Why Meditate?
Do you ever wonder how to find inner peace?
Meditation was an integral part of me finding peace and finding my purpose.
Before meditation, I had a lot of anxieties…about my job, about my small business, and about money. Did I have enough, did I save enough, was I getting out of debt fast enough?
Although I was happy and grateful for what I had, I was not at peace and peace was what I was truly longing for.
My search for peace led me to meditation and that practice completely changed how I viewed my life and how I viewed the world. Once my point of view changed, I was able to see a new path for myself. A path that was always there but I never noticed before because I was thinking with fear instead of thinking with peace.
So in this blog, I will take you through my meditation journey sharing with you how I got started, and the 3 insights that I got while practicing meditation that changed everything for me.
How I Got Started with Meditation
It’s kind of funny how I’ve come full circle with my meditation journey. It started in Thailand in 2019 when I was on a guided tour with Gate 1 Travel. Over a year later, I sold everything to live my dream of traveling and got stranded in Thailand.
On our guided tour last year, our tour guide Nee was amazing! With each new temple we saw, she would tell us a little bit more about her meditation practice. She talked about her sitting meditation, her chanting meditation, her walking around a stupa meditation. I was fascinated, but I didn’t really understand it. So, during our long bus rides, I would get on YouTube searching for more clarity on how to meditate and why is meditation useful.
Finding A Teacher
There were so many videos and so many teachers out there, but the one who resonated the most with me was Thich Naht Hahn. He teaches meditation in a very easy to understand way that made it easy to follow along.
So, while I was on the tour bus, I was meditating with Thich Naht Hahn and binge watching his dharma talks.
Finding a Sangha
In one of his videos, Thich Naht Hahn said, to join a sangha. A sangha is simply a mediation group. He said that if you try to meditate by yourself, you will give up after 3 to 6 months. But, if you join a sangha you are less likely to give up. The community will help you stay consistent and it will help you grow in your practice.
So. I googled “Nashville sangha” thinking such a thing would not exist. I was very surprised when I found one easily. I added the event to my calendar immediately and vowed to go the first Sunday I was home.
I started going to a meditation group every Sunday. I was really bad at it at first. My mind would wander, and I felt like I was not accomplishing anything, but I enjoyed practicing with other people.
Because of the group, the positive peer pressure of 10 other people expecting me to be still and quiet for the allotted time forced me to be still and quiet for the allotted time. We did walking meditation, something that I knew nothing about. They shared readings that made me expand my book collection and read deeper. And at the end we did drama sharing which is a practice of sharing your insights from the week and from practice of how you are applying mindfulness to your life. Hearing other people’s process really inspired me and made me look deeper at how the challenges of my own life could be improved with mindfulness.
Going to a Retreat
The next step in my journey was going to a meditation and mindfulness retreat. My sangha organized a trip to Magnolia Grove Monastery for a weekend retreat. It was about 4 hours away from Nashville, and was a refreshing change of pace and a tremendous help to my practice.
Being around people who have devoted their lives to living mindfully was a revelation. I loved seeing how the monks and nuns organized their day. They made time to meditate multiple times a day, to study, to work, and to clean. They accomplished so much each day.
When you live with mindfulness, the day seems so long. It seems long because you are fully present for each moment and no time slips away from you. I was never able to get so much accomplished in my normal life, but at the monastery I felt like it was so easy to accomplish things because I had a great example in front of me.
Continuous Reading
I’ve found the book The Heart of the Buddha’s Teachings by Thich Naht Hahn extremely helpful in going deeper into my practice. No matter how many times I have read these chapters I have yet to master these concepts. I think this book will be a lifelong education.
With concepts of right view, right thinking, right mindfulness, right speech, right action, right diligence, right livelihood, and right concentration which are part of the 8 fold path for ending suffering. I continue to try to improve my application of this 8 fold path every day. I know if I meditate on one of these each day that slowly over the months, I will improve in each category. As of now, I am still not where I want to be yet especially in regard to right mindfulness and right speech.
Following this journey lead me to realized these 3 insights that inspired me to change my life.
3 Insights That Changed Everything
You Don’t Need More. You Need Less.
I was in a vicious cycle of working too hard, trying to earn more money, so I could buy more stuff. However, if I have less belongings like my house, car, and furniture, I would spend less and wind up with more money.
If I have less, I would spend less time taking care of and cleaning my belongings and wind up with more time. I realized I didn’t need millions to live my dreams. I could live them on far less if I was willing to consume less.
Guess what! Consuming less is not a burden if you are getting so much more out of the experience in return. I mean honestly what would you be willing to give up to travel full-time for two years.
In the end, I feel like my decision to give up everything and travel was the best decision I ever made. I have a sense of peace and freedom that I haven’t had before. I’m learning more about myself and what I’m really capable of as well.
Peace is the Key to Happiness
Since going on this meditation journey, I have had less anxiety and less sadness. I sleep better at night. My focus and concentration has improved. And most importantly I know what I want out of life and I have some insight as to how to get it. The answers are really within.
It makes me emotionally stronger. I get far less irritated by irritating people. I no longer feel like I’m about to snap on someone all the time. I’m less scared to take risks. I feel more comfortable in this turbulent world.
I mean what can be more important than finding peace. Peace is happiness. Peace is freedom.
Awareness of impermanence is the key to living in the present moment
Meditating on impermanence helps me to care more and love more. I know I am impermanent. I won’t be here forever. This makes me love myself more. I know that my husband is impermanent this makes me cherish each day with him all the more.
If you live each day like it’s your last you will truly savor it in the moment not taking it for granted. I truly believe that our marriage is as good as it is because I love like I won’t wake up tomorrow. I tell him I love him every night like it’s the last time I will see him.
I feel like the luckiest person alive every morning because I live this way. I realize the impermanence of everything that I hold dear. I realize its value and it’s easier to be happy in the moment. I say I better be happy now because this could all be over tomorrow.
Final Thoughts
So, these are the three insights that inspired me to change my life and to take action now. I realized that I could live my dreams if I had less things, and that peace comes from leaving all my many stressors behind and focusing on what I love instead. Lastly, I realized that this life is impermanent and fragile and I didn’t want to delay my dreams another second.
The full video vlog is below.
