REFINERY29 x MNDFL

30 DAY MEDITATION CHALLENGE

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True story:
When I first began a serious meditation practice (not just a casual high school fling, but an honest thirst for commitment ), I had a minor allergic reaction. 

As an anxious 25 year old, I would sit daily for what felt like forrrreverrrr and watch the running dialog of fears and desires sprinting laps around my mind, feeding me a steady diet of propaganda about my own deficiencies. 
I'm too much of this. 
I'm not enough of that. 
Here's a way I could FIX it! 
Oh shit. Wait. Back to the breath.   

This went on long enough (and uncomfortably enough) that I finally confessed my sins as a "terrible meditator" to my teacher at the time. I think I was looking for a different way of doing it. One that would usher me to a land of unicorns and rainbows, internal acceptance and praise. 

"I'm just not good at it." I stated as fact. "Meditation is making me neurotic."
At which point he laughed and dropped a hard truth that I've found helpful ever since. 
"You've always been neurotic. You're just seeing it clearly for the first time." 

Well, GREAT. 
(jerk.)

But actually, it was great. Better than unicorns and rainbows and blissing out and all that jazz.
Because if all that noise and criticism really was just me seeing the way that my mind operated-- clearly for the first time--then I could begin to work with it.
On and off the meditation cushion. 

This meant learning to listen to my neurosis without allowing it drive the ship. 
Creating space for anxiety and restlessness without letting them knock me off my seat. Resting with difficult emotions. 

In fact, developing a steady meditation practice has been the best way that I've found, personally, to create a bit more stability + freedom both in my internal and external life.
And one of the greatest tools I've encountered to develop that all-elusive phenomena known as "Self Love and Acceptance". 
Not to mention a great way to Marie Kondo all that mental clutter that tends to manifest as overwhelm. 

(Note: I'm still pretty neurotic. Just increasingly more adept at navigating it.)

This is one of the reasons I get jazzed up when an opportunity arises to share practice with beginning meditators.
And one of the reasons I'm excited to invite you to check out THIS recent collaboration with the lifestyle + culture website, Refinery29.

(If you've ever clicked your way down a rabbit hole on social media, you've probably landed on their site at some point.) 

They've just launched a 30-Day, self-styled meditation challenge--guided by yours truly--with a handful of recorded meditations ranging from 5 minutes to 20 minutes a day. 
Which means that you could have already completed a meditation practice in the time it took for you to read this email. 
(But in all seriousness, thanks for reading. It's cool to know that you're out there.) 

The best part is that there's nothing that you need to do to sign up.
Just click the LINK, and you can access the recordings whenever. 

If you decide to give it a go, I'd love to hear what you think.
And if you know someone who has been wanting to try meditation but is too busy, or suspects they, also, might be a "terrible meditator", I'd love for you to share.
This might just be the bite-size practice they're looking for. 
Busy minds and anxious bodies welcome.