What is Meditation?

Meditation is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with an accepting, non-judgmental disposition.  Despite what many people think, the goal is not to stop thoughts but to simply notice them and allow them to pass without getting caught up in emotional reactions.

There are many benefits of meditating on a regular basis. These include increased awareness, improved self-awareness, increased self-compassion and a greater sense of calm.  Regularly meditating can improve focus and concentration while also improving symptoms of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and stress.

My Journey to Meditation

I started my meditation journey early in 2017, not long after I’d returned to therapy after a relapse of anorexia.  Back then I was living a very busy and rushed corporate lifestyle; spending 60 hours per week either travelling to or at work in my senior retail management role, studying to become a counsellor, volunteering to help develop the skills I was learning on my course and going to the gym at least 10 times per week.  For me, the gym was my chance to unwind and clear my head, but when I injured my knee on Christmas eve 2016, I was left with no other option but to find an alternate way of creating ‘me’ time that didn’t involve being on the go all of the time.

As I struggled with being still, I found myself experiencing anxiety and depression on top of the never-ending battle that goes with fighting anorexia, and with no other viable option to improve my mental health I followed my therapist’s suggestion to try meditation.  I’m not going to lie at first it was a real challenge; it’s not easy to be with one’s own thoughts or to quieten the mind when it’s used to racing.  But with a dedicated daily practice, starting with short, guided meditations and then working my way up to longer practices, I soon started to notice the benefits.  My mood improved, I felt calmer, I had more resilience and above all else I began to feel much more self-aware. 

It was the increased self-awareness that ultimately led me to the decision to change the way I lived my life and have helped me quieten the anorexic voice that caused me so much distress.  Gone are the days of rushing around, feeling like I never had time for myself.  Now, each day I start my morning with a guided meditation on the Calm app and then allow myself to self-practice throughout the day as and when I need to. Meditation has taught me that by slowing down my thoughts I can feel calmer and more accepting of what is happening in my life. It has also helped me realise that every thought and every emotion is a temporary experience that will pass more quickly if we don’t resist.

Below you will also find a selection of free meditations that I have recorded.  I hope if you decide to give meditation a try, you will find it as beneficial as I have.

Take 5 minutes to find a break in your busy day with this short, calming, practice.

I will be regularly adding new meditation recordings to this page.  Meditation can help with much more than anxiety, stress, depression and loneliness.  If you have any specific topics you would like to explore through meditation please reach out with your request and I can create something specifically for you.