My Meditation Journal : 7 Days of Meditation

24 Hours Ago…
Here’s to another scrappy morning, the usual day and the routine grind! But, the things aren’t
just the same when you stumble upon something which makes you stop and think and this for me
was the discovery of the sweet phenomenon which is known to all as, “serendipity” . According
to Merriam Webster, serendipity in the strict sense of the word means, “the faculty or
phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for/ by chance.”
The hustle bustle of city spares none, and the only valuable thing one wishes to seek by chance
events is peace. In day-to-day busy schedule, ‘healthy lifestyle’ never makes it to the priority list
of an average teenager. College and social life, assignments, deadlines, and what not? How can
one forget the irresistible urge to watch ‘just one more episode’ – leading to binge watching for
the next six hours! As healthy lifestyle is just one step away therefore it can wait, can’t it? And
that’s the story that every partly aware teenager will tell you.
Back to the routine grind, working on the daily chores with my mental faculties occupied by the
idea of serendipity and absent mindedly going on about the day only to receive a message
regarding an assignment shortly after. It’s honestly not one of those things that gets the spirits
high, but this one surely was a game changer. It was a ticket to redemption, a chance a level up
my ‘healthy lifestyle’ game. It was an assignment to write a journal recording experiences of
meditating for a week.
That’s how we roll ..
‘Meditation is the only magic in the world and the only miracle.’ – Osho.
Quoting Osho is an attempt of trying to smooth the rough edges of the past experiences I had
with meditation. Inconsistency has been playing its part too well, meddling with me and my
ironically constant effort to meditate. Inconsistency to keep up with the habit of meditating led to
no permanent changes, but this time I had a goal to be accomplished!
This was a high time to finally get the app working that’s been blocking my phone storage for a
past few months now, this app had recently come up with a new feature that would allow me to
log my daily meditations and more importantly create streaks for days meditated. Also, the more
hours and consistently I meditated I would receive badges. Right about now you’re thinking,
well isn’t this contradicting what meditation practice is supposed to be? On the surface yes, we
never think of meditation as a game but a way of living, I agree. But our brain is like a child who
has to be tricked into doing something that in the short term isn’t pleasurable like eating kale, till
it becomes a pleasure and that’s what this process did for me.
I dedicated a few minutes every day for seven days and practiced ‘breath awareness meditation’
a form of mindfulness meditation. The goal is to focus only on breathing and to ignore other
thoughts that enter the mind.
As a form of mindfulness meditation, breath awareness offers many of the same benefits as
mindfulness. Those include reduced anxiety, improved concentration, and greater emotional
flexibility.
The following is an attempt to note down my experiences :
Day 1
Before Meditation :
I am exhilarated on embarking on this new venture, I no longer harbor the fear of falling back to
my old habits of inconsistency. I’ve got all the pre requisites ready.
After Meditation :
The most ironical thing that came to my notice was how we talk about ‘awareness and
spirituality’ in general when we are not even aware of our breathing. Sitting still was the biggest
challenge and magically the things which won’t even bother me the slightest normally, bothered
me a lot during meditation. I was able to listen to the chirping of birds, the noises that surround
me very clearly all of which I have no memory of when I heard the last time. I wasn’t able to
breathe well when I tried focusing on my breath nor was I able to listen to the sound of my
breath. I tried to focus on my breathing pattern, counting my breaths but the more I aimed at
focusing the more my mind wandered off thinking about various other things. To shut my mind
off to ideas and thoughts other than breathing wasn’t easy and I wasn’t able to handle this all too
gracefully. At the end of the ten minutes, I lost all the excitement I had for meditation, my legs
felt numb and my mind full of clutter.
Day Two
Before Meditation :
I try thinking of the time I was excited to meditate but it doesn’t help. So, my only motivation to
meditate is to journal my experiences for the assignment. The random thought of whether I
should sugar coat my experiences and write them in positive light only but I fling it. I get ready
with all the pre requisites and start meditating.
After Meditation:
It was not any easy to sit still, focus on breathing, declutter my thoughts. I came to a realization
that it’s not every day that I take some time out for my own wellbeing. This in turn lead me to
think of meditation in positive light and it’s advantages. Therefore, in the span of ten minutes my
maximum effort was dedicated to cultivate ways to improve my concentration on breathing. I
can say that the attempts were partly successful. I tried not to forget that it is only after quotidian
watering a plant grows and same applies for every healthy habit.
Day Three
Before Meditation :
I feel particularly ecstatic today, and this has led me to conclude that ones’ mood has significant
affect on the activities and the work one has to perform. Therefore, I am revved to meditate
today.
After Meditation :
I played “ Yoga essentials – Shakuhachi Sakano” and it worked wonders in creating the perfect
ambience. Today I was fixated to look at the brighter side of things, though meditation isn’t an
enjoyable activity for me I focused on how I can give positive inputs. The other day I read about
meditation and Buddha’s spirit and I tried to apply this to my meditation practice today. My
mood was elevated two folds after meditation after seeing my improvement in approach on the
third day.
Day Four
Before Meditation :
I am tired yet determined to meditate today. One of the changes that I observe in my approach is
that I try to find plausible reason for meditation, and in the process turn out even the most
negative event into a reason to meditate. I get myself ready and sit to meditate.
After Meditation :
I play songs from my Spotify playlist I created earlier today to enhance the ambience. Even
though I wasn’t particularly in the mood of meditating it wasn’t a herculean task to meditate. The
ten minutes passed by easily, and it occurred to me that even though my mind wandered around
many things I was able to focus on my breathing. The things that bothered me earlier, didn’t
bother me much. It was this time of the day, the ten minutes of meditation I self- reflect on how I
behave and this has proved to be instrumental. I find myself to be in a happy state after
mediation.
Day Five
Before Meditation :
I collect special points which have been awarded to me for creating a streak of five days, this is
when I realize that what begun as a game isn’t a game anymore. In fact, the intention of
meditating for the purpose of creating streak was itself sidelines and this in a way makes me feel
better. I am in a good mood to start meditating today.
After Meditation :
To my surprise, I meditated for fifteen minutes that’s an extra five minutes without intending to
do so. My attitude towards meditation was positive on a whole. My mind wasn’t distracted and I
was able to focus on my breathing. I focused on my breathing pattern, the rhythmic inhalation
and exhalation, my breath count. My mind was as clear as crystal, an exaggeration though but I
had faced very little distractions. After meditation my mood was uplifted and I looked forward to
my next meditation session.
Day Six
Before Meditation :
I feel competitive today and I do so by challenging myself to meditate for twenty minutes today
and if I am successful to do so, I will earn a badge! So, wish me luck.
After Meditation :
Here’s my first badge, I managed to meditate for twenty minutes with no qualms whatsoever. I
was no more disturbed but to my surprise felt very much a part of universe by feeling the wind
around me, by listening to the sound of chirping birds and dripping water. We human beings are
nothing but a part of universe, it is the material aspect that leads us into assuming ourselves as
the center of the universe. Our busy life gets us out of tune of universe’s rhythm and we
‘oblivious’ fools just tend to follow it. I feel in tune today, and filled with the sense of content.
Day Seven
Before Meditation :
Today is the seventh day, I know I am stating the obvious but I can’t be any more stoked. I think
of how far I have come and proceed to complete my last meditation session.
After Meditation :
My idea of happiness has evolved, happiness for me is immaterial and can be found around us. It
is not necessarily through achievement or through luxury that one attains happiness and such
happiness is short lived, it is ‘being’ and living in the present, being completely aware of the
surroundings that one gets the real taste of happiness. During meditation I was focused, I
meditated for 30 minutes today. I was able to concentrate on my breath, my mind was free of
thoughts. I felt neutral. I am on my toes and I can’t wait to unravel the effects of meditation. I
have become a little protective of my streak now, and I am just 14 days away from making
meditation a habit. I promise myself to keep learning, this is the most important lesson I learned
from meditation.

Name : Sakshi Naik.

Roll no. : 2570
Class and Div. : SYBA C