Throughout the past few days, I wanted to test out the effect of meditation on my sleep and overall well-being. Since most of the world right now is sitting at home, it is very easy to waste time away on apps. 

For me, this has been a self-improvement journey … or whatever I can make of it. I try to stay busy, so I never get bored. The first week of quarantine, I watched so many movies on Netflix and Hulu that it got boring very quickly. 

So, I decided to start meditating and doing yoga. This has helped me stretch my mind and body after a week of laying and watching The Office for the fourth time. Here is my experience, and why everyone should be meditating:

Day 1: Who knew YouTube had so many videos on self growth? Although I had existing background knowledge on meditation, I was scared I wouldn’t get into it. 

I was surprised to realize that I flowed into my inner self. It was strange . . . I literally felt my room surrounding me. Yes, it may sound scary, but the video on “opening my chakra” did feel better than it sounds. 

Midway, I realized that I had my eyes closed for 10 minutes, and my eyes were wet. No, I was not crying, but the stressful feelings I had were gone. As I type this right now, on my yoga mat on the hard carpet, I feel so inspired to write and share. I have to say this short 10-minute session really took me up on surprise. 

Day 2: It is definitely much harder to concentrate when I am stressed out. (Perhaps because it is 1AM.) 

Either way tonight was a different experience. I was able to get my breathing down until my nostrils got cold from my fan blowing. I think breathing is very important; it is a big factor that makes me zen. A few times I noticed I was not breathing at all. I found a new YouTube video that was 20 minutes long, although I could only complete about 15 minutes of it. Long meditations get me distracted, and I start thinking about my “To-Do” list. 

Day 3: I tried to meditate while cleaning. I turned on a video with the title “Motivation and Inspiration Meditation,” and I felt pretty motivated. 

Although I was not sitting on the mat with my eyes closed, I did practice my breathing and concentrated on the voice. Again, I could not handle the 20 minutes, so I noticed that 15 minutes of medication is just right. After that, I felt that the video was dragging my time to act upon my new inspiration. 

Overall, this was a bit of a different experience because I felt connected with my surroundings. I didn’t feel like a bubble in the sea. I felt the ground, and my feet held me up. After all, there are different meditations that focus on the chakras one needs. 

Day 4: The first day of online classes got me in such a hassle that I did 10-minute sleep meditations. This time, I lay in my bed instead of criss-cross on my turquoise mat. Honestly, I started off strong, but in the middle, my mind went wandering off. I was so disappointed about being tired that I couldn’t keep up with my goal. However, I was proud that I, at least, put in the effort. Sometimes the desire to create good habits, and improve, is what really separates the losers and the winners. 

Day 5: Almost a week has passed whilst my emotional meditation journey. Tonight was challenging, so I made my own ritual. I was able to breathe into my chakra points and actually feel them in the process. It sounds silly, but I swear my breathing was on point. (I mean it is only Day 5, but I know half as much as a basic yoga mom, so that’s pretty impressive.)

Day 6: I decided not to do a guided meditation this time. Instead I turned on peaceful music and practiced my breathing. Throughout the past 5 days, I really got the hang of feeling like a separate entity. I don’t want to sound cheesy, but I really felt myself within. Throughout the day, I started to notice how my body communicates. 

Just like our stomach hurts or growls when we are hungry, my soul spoke as well. I believe that meditation can help everyone understand that our mind and our energy is powerful. We can accept sickness or we can focus on positivity and peace. I advise everyone to try this one week challenge and to meditate every day. In the morning, during cleaning, or before bed, take just five minutes of your day to reconnect with your body and listen to its voice.