I Found Meditation On the Ice Rink

During my time as a competitive figure skater. We did this exercise which involved following a figure eight on a patch of ice for an hour. While most of my friends hated figures, I fell in love with the quiet along with the sense of my body and mind feeling focused.

When I was introduced to meditation in my 20s through yoga, it was like coming home; I had experienced this as a skater.

Meditation as a Causative Force in My Life

Perhaps one of most significant benefits I've received from building a meditation practice is trusting my intelligence. When I trust myself, I'm able to trust others more fully — they have the same source of intelligence running through them. 

As I build my practice and shed old patterns and conditions, I can better exist from that natural source and state.

This has been particularly helpful in my work as a mental performance coach. I come alive, by helping others come alive and there’s a level of trust that’s required to effectively build this relationship. I also draw on my athletic background to share insights in my work as a mental performance coach.

As You Learn to Build Your Practice

Remember that you're not going to stop your mind from thinking.

Thinking is what our brain does, just as our eyes see, our ears hear, our nose smells, our mouth tastes, and our skin feels. We can, however, create a new relationship with our thinking mind through meditation and familiarizing ourselves with our thoughts.

Meditation and Other Practices that Help Me Find My Calm and Center

I do a short practice first thing in the morning when I get up, usually about 20 minutes to half an hour. Throughout the day, I'm constantly checking in with myself; before a call, meeting or big project, I pause to find my feet and myself in space.

I know I'm much more powerful, productive, creative, and responsive to others when I'm focused.

Toward the end of the workday, I get outside in the woods or a park nearby. Being in nature helps me recover better; it settles my entire body-mind system, which becomes a walking meditation practice.

I also journal every morning — I have done so my entire life — and I move my body in some way every single day. That doesn't mean I practice yoga every day. I ran this morning; I like to change it up. 

The other thing I do for my wellbeing is during lunch; I watch comedy. I love Sebastian Maniscalco because he's an Italian American, and I relate. I need to belly laugh every day; I think it is healthy.

Try this course, Build Mental Fitness, by meditation teacher Cara Bradley, to learn how to exercise your brain for your benefit. 

Header photo: Robert Decelis Ltd/Stone/Getty Images