Today is World Meditation Day – A Not-So-Zen Reflection on My Journey

Ah, World Meditation Day. Feels like the perfect excuse to recount my less-than-linear journey into the world of meditation—peppered with rebellion, inconsistency, and eventual epiphanies. Spoiler: I still don’t have it all figured out.

Circa 2016: The Rebellious Teenager Phase

Picture this: 16-year-old me, forced into an Art of Living course by my wellness-enthusiast parents. They meant well; I, however, did not. I was a stupid teenager who scoffed at life’s struggles (because what struggles?) and paid zero attention to anything they taught. Needless to say, my meditation practice didn’t exactly take off.

Circa 2020: The “Covid Made Me Do It” Phase

Fast forward to age 19, after a few years of living away from home, experiencing the world, and being stuck indoors thanks to a certain pandemic. I thought, “Hey, why not give meditation a shot? Like my other fleeting hobbies—guitar and coding.” (Yeah, those didn’t last either.)

I started with a 10-minute gratitude meditation. And I kid you not—it changed my life. Suddenly, I was diving into breathwork like a dolphin in the ocean of calm. It was lovely, really.

Circa 2022: The Vipassana Experiment

Fast forward again: solo trip to Bir. Met a woman who confidently declared, “Vipassana se zindagi ka matlab samajh aata hai.” Intrigued, I Googled obsessively for a month, found a 12-day window, and signed up. Did I discover the meaning of life? Nope. But I did discover that my mind is a monkey—swinging from thought to thought, past to future, rarely in the present.

Vipassana’s big revelation? “In the present moment, everything is fine.” It’s a simple, profound truth that lands differently for everyone.

The Real Talk About Consistency

They say to reap Vipassana’s full benefits, you need to meditate for an hour every morning and evening. A whole year of this, and the practice apparently becomes a part of you. Well, I’m not there yet.

This year, though, I’m giving myself a pat on the back. I’ve managed to stay pretty consistent with yoga and Vipassana. Started with 10 minutes a day, worked up to 30, fell off the wagon, and realized that 15 minutes is my sweet spot. Now, it’s second nature to squeeze it in—whether it’s in the morning or while commuting.

The Takeaways

This year’s been good—comfortable, mostly peaceful (touchwood). I credit meditation for that. Am I a Zen master now? Far from it. I still struggle with focus and calm, but it’s leagues better than those pre-meditation days. Even my relationships feel smoother, like my monkey mind has chilled out just a bit.

The best part? There’s no need for perfection here. Just betterment. And once you taste the positive effects of meditation, even if consistency feels elusive, it’s not like you’ll never get there. You’ll pick up the pace when the time’s right.

So, here’s my pitch: why not start today? Or tomorrow, if that’s more your vibe. Just 2 minutes. Then 5. Then 10. And who knows, maybe one day, you’ll write your own funny little meditation memoir.