I Tried This Simple Meditation Challenge for 35 Days, and Here’s What I Learned
I thought meditation was a waste of time the first week, but the magic is in consistency…
I love “THE ROCK,” aka Dwayne Johnson, and let’s start with his quote.
I meditate in the morning; I have my centering; I need that. For me, training is also my meditation. — The Rock
I am a huge fan of 30-day challenges to develop healthy and sustainable habits to boost productivity. This year, I have completed 15 30-day challenges.
For example, 3 liters water challenge, daily one tablespoon olive oil challenge, squat challenges, etc.; here is the complete list if you would like to explore further.
Let’s start with the basics.
Why a 30+ days meditation challenge?
I firmly believe that a challenge keeps you accountable.
I also believe that I am not going to enjoy every challenge, and it’s the best way to know if it’s worth developing this habit.
The probability is pretty high that a meditation challenge might help you to change your life for the better.
Background: What does the latest research say about meditation?
The latest research says that meditation trains the mind to focus on an experience or object, and according to this research, meditation benefits students who are stressed before exams.
Science also says that meditation can increase patience and tolerance.
How to start a 30+ day meditation challenge
Time required: Merely 10 minutes, or choose whatever amount of time is comfortable for you.
- Nike step → Just do it (Take the first step and commit to it.)
- Stick with it regardless of the results in the first 1–2 weeks
- Sit comfortably
- Look at the wall, clock, or anything in front of you
- Start staring with comfortable eyes (yes, so simple)
- Eyes open while inhaling
- Eyes closed while exhaling.
- After inhaling and exhaling 5–6 times, you might feel it’s hard to keep your eyes open.
- Simply close the eyes for the rest of the 7–8 minutes.
Did I use an app?
The answer is an absolute NO. I simply use the Alexa timer for 10 minutes and sometimes no timer at all.
What is the best time to meditate?
It’s a pretty tricky question; a simple Google search will give you 1000+ answers.
After having my warm glass of lemon water, I felt it was pretty easy to do the meditation first thing in the morning.
I also tried the very last thing right before bed for a couple of days, but that did not help me a lot. Your goal is to relax. That’s it!
Note: I also observed that meditation has a positive effect through repetition.
We all know that practice is the key. You will be wandering in the first couple of weeks.
Don’t force yourself to control your thoughts; simply pay attention to your inhaling and exhaling exercise.
Let’s dive into the exploring parts.
Week-1: On understanding meditation
To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily quiet, still. — Jiddu Krishnamurti
There is no wonder why more and more people get into the habit of meditating.
Meditation alleviates the feelings of stress, improves the capability of handling your emotions, and enhances the positivity of your energies.
More than just a mental exercise, there are more profound points and dimensions of one’s being that can be caressed by the effects of regular and constant practice of meditation.
However, I learned in my first week that the principles of meditation are tough to master.
Focus, concentration, and the ultimate letting go for a moment may be a great challenge on your first attempt to meditate.
It is never easy to get out of your waking consciousness as you close your eyes and start meditating for the first time.
As you try to close your eyes for your first-time meditation, you will see so many images in your mind and feel different sets of emotions that will completely distract you.
In my first week, I learned that with all of these disturbances, I am not meditating. Instead of I felt I was just closing my eyes.
Week 2:
Meditation is the action of silence. — Jiddu Krishnamurti
In my experience, I observed that in the second week, being silent and still every day and observant deeper inner core settles the chaotic feelings and thoughts.
The silence and stillness contribute to a great orderliness inside of me. To achieve calmness and complete serenity within yourself is the goal of meditation.
Thus, a 30+ days meditation challenge will help you improve your focus and concentration and let go of your thoughts.
Setting a time or a duration lets you focus on the importance of your purpose on why you decide to do and practice meditating.
It implies and imposes an affirmation in your mind and heart to be consistent with your development in the practice of meditation.
In the second week, I learned that letting go and breaking free from any thoughts, emotions, feelings, moods, desires, or any conditional state and situation is the key to practicing meditation.
Week 3:
Detachment is not giving up the things in this world but accepting the fact and being continuously aware that nothing is permanent. — Aditya Ajmera
One of the primary purposes of meditation is to detach mainly from the unnecessary emotions and thoughts that block you from achieving the best state of being and wellness.
In week 3 of meditating, after continuous practicing and learning a lot about meditation, I understood that the essence of detaching from the material things that worry and disturb my peace is the key to living a happy life.
This means that meditation brings you inner peace and clarity that defines a clear picture of how you should feel, think, and respond to a situation in your waking life in an orderly manner.
Week 4:
When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation. — Ramana Maharshi
During meditation, the solemnity and peace of mind go deep into one’s core that is not expressed nor surfaced in the ordinary waking consciousness.
Thus, when one meditates, the whole body systems take its calmness to the next level, and all the energies move along in harmony to alignment.
The kind of alignment achieved defines a full new understanding of one’s authentic self in relation to the external environment. By the fourth week of my meditation journey, I felt calmer.
You must be ready to express the emotions and thoughts that you have reflected upon throughout the duration of the challenge.
These are the meditation lessons after 35 days
Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. — Pema Chodron
I would say starting a 30-day meditation challenge is way better than doing nothing or postponing all the time. I also learned that for more tangible results, I need to practice more.
- After my first week, I saw no benefit except sitting down and trying to get rid of all the thoughts. I felt like my brain is just thinking too much.
- The first week was just about understanding.
- Most importantly, I did not miss a single day of practice. In the second week, I observed my thoughts were as chaotic as in the first week means there is some progress.
- I definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel my thoughts are more stable, and I’m thinking or repeating a couple of thoughts.
- I meditated first thing in the morning; I observed it increased my concentration and attention span. It might be my running challenge which I am doing right after the meditation but before work.
- I did not see any stress reliever thing; I am usually a lower-stress guy.
- One thing I can 100% guarantee is that meditation definitely helps you to become more purposeful about your actions.
- It helps you to calm down and take the time to respond rather than react.
- Meditation helps me to understand mindful thoughts vs. just noise.
The bottom line
In the beginning, I thought meditation was just a waste of time.
However, after this 30+ days of meditation challenge, you will see and experience more calmness in your life.
I’m in my early 30s and doing a couple of self-care challenges; I also observed that meditation is a type of self-care which I need more practice to understand.
By the way, my medication challenge did not stop after 35 days. I think I’m going to continue to bring more calmness to life.
Consistency is the key.
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