How To Start A Meditation Practice (and why everyone should)

The world feels heavy right now. Maybe it always has, but lately the noise feels especially loud — the headlines, the division, the constant hum of stress. There’s so much anger, so much fear, so much hurt. And while there’s also beauty, connection, and joy, I think most of us carry a low hum of anxiety in the background of our lives — like a pit sitting quietly in our chests as we watch everything unfold around us.

It can feel helpless sometimes, can’t it? Like, what is one person supposed to do?

I’m not going to tell you that meditation is going to solve the world’s problems. It won’t fix the government, end violence, or clean up pollution. But I do believe that if every one of us took responsibility for our own energy — if we cleaned up our own side of the street — the world would look very different.

We can’t control what’s happening out there, but we can control how we move through the world. The words we speak. The way we treat people. The way we vote, spend money, consume media, raise our kids. It’s all connected — and meditation helps us remember that.

Meditation isn’t about becoming a “good meditator.” It’s about becoming a good human.

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Why Meditation Matters So Much Right Now

When we practice, we start to see ourselves more clearly — our habits, our thought patterns, our reactivity. We become aware of the energy we carry into every space. And that awareness changes everything.

Because when you sit still and start to clean up what’s inside — your judgments, your anxiety, your anger — you start to move differently through the world. People feel it. Your kids feel it. Your relationships feel it. Your presence becomes calm, grounded, and steady.

That’s the ripple effect.

And yes, there’s science behind it, too. Meditation lowers cortisol, supports immune function, decreases blood pressure, and increases gray matter in the brain. It literally rewires your nervous system. But what I’ve found even more profound is what it does for the heart. When we begin to slow down, we create space for compassion — for ourselves and for others.

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What Meditation Actually Is

At its simplest, meditation means to know thyself. It’s not about forcing your mind to be still or reaching some blissed-out state. It’s about becoming the observer — noticing what’s happening inside of you without judgment.

And if your mind wanders? Congratulations, that’s the practice.

Our minds are built to think. They’re supposed to wander. Every time you notice that your mind has drifted off — to your to-do list, your mortgage, that email you forgot to send — and you gently bring it back to the breath, that is meditation.

That gentle returning — over and over — is where the work happens.

So when your mind says, “I’m bad at this,” know that it’s lying. There’s no such thing as a bad meditator. There’s no such thing as a bad meditation.

Each time your mind wanders and you bring it back, it’s like taming a wild horse — slowly, lovingly, patiently. At first it resists. It wants to move, fidget, escape. But with consistency, it begins to settle.

And eventually, so do you.

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How to Begin

You don’t need a fancy app or a perfect space. Start simple.

Find a quiet place — a chair, a cushion, a folded blanket. Sit comfortably but alert. Rest your hands in your lap. Close your eyes.

Bring your awareness to your breath — not in a forced, mechanical way, but with a soft curiosity. Notice the natural rhythm of your inhale and exhale. When your mind wanders, notice it with kindness and bring it back to the breath. Again and again.

Start with five minutes a day. Over time, you can work up to ten or twenty minutes — but the consistency matters more than the length. I like mornings best — before the world wakes up, when everything feels still and the air is thin with possibility — but any time is fine.

Do it every day for 28 days. Mark it on your calendar. See what shifts.

And don’t wait for perfect conditions. The dog might bark. The kids might argue. Your mind will resist. That’s all part of it. The practice isn’t about getting rid of distractions — it’s about learning to stay present amidst them.

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When It Starts to Click

After years of practice, there’s this moment — fleeting at first — where everything inside you seems to come into alignment. The noise quiets. The thoughts settle. You feel your body dissolve into stillness, your breath deepen, your awareness expand.

It’s hard to describe, but it’s like remembering something ancient.

You realize you are connected to something much bigger — something you might call Spirit, Source, God, Presence — whatever name fits for you. You realize it’s not out there; it’s in you.

You are that love. That energy. That stillness.

Meditation helps you remember.

Sometimes it lasts for 30 seconds. Sometimes longer. But the more you practice, the easier it becomes to return. It’s like the snow globe metaphor I love — we walk through life shaken up, thoughts swirling everywhere. Meditation allows those flakes to settle so you can finally see clearly.

And what you see is beautiful: that you already are everything you’ve been searching for.

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Taking the Practice Off the Cushion

The real magic of meditation happens off the mat — in the messy, everyday moments of life.

When you sit regularly, you start to notice a subtle but profound shift: a space begins to open between a trigger and your reaction.

For example, the other night, my daughter — who’s supposed to be in bed at 9:30 — was still in the shower at 10:30. My first reaction was frustration: Why is she still up? Doesn’t she respect me? I wanted to storm in and yell.

But in that split second, I caught myself. I took a breath. And I saw it for what it was — a moment for compassion, not control. I walked in calmly, told her it was time for bed, and she immediately apologized. What could’ve been a 30-minute argument became a one-minute exchange of understanding.

That’s meditation in real life.

You’re still human. You’ll still get triggered. But the more you practice, the quicker you’ll catch yourself — and the gentler you’ll become.

That awareness ripples out — into your relationships, your home, your community. It changes the energy you carry and the way you move through the world.

And that, truly, is the point.

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Begin Here

Start small. Sit down. Breathe. Notice. Return.

Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Just begin.

Because when you start taking responsibility for your own energy — when you learn to pause, breathe, and respond with awareness — you’re not just helping yourself. You’re helping all of us.

This is how we change the world: one breath, one person, one moment at a time.

With love,
Katy

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Thank you for being here

Thank you for sharing your time and energy with me — it truly means a lot.

If this conversation spoke to you and you want to explore this work more deeply, you can:

• Join me for Clarity & Connection: a women’s mindfulness retreat in Panama (March 2026) — a weeklong experience of stillness, reflection, and self-renewal.
• Work with me one-on-one this season if you’re craving accountability, clarity, or calm in your next chapter.
• Read more reflections on Substack at All That Really Matters and listen to the WithIn podcast wherever you get your shows.
• Or just come say hi on Instagram @katyrexing.

Wherever you are on your path, remember — it’s never too late to begin again