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Cassandra Di Lalla (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

I practice meditation daily because it teaches me to be mindful of my surroundings, but it also shows me that I am powerful enough to be able to shift my energy over to whoever and whatever I desire. 

Meditation has allowed me to immerse myself in different experiences. I often find myself travelling through all these dimensions simply by sitting down comfortably, breathing deeply and thinking intuitively.

I have seen many bright lights, but I have also seen many dark shadows and each and every time I see one or the other, I am reminded that with meditation, you not only see with your eyes, but you also see with many other parts of you. You see with your heart because you’re feeling something in that meditative state. You see with your ears because you hear your heart racing, which then turns into a slower, more soothing pace — a peaceful pulse. You see with your nose because you can smell the calm, clean air being filtered through your lungs every time you take a deep breath. 

Without realizing it, the entire world has been meditating since the beginning of time. How? Because when we are in a panic, we are guided with a soft “take a moment to breathe . . . inhale and exhale.” In those moments, we are so hyper-focused and fixated on our breath work that, naturally, we are in a state of total relaxation, which is essentially what meditating is. At least, it’s a big part of it. How about when you’re all worked up about something, whether positive or negative? Then what happens? Usually, you’ll hear people saying “Calm down.” Depending on the situation, that may either trigger you or help you. If you’re excited about meeting your favourite author or actor, chances are the whole “Calm down” thing wouldn’t really be necessary, because that’s just a burst of energy you have from excitement. However, if you just got into a heated argument with a spouse, parent, sibling, etc . . . then “Calm down” is the last thing you’ll want to hear. But that’s where meditating would definitely come in handy. When you’re angry or upset, breathing is quite literally the easiest and smartest thing to do in order to calm your nerves. Oftentimes, we seem to forget how precious breath work really is. Breathing is effortless — our body automatically does it for us. 

We don’t realize that by practicing meditation daily, we become more self-aware. We are more likely to feel happier, simply because we are paying close attention to our body’s wants and needs. The easier you breathe, the less strain you’re putting on your lungs. Your body does all the work for you between pumping blood, healing itself from bruises or scrapes, or alerting you when you’re feeling tired or overwhelmed. The least you can do is thank your body by helping it recover from everything it does for you. Hold your hand over your heart and breathe deeply . . . inhale, exhale, take a break and start over. 

When people think of meditating, they often assume (at least in my experience) that you absolutely must be sitting down with your eyes closed and your legs crossed, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I say this because you have the total freedom to meditate however, whenever and wherever you feel most comfortable. It’s so liberating! You can sit, stand, lay down or even move freely in the forest or a walking trail if you so choose. It costs nothing to meditate, yet you feel incredibly rich after doing so. There’s something so reassuring and comforting in just breathing in the freshest air and releasing all of your worries out into the free world.

Meditation is boundless. Meditation knows no race, colour, age, gender, or anything else under the warm sun or starry night sky, because meditation is not prejudiced and does not discriminate. It is known universally to humankind.

Meditation knows no hate and will never harm. Instead, it’s like having a halo hovering over you to heal you. It will keep you grounded, but help you grow in abundance ever so gracefully. Meditation is not a congregation; it is not based on religious beliefs or spirituality, because no matter where we were born, where we are living, or what we practice, one sure thing that we all have in common is that we have all mastered the art of breathing, just by being alive and going about our day.

Meditation is such a powerful thing, and as much as we are breathing to stay alive, we are also keeping ourselves alive longer by understanding the importance of each breath we take. Life is too precious to miss out on any of these beautiful moments. Let your breathing break you free of any past regression or hardships. Our goal as the general population of this world should be to keep meditation meaningful for generations to come. 

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Cassandra Di Lalla lives life purposefully. She enjoys reading, writing and mental health initiatives. She’s an animal lover for life and an innovative individual always finding new ways to create.