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Learn How to Meditate – 30 Days of Meditation

June 13, 2016 by Kelly

Learn how to Meditate | Kelly Maia Nutrition
Stressed? Meditate. Need some time to yourself? Meditate. Feeling anxious? Meditate. Feeling sad? Meditate.

It feels like meditation is the answer to everything these days.

Seriously though, it might be. Meditation helps with:

  • Reducing stress
  • Improving concentration
  • Increasing self-awareness
  • Encouraging acceptance
  • Improving happiness
  • Reducing aging (for real)
  • Improving brain function
  • Increasing your immunity
  • And more… seriously.

But have you ever tried to meditate? You pull out a mat or cushion, close your eyes, and start taking deep, relaxing breaths. It can’t be that hard, can it? You’re breathing fine, feeling good, but all of a sudden you start thinking about your to-do list. Then you move onto what’s for dinner. Then you have to bring yourself back to the moment and just focus on your breath. It works until you start to zone out, 10 seconds later, and think about something else superficial. 

That’s mostly been my experience with meditation. When I was doing yoga more frequently about a year ago, I got into some amazing savasanas during my practice. But that was during yoga, with an instructor guiding me and reminding me that the entire hour was for myself. Savasana was easier when I was in a dark room with no distractions. I gave myself permission to let go because I was physically there, and willing. 

Since then, I have tried my hand at meditation a number of times. Taking 5-10 minutes in the mornings feels really nice, but upon waking up, my brain turns on and all my thoughts start firing up like a string of christmas lights. It’s hard for me to tune them out while I meditate. As a result, I haven’t consistently meditated in a really, really long time. 

Until I was chatting with the beautiful and energetic Amanda Katherine Loy. We realized that we both felt the same way about meditation. It’s something we could both benefit from, but we found it hard to build the habit. 

So we got together and decided that for the next 30 days, we will commit to at least 5-10 minutes of meditation a day.

Anytime, anywhere, when we have a moment we will allow ourselves to let go and enjoy a moment of peace. 

In case you’re not too familiar with meditation, it’s an ancient practice that involves unplugging and tuning out the world, and focusing on the self while clearing the mind. Typically one starts with breathing meditation, where you might sit cross legged or in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Then, you’d focus on your breath moving in your nose and out your mouth. The idea is to tune out the world around you while focusing on your breathing. At first, you will find this nearly impossible. Our minds are so over-active, and by shutting out all external stimuli, we finally hear how frantic and quick our thoughts are. Typically our mind tries to wander and follow these thoughts, but in meditation we need to resist trailing off, and return to focusing on our breath. Eventually, through practice and discipline, this becomes easier and we truly arrive at a place of peace and relaxation. 

Breathing meditation is often the first step, and the best place for a beginner to start. There are so many different ways to meditate, especially once you become more seasoned at tuning out those wandering thoughts. 

Amanda and I decided for the first 30 days, while building the habit, we would listen to guided meditations. Using the app Headspace for me, and Rituals for her (Rituals isn’t downloadable in Canada), we will be exploring various 5-10 minute meditation clips. Eventually I hope to reach the point where I can branch off and do my own breathing meditation, but to build the habit, this is where I will start. 

Today is our first day and I am so glad to have a partner who will help keep me accountable on this journey.

If you want to make meditation a habit, join us!

Let me know if you’d like to be a part of our 30 days of meditation challenge. We would LOVE to have you join us. We already have a total of 8 ladies as a part of this challenge group, and it’s not too late to join! Reach out in the comments below, on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or even send me an email [kellymaianutrition(at)gmail.com]. 

I can’t wait to report back with the end result. You better believe I’ll share my experiences, and I’m sure Amanda will too. You can check our (probably more frequent) updates on Instagram too: KellyMNutrition and AmandaKatherineLoy.

Happy meditating!

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Filed Under: Live Well, My Life Tagged With: guided meditation, healthy living, how to meditate, learn to meditate, meditation, Mental health, Stress, Women's health

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Kelly Maia Nutrition | Kelly Maia Agnew, CNP
I’m Kelly, a holistic nutritionist and wellness advocate who works with women to help them optimize their health and wellness through individualized and evidence-based, natural approaches. Learn more.

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  • GUYS!!! Today I’m taking over @healthyplanet Instagram stories! Find out my Top 10 Pantry Staples I Can’t Live Without and WHY I love them so much! I’ll touch on how they can help with stress, gut health and hormone balancing🙌🏻.. all the things I love to talk about💁🏻‍♀️. I’ll be there all day so stop by and show @healthyplanet some love! I’ll be sharing tips and answering your questions😘. See ya there!
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  • STOP THE HUSTLE🙏🏻 PUH-LEASE.

We all have a tendency to do it. Rush rush rush around. Then we get caught up in everything we THINK we need to be doing.

The SHOULDS creep in. I should be working on the business. I should be devoting more time to friends. I should be spending more time with my partner. I should be cleaning the house.

The shoulds are dangerous.

And when we fall into the trap of hustle-all-the-time, those shoulds get really really loud.

I slip into it every once in a while myself.

But then I remind myself: no one is putting these expectations on me except ME.

Too much stress, too much hustle, too many shoulds has led me to burnout not once but TWICE.

TWO FREAKING TIMES.

So today I ask you to slow your roll. Stop the hustle. Ignore the shoulds. Do what is right for you.

Self care. Slow living. Taking breaks. These are all such YIN responses to such a YANG life.

And we could all use a little bit more yin. Relaxation. Slowness. Softness. Self love.
#lifebykelly #fromburntouttobalanced
  • REAL LIFE:
•Eating pasta because it tastes good.
•Adding veggies to each meal because it makes a big difference in how I feel.
•Wearing jeans with rips because I like it ... though I know many adults who would disagree. I don’t care, 😂 I do what I want.
•Sitting on the couch watching Netflix for a few hours (ok like 5) because my body needs a time out.
•Crushing chocolate because I really like it.

We all make our own choices based on what serves us best. Sometimes we make the healthy choice that we know will feel good inside. Sometimes we make the healthy choice that nourishes our soul and not our brain. The choices are both healthy, just from different perspectives.

Hours of Netflix saved my life when I was totally burnt out. I couldn’t barely move, exercise, pay attention to anything for long... Netflix was the only thing that I could do that refilled my cup.

Just like this gluten free pasta. It might not win the “most healthy” award on Instagram because it’s not made of kale, but sometimes we just need a quick meal that will TASTE GOOD. I never want my clients to sacrifice taste for health. I never sacrifice it myself.

Enjoy your life. There are lots of things to worry about, and while health is important, green juice and exercise isn’t everything.

Find a balance. Stress less. Enjoy more.
#fromburntouttobalanced #lifebykelly
  • Take the road less traveled.
Try new things.
Say goodbye to fear, or at least make nice with it.
Embrace the unknown.
Say yes to challenges.
Release control.

How much better would life be if we stopped RESISTING and started FLOWING?

Wellness, health, happiness - it all becomes compromised when we create unrealistic expectations and begin to C O N T R O L everything.

I am always working on releasing control.
I am always a work in progress.
Health coaches, nutritionists, wellness coaches - we are all works in progress.

But we are here to help you take the road less traveled.
Because we’ve been there.
And we will guide you through your own journey.
If what you’re doing isn’t working, try something new.
I promise that I am here for you.

#fromburntouttobalanced #lifebykelly
  • Oh hey there 😍cinnamon raisin bagel, I didn’t see ya there under those hemp seeds and sunflower seed butter🤷🏻‍♀️ oh also I threw on some cacao nibs because chocolate. Always chocolate.

I found these delicious bagels at my local @naturalfoodpantry and picked them up on a whim. They’re oat-base, gluten-free and free-from tons of the additives and preservatives in usual breads. They’re DELISH.

But complex carbs alone aren’t enough to feel full so I added some serious nut butter and hemp seeds for extra protein and healthy fats. That should do the trick for a bit!

Happy Sunday ❤️❤️ what are you whipping up in the kitchen today?
#recipesbykelly #mhhempambassador #sponsored

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