Over the last four years, I’ve meditated for a total of 10,000 minutes. Let me break down for you exactly how I went from 0 minutes of meditation to 10,000, how I created a daily meditation practice for myself that has been life changing for me, and how you can too.
10,000 minutes breaks down to, on average, 10 minutes of meditation per day, every day, for four years (1,461 days, or so).
At the outset, my meditation practice looked different every single day. Some days my meditations looked like 3-5 minutes squeezed in between things, other times I rolled out of bed and immediately sat on my meditation cushion for 10 minutes.
Meditating now for four years has solidified my daily practice to look similar day-to-day. 6 days out of 7 I wake up, wash my face, put on workout clothes, and then sit for 15 minutes on my meditation pillow to do a guided meditation. (If you know me, you know I love the Headspace meditation app.) As a creature of habit and routine, this suits me and my needs so well. I get my meditation out of the way early in the day so I both 1) enjoy the positive effects of meditation all day long and 2) make time for meditation before the day gets away from me.
What are the differences I’ve noticed since starting to meditate?
It’s one of those things, right? I didn’t realize how chaotic my brain and mind were, moment-to moment, until I had something to compare it to.
My mind was a veritable whirlwind of highs and lows, of heightened emotions, and scattered focus and attention. Meditation – taking 5 minutes in silence and stillness – made that incredibly evident.
Meditation leaves me feeling still, the weight in the bottoms of my feet a certain, heavy presence. (This is what we yoga teachers mean by ‘grounded’ by the way. Literally feeling the ground under your feet, your body where it is in space.)
By extension of this grounded feeling that pervades my whole body, my movements feel more fluid. After meditating my reactions are more measured. My screen time goes down. (More on my thoughts on my social-media free weekends.)
In essence, thanks to meditation, my moment-to-moment life becomes more of a choice. I choose how to engage with my phone, my work, my friends, the world around me. All of it. It becomes an intentional choice, as opposed to an automatic reaction.
How has meditating made me a different person?
After 10,000 minutes of meditation, I’m still the same person in all the ways that matter. I’m not muting myself, my ideas, or my voice. I’m still passionate and driven and opinionated. (Just ask my partner, Ernie, on just how opinionated I am.)
However, because I meditate, I have a split second longer to react now; a hairline, fraction of a difference between stimulus and response that I now have as a resource at my disposal. I’m still rational and logical, but I’m more in touch with and aware of my emotions and needs.
How am I more ‘me’ than ever before?
Thanks to meditation I’m more productive, happy, focused, creative, and clear-headed than ever.
When I started meditating, my non-negotiable daily activities solidified. I stopped making excuses and also stopped:
- Checking email and social media right when I woke up
- Eating every meal with a screen in front of my face
- Working straight through lunch, no walks, no breaks, no screen-free time
- Watching Instagram/TikTok videos until I fell asleep
Because of meditation I truly live my life on purpose.
I’m not perfect at it (if you’ve cracked the code on not scrolling on Instagram, please let me know), but I generally like how I choose to spend my time and I like the life and habits I’ve built for myself around mindfulness.
When I don’t meditate, what’s different? What do I notice?
When I don’t meditate, I’m more easily agitated. I tend to have a shorter temper. I have a harder time focusing. I get frustrated more easily.
My partner (and forever roomate) has noticed. Ernie will prompt me to meditate when I haven’t yet. I’m a better partner to him when I’ve taken 15 minutes to collect myself. I can show up as the person I want to show up as.
It’s challenging to explain because so much of the experience of meditation is internal, emotional, interior to me and my experience of the world. However, days where I don’t meditate feel more foggy, fuzzy, and stressful. Ultimately my movements feel jerky, agitated and unsettled.
What’s significant about 10,000 minutes of meditation?
10,000 minutes averages out to 10 minutes of meditation every day for about four years.
What’s the big deal?
I went to college for four years. Besides ‘eat breakfast’ I literally couldn’t tell you what I did every day of my life for those four years. College passed by in a blur of sleep deprivation, parties, late nights with friends, exhaustion, and stress.
We celebrate big milestones (birthdays, anniversaries, cultural holidays, the change of seasons, graduations) for a reason: These big mile markers set the pace and tone of our lives. They give our lives meaning and distinguish a Big Day from every other, regular day.
To me, meditating for 10,000 minutes over the course of 4 years is a big deal.
I never thought I could learn to meditate, let alone meditate regularly, let alone meditate for four years! In that time I’ve missed days here and there because of travel, sickness, lack of cell service, etc. But I keep coming back to meditation. It’s not about the streak, or even the total number of minutes over time. It’s about coming back to sit and meditate again and again. It’s the habit of meditation. It’s about the formed habit, the consistency, how it makes me feel, and how I show up better for myself and my friends and family.
To learn more, here’s how you can start your own meditation practice. (Hint: You have to make it easy.)
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