Growing up, I had quite the bad temper. For whatever reason, I would get mad at the tiniest of things and what’s worse is that I would stay mad. Anything from my friend eating the last of my favorite snack at a sleepover or my mom not letting me get the super cute pink sparkly light up sneakers, I’d blow up. I mean hysterics here. Crying, screaming, throwing my fists into the air, jumping up and down, even hitting. I remember one time, I refused to eat my carrots at dinner and demanded my mom to make me something else. She, being a good mother, did not give in, and the temper tantrum commenced. I was put into a corner foor the rest of dinner. I was so angry that when I was out of time out I stormed up to my room, slammed the door, locked the door and stayed in there all night. I missed out on movie night AND ice cream sundays all because I was too stubborn.

In an attempt to help me, my mom gave me a pice of advice: “find what calms you down and remember it everytime you get mad”. To this day, I still stick to her advice. After many years of experimenting and trying new things in attempt to calm myself down, I stubbled upon yoga and meditation. It was sophomore year of high school when I decided to go with my friend to a “slow flow” yoga class. I can’t even begin to describe how much this one class has changed my life. I am now an avid yoga-goer and practice meditation not only when I feel myself getting angry, but on a daily basis as well. As soon as I start medidating, I feel a wave of calmness come over me and by the end of my session I am at peace.

What is Meditation?

According to the Webster Dictionary…

The act or process of spending time in quiet thought : the act or process of meditating, an expression of a person’s thoughts on something

What that means…

Clearing your mind of any and all thoughts. To concentrate on your breathing and your inner self, while exiting your physical body for the time period.

Why it Helps

If you do it right, meditation will lead your brain into the “Theta state” of brain waves. This is the state right after Alpha (in which we would be at peace from a walk on the beach or a gentle yoga class) and right before the Delta state (in which we would be asleep). It is at this inbetween point in which your brain waves range from 4-8 Hz and your mind enters into meditation. You are no longer processing any verbal information or thoughts, and your mind is free to move into the more visual state that is meditation. Once we are in this state, we are now more relaxed and are able to look at our lives and issues within ourself almost from the outside so that we can see them as a whole. For those of you who are interested, here is some more information on brain waves and why meditation works.

I hope that I have been able to provide you all with enough knowledge on the act of meditation so that you are all willing to try it! If so, here is the link to a yoga studio here in downtown State College that also has meditation classes called Lila Yoga Studios. If you are not convinced, I promise, the next time you are about to blow up out of anger, you’re going to wish you’d started meditating.

Namaste!