What To Expect After Your First 100 Hours Of Meditation
Life Becomes Effortless
Meditation rewires you brain. It is a well established fact, proven over and over by various studies all these years. But when does meditation really start to make a difference? Is it a week, a month or a year? Since I am meditation instructor, this one question gets asked by beginners who take up my course on meditation. I say it takes 100 hours of meditation practise to see substantial difference in the way our mind works. Lets delve into what can you expect once you finish 100 hours of meditation-
Your Smartphone, Social Media Addictions Go Away
You barely check your social media updates. It stops giving you the high that you used to get every time you saw a notification. You don’t need to depend on that feeling of high anymore. You are more content and peaceful. Even when confronted with difficult emotions like anger and sadness, you are able to handle them instead of running to social media.
Sugar Craving Goes Away
Sugar cravings are hard to deal with and most of the solutions to get rid of the same end up backfiring. Some people are able to suppress their cravings by completely cutting off sugar. But it becomes a matter of time before they cave in. People who have meditated for this long, experience the cravings and addictions to food substances go away naturally.
You Enjoy Everything More Deeply
You enjoy smaller things in life more deeply, like a cup of tea, a conversation with your loved one or a walk in the park. You are more in touch with the present. Your mind doesn’t think about past or future as much as it used to.
You Do Not Get Triggered Easily
There are many instances in our everyday lives that trigger us and we end up spiralling into anger, jealously, depression, or anxiety. This doesn’t happen so easily to you once you are done meditating for 100 hours. Even if you feel these emotions, you are quick to identify them, accept them and move on.
You Inevitably Turn Every Argument Or Fight Into A Healing Opportunity
Our mind acts in a way that worsens the situation when we are in a fight. The anger consumes us and completely clouds our judgement regarding what should be done in such a situation. Our ego completely takes over. But after having meditated for 100 hours, you would notice that you are no more controlled by your ego. Your anger is not dictating how you should react. You are able to take the fight and argument into a healing opportunity for you as well as the other party involved.
You Need Less Stuff
Practising minimalism becomes a piece of cake for those who cross this threshold of 100 hours. Useless shopping doesn’t feel like a therapy anymore. You become more mindful of what you buy, keep and consume. You are able to even understand sustainability better. You are mindful of your choices.
You Want To Spend More Time In Nature
You are able to appreciate nature a lot more. You probably would want to see a lot less Netflix. A walk in nature would entice you more than your gadgets. Your habits shift towards healthier ones.
Your Presence Calms Others
Now that you yourself are a more calm and composed person, your presence would calm others. This is in part because you change as you become more empathetic and lively. Your way of dealing with people changes too. Instead of being triggered by what others are doing and saying, you are now able to calm them.
You Need Less Sleep
In long term meditators, multiple hours spent in meditation lead to significant decrease in total sleep time. It has been validated by a study done more than a decade back. I have seen my students are able to decrease their sleep time by the same duration as the meditation.
There Still Would Be Bad Days
There still would be bad days and situations. You would still need to face your difficult emotions sometimes. But you would be much stronger to face them. Even in the face of your most difficult emotion, there would be acceptance about it and hence they won’t be able to affect you anymore.
You can start meditating for 10 minutes each day to begin with. It is absolutely okay to start a meditation practise on your own. However, if you want me to guide you, you can reach out to me for a 100 hours meditation masterclass. The above observations are based on the experience of my students who took up the 100 hours meditation masterclass.