Some people find meditation when looking for stress release, grounding, a sense of calm, help with insomnia, or to get through a crisis.

I found a meditation practice in my desire to deepen my connection to God.

I was in my 20s and experiencing intense paranormal encounters that were unexplainable. I would think about something happening; then it would happen. I saw what seemed to be “signs” everywhere—from animals to numbers. I was also seeing angels but didn’t know it.

I was craving clarity and understanding, so naturally, I sought out help. I found a lovely woman with an angelic vibe, a soft voice, and her accurate intuitive knowings told me she must have the answers.

I shared with her a few of my psychic experiences and “ghost” sightings. I wasn’t comfortable speaking to many people about it, but since she had walked the path before me, I was convinced she would have the answer to help me understand what was going on.

We had many deep-dive discussions about my experiences, and I expressed how called I felt to figure it all out and put the pieces together.

This angel-connected psychic told me the only way to do that was to increase my meditation practice to a minimum of 45 minutes a day—there was no workaround.

The idea didn’t feel great, and my initial thought was, “Wow, I am going to need a lot of extra time in the mornings.” I was already fully committed to my consistent daily routine of exercise, journaling, and reflection work, which included meditation. But this was important to me; I wanted to understand the more profound message, know if I was to do something with it, and I had an urge to gain clarity.

Since I already had experiences with angels and seeing, I am not sure what I thought I would gain or what was still needed. But hey, she was the one with the smudge sticks, crystals, and an abundance of oracle cards that seemed to give her spot on answers, so she must know the pathway…and I was going to listen!

I went all in. I committed to 45-60 minutes of meditation a day for well over a year.

Even on the days that it felt annoying, I forced myself. I can remember many mornings of peeking one eye open at about 40-42 minutes in and feeling so done. But it didn’t matter. I needed to get in that 45 minutes, minimum.

Did it help? Of course!

Meditation has incredible benefits. I felt calmer, I slept better, my vibration sped up, and I was grounded.

Did it give me what I wanted: clarity and loud answers? No.

The signs, symbols, and messaging stayed the same. While my clairvoyance did improve in that I saw more, I didn’t need that, and I didn’t gain clarity of messaging. The truth was, I was already getting the messages.

Jamming 45-60 minutes of forced silence in the morning also really stressed my a.m. routine. I would skip other essential self-care regimens, like eating breakfast, for example, to “make sure I was getting it in.”

I am not inferring that it didn’t help. It did, but I also already had a decent meditation practice. I would meditate anywhere from 5-15 minutes and feel ready to meet my day. That time frame felt good, was easeful, and I could do all that I wanted to do to feel complete. After adding 45-60 minutes, I felt rushed and almost too zoned out.

I discovered the truth in “if it doesn’t feel good, it’s not.” I also found there is no wrong way to meditate.

Any way we do it is the right way. The process also helped me to experience more about what meditation is and isn’t:

Meditation is not about emptying the mind; it’s about observing it.

Meditation is not about becoming someone different; it’s about embodying who we are.

Meditation is not about changing; it’s about being.

And it is certainly not about turning off our thoughts or feelings so that the clouds can part, and the angels can speak. It’s about observing without judgment, and eventually having a different understanding of those thoughts and feelings.

Meditation is about observing. The whole point of training our minds to be aware and present is to help us shift our perspective. As taught in one of my favorite texts, A Course In Miracles, that change in perspective is where miracles occur.

There are many ways to meditate. I have put in countless hours with various teachers and attempted different forms of meditation, including guided meditation, body scanning, noting, visualization, the Loving-Kindness meditation, walking or moving meditation, progressive, mantra-based, mindfulness, NSR, and I am sure I am leaving something out.

While I am no meditation expert, here are some ways I have varied my own practice to make it more joyful, something I look forward to each morning.

1. Breathe.

Thirty seconds to two minutes of breathwork is all that is needed. Breathing into the belly (not the chest) activates the parasympathetic nervous system, mainly through influence on the vagus nerve. This allows our body to slow down, heal, and our vibration rises. It is then easier to receive signs, symbols, and angelic communication. I became certified in a practice called Energy Codes by Dr. Sue Morter. I do love and appreciate the method, but any breathwork will do. A bonus, breath is the language of angels, so this one is sure to inspire an angelic connection for those of us that desire that.

Note: I have found that using belly breath for any of the following enhances the meditation experience. 

2. Walk.

Find a free and clear space (no obstructions) that takes about 30 seconds to walk—bonus points for being in nature. Then walk back and forth. Keep the glance about four to six feet in front. If it feels good, repeat an affirmation, synced with the breath, to help stay present. For example, breath in and affirm, “I am present,” and on the out-breath affirm, “I am flow.” Incorporating this one when I am already walking, like from the car to the store, brings added benefit.

3. Water.

I love to bring meditation into the shower, and it’s super helpful when I am short on time. I imagine the earth at the bottom of my feet. Breathing in, I bring my hands up from my feet as I breathe into my tummy, imagining or “knowing” a bright white light fills my body and space around me. Then I circle my hands up, over, and out in a big circle as I breathe out, and imagine old energy cleanse away.

4. Nature.

Nature has a way of instantly connecting us to the present moment. I find “nature gazing” to be a brilliant tool. I go into nature when I can, or if the weather isn’t cooperating, I gaze out a window. I change up looking at a whole scenery or one tiny object such as a leaf or flower. I hold stillness, gaze, and breathe. On the in-breath, I find the similarities between the object or scene and me, like veins of a leaf reminding me of my vital veins, or the branches of a tree symbolizing my strong and capable arms. On the out-breath, I silently say, “Thank you for being a beautiful mirror for me today.” I give myself space to actually feel love and appreciation in my cells and go about my day!

5. Journaling.

There is no rule about needing to keep your eyes closed while meditating. I have found profound messaging and clarity in journaling. In her book, “The Artists Way,” Julia Cameron gave birth to Morning Pages. While referred to as the bedrock tool of creative recovery, the practice of writing three pages (longhand), allows our stream of consciousness to be seen and heard. The goal is not to overthink and allow the hand to express the mind. That is meditation.

There are many ways to meditate, and none are wrong. The important thing is to do it. Trying one of these can inspire more breath and presence into our day.

If you try one of these variations, I would love to hear about your experience in the comments.

May peace, joy, and observation fill our hearts. ~ Gina Nicole