Before I got pregnant, I had a fairly consistent yoga and meditation practice. It continued until my son was born, and then I no longer had the time, energy, wherewithal to do either.
Yes, there was the occasional pocket of time where I was able to indulge in yoga, but I didn’t try to get back into meditation. I was already mentally struggling with being a first-time mom, and in hindsight (it’s always hindsight isn’t it?) I should have prioritized meditation.
The other weekend, while my husband was rocking our son to sleep for his first nap of the day, I sat in another room, laying on the loveseat, and decided to try to meditate again. I didn’t turn on a YouTube video or an app. I experimented with my own way of meditating.
If you count to 300 slowly (1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi, etc.), five minutes will pass.
I closed my eyes and began counting to 300.
Now, for most people, trying to sit quietly with their thoughts or clearing their mind only results in the opposite. Hundreds if not thousands of thoughts swirl around inside our heads at any given time. And normally, my brain is no different.
But this time, I only allowed myself to focus on images that brought me peace and joy: images of a cabin in the mountains I hope to visit one day with my family, a campfire blazing as the sun sets, my son asleep in my arms….
Five minutes may not seem like a long time, however, by the time I reached 300, I felt calmer and more at peace than I had in a long time. Five minutes was all it took.
As a parent, and especially as a mom, finding time to do anything for yourself seems selfish and impossible. But you can find five minutes. We need to. I shared my “epiphany” with my doctor last week and her emphatic agreement has encouraged me to try for a 5 minute meditation daily. I don’t always succeed, but tomorrow is another day.
