How 21 Days of Meditation Changed My Life

By: Crystal Adair-Benning

Like most women (and men) these days, my daily task list feels longer than I can accomplish. For me, I am a successful entrepreneur with multiple businesses. I am a Wedding Planner. Copywriter. Author. Industry Mentor. I have a dog and a guy… a family. My work day isn’t a standard 9-5. Most days it’s more like 7am-10pm or some variation of that. I, like most others around me, am stressed out. I never really thought too much about meditation.

Laying my proverbial cards on the table – I have had three major illnesses over a span of 15 years and not shockingly, those directly correlated to the stress in my life. I had to do something drastic. I went on yo-yo diet binges, got a gym membership, even got a dog. While it all helped a little… none of it was the “magic cure” I was searching for.

Then, one random ordinary stress-filled day, I saw an ad on Facebook. It was an ad for a meditation and intuition class taught by author (and friend) Emma Smallbone. That night. In my building.

I don’t know if you believe in signs – but I sure as heck do. I hesitated for a brief second before I signed myself up. I had no idea what I was in for.

Meditation seems like something left over from hippies with people chanting mantras (what the heck was a mantra anyways?!?), lighting candles and burning incense. I thought I might’ve been nuts. But, I wasn’t.

My first meditation class was scary. I didn’t know what to expect. If I would “see” things when I closed my eyes or worse, what if I didn’t see anything? Was I doing it right? What was “doing it right” anyhow?

And then it happened…

Somewhere in the welcoming atmosphere, the positive encouragement and hearts around me… I surrendered to meditation. I surrendered to giving my mind a bit of peace and quiet already. I let go and just went with it.

My first experience meditating was filled with doubts but in the stillness of the moment, the rhythmic hum of the music, my mind drifted away from clients, boyfriend, puppies and put me back first. I saw waves (my favourite place in the whole wide world is in the ocean… any ocean). I let my brain just sort of chill the heck out. I found a quiet solitude I’d been needing FOREVER. It was magic. A little piece of earthly magic just for me.

What I learned in that one spontaneous “yes” to a meditation class led me to 21 days of meditation with my new pal, Deepak Chopra, and his pal, Oprah. Yes, I immediately went home, downloaded their 21 days of meditation and started following it. I can commit to 21 days of meditation. I can commit to 15 minutes a day of quieting my mind.

Know what happened?

1. I became more aware of myself. I started noticing my breathing, my aches/pains, my cravings. All of it. I became so much more self-aware.

2. I learned to radiate energy and joy. I got a knock on the head about karma and I went all in. Karma is essentially that what you put out; you will receive. I offered kinder words, compliments and silent blessings to everyone I met. My heart, like the grinch, expanded.

3. I reduced my stress levels. I no longer felt anxious waking up and starting my day. I was able to put my cellphone away and not feel guilty about it.

4. I increased my concentration. Taking 15 minutes of “me time” gave me the passion to dive back in on everyone else’s projects and needs with a renewed sense of purpose. I could focus on one task at a time and am LOVING my work again.

5. I opened my heart. I stopped feeling like everything was already categorized and boxed up. If I wanted to not fight with my other half; I didn’t have to. I could choose my words more wisely. I could forgive him not doing the dishes and do them myself if it mattered so much to me. I could choose to love him as he was or be forever miserable. I choose love.

21 days.

21 days of meditation did all that for me. Now my 21 days have ended… I’m not stopping. Why would I? From skeptic to full on believer in 21 days, people. My life changed.

 

Loved This? Read Crystal’s story on Solo Travel.

 

Crystal Adair-Benning is a Planner of Once-in-a-Lifetime Awesomeness with her company Distinct Occasions. She lives in Toronto and just released a BESTSELLING BOOK – Wedding Planner Problems.

 

 

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