The recent COVID-19 pandemic has had several different impacts on individuals across the nation. Even though there have been many struggles, not all impacts have been negative. Many people have picked up new hobbies, gotten to spend time with family and have been able to regenerate by taking a mental break and spending time alone. Personally, I picked up two of the best hobbies—meditation and breathwork. These activities have benefited me tremendously from both a physical and mental standpoint.
I started getting into meditation pre-COVID, but it wasn’t until the pandemic actually hit that I realized that I really needed to make this practice a regular occurrence. I continued to see meditation on social media, and I took that as a sign to begin my journey. I researched some meditations and read a few short books on the benefits of the practice and manifestation, as well as the power of the subconscious mind that comes from healing through meditation and breathwork. I used to look at meditation as a joke or an activity for your average hippie, but after beginning the practice, my life has truly turned around. According to Headspace, a popular online meditation tool, “Meditation isn’t about becoming a different person, a new person, or even a better person. It’s about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You’re not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You’re learning to observe them without judgment. And eventually, you may start to better understand them as well.” If you are also interested in crystals, you can even implement them in your meditation by holding them in your palms or setting them on your lap as they raise the energy and help you create clear intentions while offering protection.
I started my journey with the video “The Most Powerful Guided Meditation to Manifest What You Want in Life.” This video guides you through the power of meditation and calms the mind and soul to heal within and to start becoming a powerful manifesto with good intentions. I also started listening to the podcast “Manifestation Babe,” which I 100% recommend to anyone who wants to learn about manifestation and meditation and the benefits that come along with them. Through this podcast, I was introduced to a powerful practice called breathwork. According to Healthline, “Breathwork refers to any type of breathing exercises or techniques. People often perform them to improve mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. During breathwork, you intentionally change your breathing pattern.” Breathwork has many benefits: stress relief, boosting immunity, trauma processing and an increase in self-awareness and self-development.
If you have been stressed out recently and want something to feel more grounded and connected with both the universe and yourself, then I recommend giving meditation and breathwork a try. There is nothing to lose, and the practice has tremendous benefits. Here at VCU, I’ve gotten many of my friends to meditate with me, and their reaction was shocking. They enjoyed how still and at peace the practice made them feel, and some of them have even asked to meditate with me again because they liked it so much.
One of my closest friends, and track and field teammate from my hometown, Marcus Wilson, asked to meditate with me before a big race during the pandemic over the summer. Marcus is a beast of an athlete, running D1 track at VCU with a 55 hurdles time of 7.51 seconds. He attended the Junior Olympics and also broke the 4×4 state’s record only as a sophomore. Because of COVID, we FaceTimed, and he portrayed how stressed he was with the big race, knowing there were multiple people in the race ranked above him, and it was a longshot to win. I told Marcus to take those fears away and release all the stress that he was holding onto before we started the meditation, and then I walked him through the daily meditation I do. This meditation includes manifestation and intention, so I asked Marcus to picture himself crossing the finish line and to not only imagine it in his mind but to truly feel as if he is at the race at the very moment, experiencing the feelings associated with winning the race. I told him to amplify those emotions because feelings and thoughts turn into reality after one can enable themselves to be in the moment and live in the powerful outcome. He held his hand over his heart and put himself into the race, imagining and feeling the satisfaction of dusting every other athlete on the track.
A week later, it was Marcus’ big day. He took a deep breath at the startline and remembered everything I told him. After the gun went off, Marcus ran his heart out and crossed the finish line, coming in first place. I gave him the biggest hug and was beyond proud of him and happy that the meditation he did with me had the power to make himself believe he was capable of the unimaginable.
For me, my entire experience with these practices has been life-changing, and it makes me happy to know I can help others by introducing them to the world of meditation and breathwork. Happy meditating and namaste.