Something I get asked a lot by my coaching clients is "how do I get started with meditation?"

It’s something a lot of busy women feeling the stress and overwhelm on the daily *know* in theory they should add into their day. But that’s just it. It’s a theory that’s really hard to put into practice. ESPECIALLY when you got a to-do list that is out of control, dinner to put on the table for the kids, and bills to pay… oh and that dentist appointment to reschedule because swimming practice now clashes. Oh just hand over the glass of wine and chocolate already.

Honestly, the fact you are here reading this right now - take that as a win!

To make it simple, here’s my top five tips to start meditating with confidence… as a busy mama

1. Get a guide

The interwebs are full of guided meditations - its a bit like a universe full of ice cream flavours. There will be some you love & go back for every time… while others leave you with a weird aftertaste and a funny film over your teeth. YouTube have an endless supply that you can be guided through - but for the sake of giving you a place to start that I have stuck with for my meditation journey, Headspace App has a free 10 day trial you can click here for  

I find having access on my phone is the most convenient way to get my meditation in without all the fluff of ads and waffling long intros that other social media platforms have … As a pro tip, I have cleared out the first “home screen” on my phone so that the first thing I see in my apps in HEADSPACE and all my other ‘distractions’ or ‘work’ related apps are hidden on the next screens that I have to swipe across to.

This helps me with keeping focused on the process of practicing every day, even if it is only for 2 minutes it can have fantastic benefits. For me personally, I usually aim for at least 10 minutes.

2. Find your fortress

This leads into WHERE to meditate? When you’re a busy mama there are a million and one questions being thrown at you, (often repeated endlessly … “where’s my lunchbox”) plus the dog is staring at you with those eyes that say “i want to go for a walk”

I totally get it. It’s hard to find a moment to yourself. Let alone 10 minutes!

My tip for you is to find your fortress where you can meditate in peace without being disturbed.

Because I prefer to get my meditation done in the morning as part of my way to set up my day beautifully, I often used to be sitting cross legged, hands on my knees, earphones in, halfway through my medi … and suddenly hear this whine beside me of “I can’t find my socks”

I quickly realised that being in plain sight just won’t work. I either had camouflage into my surroundings, or change my routine. I now have tweaked my routine to meditate to after the teenager has left the house to get the school bus in the morning… so I would encourage you to think of where your fortress is where you won’t be disturbed. Get creative! In your bathroom, on your break at work using an empty meeting room, Sitting out in the garden under your favourite tree… think of it like your little secret hideaway for 2 to 10 minutes that nourishes your soul. It’s worth making that extra bit of effort for some peace. Trust me.

3. Lock it in

Busy schedules mean that adding in new routines or ‘items’ can often be a big fat failure. I’ve been there SO many times. I start the week with great intentions, then after day 2 I’ve fallen off the wagon.

So set a “meeting” with your happiness and schedule it in where ever you usually add your appointments. I use my calendar on my phone with a repeating daily reminder alarm at the time I know I can get down and meditate.

Because scheduling your soul food is super sexy

4. Hang on for grim death

I get it, you ain’t got time for something that doesn’t work. But trust me there is a REASON it is called a meditation PRACTICE. It takes a while. It feels like it’s doing nothing, then it feels amazing, then it feels like you’re a newborn foal falling over every two seconds while you’re brain wanders off into territory like “I wonder if I should paint the bedroom walls that cool navy blue colour on the weekend”
STICK WITH IT. You’re doing great and it’s completely normal. It’s all about developing that muscle that our thoughts and emotions don’t have to rule our mind. Giving you some serious mental relief and resilience from the emotional overwhelm of modern life.

5. Work the muscle

Speaking of our muscles… think of your brain’s meditation muscle like your glutes after a session of squats at the gym. If you bust them out a few times a week regularly, you’ll feel the burn … but if you randomly try to pop out 100 squats out of the blue you’ll be struggling to sit down on the toilet seat without a whole lotta squeaks and grimaces for a while. (Trust me, speaking from personal experience here!)

If you get into the practice daily, it might still feel awkward or a struggle, but little by little you’ll get more in tune and thoughts will come and go. But stopping & starting means the noisy chatter in your head suddenly gets let loose again and monkey-brain as I like to call it takes control. Cue annoyed grimaces as you can’t clear all those thoughts swirling around.