Many of my friends and family have suffered with sleeplessness and over the years, I have always wondered how anyone could not fall asleep when they were in bed, because I could sleep for 14 hours straight if I had the chance. Boy, I was so oblivious. I had no idea what it is like when your mind does not want to stop its chatter even when your body is begging for some sleep. 

It all started when I stepped into the magical world of Affiliate Marketing. All of a sudden, I just could not sleep any longer. I would just lay in bed planning, strategizing, brainstorming, analyzing....just not sleeping. I would get up the next day, tired and unproductive. This went on for some time and then I stumbled upon an article about meditation. Meditation? Huh? All my life my Mom had repeatedly tried to get me to give it a try but meditation was for weird people. It was for people with no 'to-do' lists. Sitting still in a place, doing nothing, when there was so much to do? Nope, not for me. 

But this time around, I was desperate. I had to do something to reduce my stress level and more importantly, to gain back my beautiful sleep. So I tried it, and then tried it again the next day and then again. What? This was dumber than it sounded. Just lie in bed, trying to focus on your 'inner self'? I was done with it.

The chatter just grew and grew till my mind was so loud that I am sure my snoring husband heard it too. So, I started listening to trans music just to stop hearing my mind. And then one day, when I least expected it, I fell asleep and slept like a baby (till my baby woke me up again).

I realized, meditation is like sex, if you think about it, it does not work. Because the key to achieving the state that you are aiming for is that your mind has to stop thinking and relax. We live our day to day life in what is called the Beta state, where our conscious mind is leading, analyzing, making decisions, giving commands. To achieve the benefits of meditation, we need to enter into what is called an Alpha state where the conscious mind relaxes and we can thus communicate with our subconscious mind. That is where all the magic happens.

In the Alpha state, you can find answers to questions you have been battling over, because you can access your higher intelligence. You know how sometimes, then best ideas come in your dreams, that is because we are in a very relaxed state ( technically, this is a deeper state than Alpha state). At that time, we are more receptive to the subconscious mind. You know how it is said that everything you need, is right there, within you. I truly believe it now.

Meditation has become a daily ritual for me now. It helps me center myself, remember what is really important and yes, it helps me sleep. It has also given me an immense sense of comfort in knowing that no one can ever disturb my peace, because I have the power within me, to make myself happy, calm my fears and experience real bliss. I feel that happiness is no more a mirage, it is at my beck and call. Anytime I am feeling stressed and depressed from the many disappointments in the IM world, all I have to do it close my eyes, and breath. Now I take a 15 minute 'Power Meditation' break after lunch everyday and that makes my post-lunch day just as inspiring and motivated as the first half.

I hope you all give it a try. It can take a little practice and perseverance, but when you get to the place it is taking you to, you are sure to become a regular.

If you would like to try it out, make sure you read my article ‘How to Meditate Effectively’. This is an article I wrote for people who are new to meditation. Yes, it has my website link at the end, but you don’t have to click it and if you do you don’t have to buy anything and if you do, well, I will be one happy person and will be yelling, ‘I made my first sale today’!