation Up A Notch
I’ve found that using certain tools you can use to heighten your experience of meditation and mindfulness. Crystals are an excellent way to get your mind, body & soul together to feel your absolute best. They are not magic rocks, but they are powerful!
Each crystal holds a special meaning and energy. There are crystals like Rose Quartz for self love, Purple Amethyst for balance, Aventurine for happiness and Selenite to calm emotions - to name a few. Surrounding yourself with this daily reminder and energy can help you set your intentions regarding all the things you want in your life.
Crystals can be used while you meditate, be worn on your body, incorporated into your yoga or energy practice, help calm you in times of stress or be placed around the house to surround yourself with all the uplifting energy. There are so many different ways to use crystals, and they are absolutely beautiful to look at!
If you are interested in crystals, then definitely check out our Feel Good Mama crystal kits and energy tools. We have designed 3 different curated kits to help you with what you want to manifest in your life!
Meditation Will Make A Difference In Your Life
Meditation has changed my life in so many ways, and I truly believe it should be part of every person's daily routine. If you haven’t ever tried it, or you dabbled a bit but were never consistent with the practice, I encourage you to give it a try!
I’m curious, are you interested in meditation? What part is most appealing to you? Please share in the comments! And if you have any questions about meditation, or how you can learn more about it, don’t hesitate to reach out to me, Shannon, at hello@feelgoodmama.shop. I’m happy to offer any information or insight that I can!