I always seem to be touting the virtues of meditation. I write about it, I speak on it, and I teach it. I wouldn’t, though, call myself a master of it.

I hardly look like a yogi when I meditate. I can’t always sit for very long because the fidgets get the better of me on some days. Sometimes the cat walks across my lap (with a fiendish smile on his face, I’m sure!). Sometimes one of my teens comes in to talk, and you should never pass up that opportunity because you don’t know when it will happen again. I may go a few days from time to time without sitting to meditate. On occasion, my mind is so wired that I can’t still my thoughts. For a long time I couldn’t meditate in the morning because my mind was too active and I’d inevitably sit there creating my things-to-do list. I admit that on more than one occasion (okay, lots of occasions) I’ve fallen asleep and almost given myself whiplash as my head drooped, then reflexively whipped back up as it woke me. Some of this may sound familiar.

Despite the fact that I don’t have a perfect practice, meditation is the single most important thing that I have ever done for myself. It has transformed my life.

I’d like to share some of the changes meditation has created in my life, in the hopes of enticing you to start your own practice or getting back into the practice you abandoned. It is not the only tool to aid you in your ascension, but in my opinion, it is one of the best. So here we go, in no particular order.

My relationships have improved. I rarely get angry anymore. I have that space now between stimulus and response, so I don’t react so quickly and am able to see events in a new way or choose a better response without reacting from anger. I like people more now. All people. People who are walking down the street. People who are doing something I might wish they weren’t.  I remember realizing pretty early on in my practice that something had shifted. I felt like I was seeing people’s souls, even though my outer vision hadn’t changed. I saw the love that was their true nature. In my head, I started blessing people as I walked by them on the street, instead of becoming fearful, irritated or aloof.

As I changed, I realized people’s reactions to me changed. I always had a smile on my face so people approached me more and treated me with kindness and respect. I became more likely to find things funny—and I don’t mean the funny things in life. I could see the folly in getting caught up in the things that we humans often get hung up on. My first response would be compassion for those involved.

Compassion is a whole topic in itself. My compassion increased dramatically. Compassion is a very healing vibration. As a healer, I learned early in my energy practice that things changed when I felt very compassionate toward the person I was working on. I was a clearer channel and their lower vibration issue could pass through me to be discharged. This happened without me trying. Now, I don’t have to try to feel compassion when I’m working with someone. It’s just always there. In fact, it’s there pretty much all the time. It’s a beautiful way to live.

I experienced my own healings in meditation. I felt stuck energies leave and I often felt angelic and other healing energies around me, helping me. In fact, I first felt angelic energies while in meditation. I also received initiations and alignments to energies.

Through meditation, I was first able to still my mind and allow Spirit to come in and talk with me or through me. My intuitive abilities increased and I received insights, revelations and answers to specific questions. I also connected with past lives.

My stress, worry and fear decreased. I’m no longer a Type A personality, although I do still like to have things to do and get things done. But there is more balance in my life and I feel like I can better see the things that are truly important to get done.

On the flip side, I experience more appreciation and joy with all things, big and little. The whole world looks more beautiful. The first time I saw this beauty, I was with my kids in the car. I looked up and saw the clouds and they seemed like the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life. I gasped and pointed them out to the kids and they thought I was nuts. At that point, I realized the change was in me and not in the world around me.

I fall asleep much more easily. I can relax physically at a much deeper level than I could before. At the height of my craziness before I started meditating, I remember saying to my husband as we were lying in bed, “I’m lying here and I’m relaxed. But I can tell there is another level of relaxation and I just can’t get to it.” My body couldn’t let go fully, no matter how hard I tried.

Often now, I kind of lose my body when I meditate. I am aware that I can’t feel it unless I move. And yes, sometimes I experience that sense of Oneness that people talk about and seem to expect meditation to be every time. They often think they are failing if they don’t feel that. But let me assure you, you are not. These wonderful changes are happening. Just give it some time.

I started meditating reluctantly, because Spirit wouldn’t let me fall asleep if I didn’t. I began with only five minutes and I meditated each night for five minutes for over a year. I’ve been meditating for probably over ten years now, but the changes started a long time ago. They started slowly and subtly and they have deepened over time.

For useful tips on meditation, listen to my Bringing the Light Radio Show episode with Marcello Spinella at www.bringingthelight.podomatic.com. There’s also a podcast there on clearing and grounding your energy and an emotional healing meditation. There are apps to help get you started in my Bellesprit article, Meditation: There’s An App For That at http://bit.ly/MedidationApp.

I’ve shared my personal experiences here, but there has been a lot of research on the benefits of meditation. Feel free to search that and then get meditating!

Each month on the 9th, Wendy Joy sends healing energy from a meditative state to everyone on her Facebook page. To receive this energy, simply like her page: www.facebook.com/wendyjoyauthor. Find out about Wendy’s private healing sessions at www.wendyjoy.net.