How Meditation Changes Habits and Personality?

Himani Nandwana

“Being someone who consistently meditates was not my cup of tea for very many years. Who doesn’t know the wondrous benefits of meditation? But making it a habit was like peeling a tough coconut every day – I knew it is mouth-watering but didn’t have any desire to put forth attempts in savoring it.”

The above example completely resonates with habits that we want to build and reflect on our personality. We all want to form great habits and for that, we manage our chores accordingly. Perhaps, we sometimes modify them as well. To make our habits predominant, the only thing paramount is to harness our willpower.

“It was a brilliant orange evening when I attended one of the live meditation sessions by the global guide of Heartfulness, Daaji that changed it all. The session lasted for 25-30 minutes in which I made a firm conviction to delve deeper into my inner Self. It was this very simple thought that I carried while starting my meditation and those 25 minutes worked like magic for me. I have been consistent with my meditation practice for the past year. One session with the Guide and my real awakening was happened! After many failed attempts of long meditation sessions, I succeeded when I began small. I started meditating for ten minutes instead of aiming for sixty.”

Many of us consider meditation to be difficult. However, I believe we take the wrong approach to it. Meditation never fails anyone because it’s a habit built over time. Starting small and being consistent is the key. All that is needed is the amount of time that we can commit to it. Once the habit of ten minutes of meditation daily is ingrained, the time can expand conveniently.

These are some small, yet beneficial habits that meditation gave me:

An Improved Sleep Cycle: I used to have a monkey-mind and was addicted to social media. I would spend hours scrolling through my phone every day. Fortunately, meditation made me aware of my media consumption so, I worked towards decreasing my screen-time and instead spent the time reading and reflecting. It gradually helped me relax and consequently, sleep early.
Slow down and Breathe: I was very excited when I first bought a smartwatch to see how many steps I could cover in a day. I set a target of 10,000 steps per day and kept pushing myself to complete it. The result – no target achievement with a bad feeling about the same. I started questioning my attachment towards fast-forwardness. The only notification I needed was to slow down and breathe. Just to enjoy the action of walking in the moment.
Prioritising Mind and Body: As I grew, I realized the need to take care of mind and body. With meditation, it felt natural to focus on the happiness and well-being of oneself. It helped in building better relationships or gaining confidence or practising discernment.
Journaling: Of all the good habits that I developed after choosing meditation as my companion, writing is one of the best. From jotting raw thoughts or just pouring out my emotional state of the day, there was contentment inside. I felt at peace.
Stability of meditation: Whether you agree or not, a missed meditation session at my set time of the day cannot be made up later that day. Early on in my practice, routine and stability were my best allies and they still continue to be. The thing is: Changes, distractions, emergencies, meetings and so forth will always be a part of life. The key is to prioritise the practice and everything will align to it.