Building a morning meditation practice may feel intimidating at first, but it is a worthwhile venture that is sure to bring you consistent support and wellness. Meditating is beneficial for our mental and physical health in many ways, and if you’ve been curious about experiencing the benefits for yourself, read on as I share 3 powerful ways that your meditation practice can support you. 

1. Meditation helps us to gain a new perspective on stressful or challenging situations. When we meditate, we are allowing ourselves to take a step back from our thoughts, and the circumstances we are currently facing in life. Meditating helps to ground us in our bodies and to connect us to our breath. By doing this, we cultivate a sense of peaceful observation that we can use to approach whatever we are dealing with. When we find ourselves meeting a challenge or obstacle, we can return to our breath, ground ourselves in the present moment, and focus on responding to life, rather than reacting to it. Meditation doesn’t necessarily change the things we deal with in life, but it does powerfully change how we deal with the things we cannot control. 
2. Meditation helps to cultivate a sense of mindfulness. Mindfulness by definition means ‘a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.’ Meditation helps us to do just that. When we meditate, it is like we are placing ourselves in the role of non-judgmental observer to ourselves. We create a space for our authentic emotions to be felt and processed, and we allow acceptance for however we have shown up in the present moment. Mindfulness helps us to see that we don’t need to change or control our external circumstances, rather, we can focus on cultivating a peaceful inner world, where we find ourselves able to calmly respond to our experiences.
3. Meditation helps us to build healthy coping skills and positive habits. When we focus on developing a daily meditation practice, we are teaching ourselves to live mindfully and to approach all situations with as much acceptance, compassion, and truth as possible. Life is not perfect, and being human is messy, real, and uncertain. That is why it is so important that we create coping mechanisms that focus on strengthening our foundations. and building on our abilities to handle life with grace and mental strength. Your meditation practice is just one of the resources you can have in your Self Care Toolbox. 

Habitual mediation has been proven to improve stress reactivity, reduce anxiety, and promote total mind, body, and spirit wellness. Start by meditating for at least 2 minutes a day, and as you develop your mindfulness skills, your practice will naturally grow. 

Happy meditating!