2023: The Year of Meditation
A quick intro to meditation and how to get started. Also my favorite meditation apps and some recommended guided meditations.
intro to meditation
Happy 2023, friends! I cannot believe how quickly a year flew by. Last year was really something else for me. It was honestly just a full year of catharsis - mentally and physically - and it felt like a rebirth for ya girl. Of course, I’m still the same woman I’ve always been, but some things have definitely shifted for me. Same, same but different.
I’m vowing to make this year about sharing my journey and the tools that helped me come back to myself.
One of the things that really brought me so much awareness and comfort was discovering meditation.
I have battled with anxiety for perhaps all of my life. My primary trauma response was to fight; I found myself grinding and gnawing my teeth because I was always stressed and I was always ready to scream at someone. I was a ticking time bomb for most of my life. A lot of times my friends would say stuff like, “I don’t want to be on your bad side” because they knew being on my bad side meant I would pop the fuck off. I also lived in the freeze and fawn for a good period of time, too. I had the WORST boundaries, so much so that when I started setting them, people got annoyed with me. My brain sent me so many signals that there was a disconnect between my body and soul and I ignored every one of them until I started meditating.
what is meditation?
I think people automatically associate meditation with sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed going “Ommmm, ommmmm” with no distractions and all the time in the world. And while that is certainly a type of meditation, it’s not the only way to meditate. I like to tell people that meditation isn’t about how you do it, but how you feel while doing it. It’s not about the physical, it’s about the mental and the spiritual. Let’s be so for real right now, we live in a very busy world of notifications and the pressure to always be “on.” Unless you live in a serene quiet place with no phone, no computer, and no connection to the outside world, it’s can be very, very hard to sit in silence and meditate.
Meditation is simply about training yourself to become more mindful. More aware. More understanding.
When you become more mindful, you are able to be physically present and be in the moment. A huge piece of my anxiety came from always bracing for future impact. After all, anxiety is really the fear of the unknown - the bracing yourself for what’s to come, even if it never does. Mindfulness pulls us out of that state of planning and into exactly how everything is right now, in this moment.
starting to meditate
Meditation is a lot like working out. You don’t just go to the gym for the first time in a long time (or ever) and start bench pressing the heaviest barbell. I mean, I guess you could, but it might be uncomfortable, distressing even, and the experience might deter you from coming back to it. So you have to train yourself slowly and consistently so that you can find your flow.
It’s important to remember that meditation is a practice. Whenever my coach would have me meditate, I used to have this fear that I wouldn’t be good at it. But it’s something we “practice.” It’s something we see progress in over time. We’re not going to get it right immediately. Our minds WILL wander. There are still days when I sit down to meditate and I cannot stop focusing my mind on the pile of dishes in the skink, so you know what I end up doing? Listening to the meditation in my headphones while doing the dishes.
It’s all about the practice and the journey for me.
Ways you can meditate to get started on your journey:
Decide when you’re going to meditate. Will you be an early riser? Will you do it before bed? At lunchtime? It’s likely to become a habit when you can make it part of your schedule.
Decide how much time you’d like to give it. I cannot stress this enough, start slowly! It’s really OK if you only got in three minutes of meditation! They make short ones for a reason!
Allow yourself to get comfortable. Sitting is probably the most relaxing way to get into a meditative state, but you can lie down, too! A bath would be a great place to meditate, too.
Turn your phone on Do Not Disturb. I listen to my meditations on my phone so before I go in for the practice, I make sure my phone is on DND so that my notifications aren’t going off. I try not to get into a deep convo with someone right before I go in so that my mind is not racing the entire time.
Give yourself permission to pay attention. So you are unable to sit still! It happens. Go on a walk, wash the dishes, or do your nighttime skincare regimen while listening to your meditation, but give yourself permission to focus solely on the meditation and your task at hand.
meditation as a resolution
Now, believe it or not, I’m not perfect. I don’t meditate every day even though I want to. However, I know how the practice has added to my life, and I want 2023 to have more of that juicy mindfulness and self-compassion. So I’m making more meditation one of my 2023 intentions. If meditation is something that interests you, I encourage you to practice it in a way that feels comfortable for you!
Maybe I’ll start a challenge sometime this year!?
As always, thank you for your support. Here’s to a happy, healthy new year!
types of meditation.
[click on the images for a larger view]








recommended meditation apps
Insight Timer - Favorite all around. So many amazing teachers, music, and meditations to choose from.
Headspace - This is my favorite for courses, movement meditation, and sleep.
Ten Percent Happier - An excellent podcast. The app is super intuitive depending on your goals!
Calm - I used this app when I was getting started with my journey! Very easy to use.
get started with meditation
The following are just a few, not too long, guided meditations that are great to get you started on your journey. These meditations are all