I just reached 800 meditation sessions, starting January 1st of two years ago. At the beginning I only lasted 3 minutes, then 5 for a long time, then discovered the guided meditation, the affirmations, and most importantly few breathing techniques, it got easier, and deeper, and more impactful.

It was a self prescript healing practice I set up for myself, simply because I read the benefit of grounding, in silence, focus on your breath, and that was it, not a post burn out resolution, or anything radical.

That was the beginning. I downloaded an app to track progress, and also to be some sort of sign of discipline, since I have always run away from routine.

Now it’s core to my daily routine. Not perfect, sometimes still too mechanical, sometimes a check in a list box, true, but it feels right. And precious.

What did I learn?

• Breathing is underrated, by a long shot, and so is the power to calm down and “do nothing” from an external point of view, and just focus on “being you”.
• It is very powerful to start a day with something that simply focus on someone that will always take care of you, no matter what.
• It is addictive, and a journey, and the benefit are real. For me, It helps to land (subconsciously) many of the thoughts that sometimes are overwhelming
• ANY minute you dedicated to this is precious. I would love to learn how to do it more often and without the need for a “quite” surrounding

And now, some “deeper” considerations

Sometimes I need just the breath, sometimes I let someone guide me. Since I read the Norman Vincent Peale book, over 30 years ago, “The power of positive Thinking” I never ceased to research on the topic, and you might see some of this in my reference to kindness, openness, and my general philosophy of life. How these two things are related? Affirmations are part of conditioning to the positive thinking, and I do think your brain and the way you think about yourself and your life changes your reality, and most importantly your perception of it. There is so much to talk about this subject, but the goal of this writing was just to reveal something that undoubtedly worked for me, seeking for your feedback or similar experiences, and talk about a topic I never shared with the crowd. The reason of this urge to sharing is simply the possibility that some of you will get curious, or empowered to share, or simply willing to experiment something that might be beneficial for your life.

Rebelliously Yours

Matteo

Featured in the Pic: what I see from my balcony, contributing largely to my morning good mood.