Most people dismiss meditation because they think they are doing it wrong. The mind wanders, the thoughts do not stop, and ten minutes in they give up. But that is not failing at meditation. That is meditation. The practice is not emptying your mind. It is noticing when it has wandered, and gently coming back.
Three benefits that make it worth the effort
It lowers cortisol. Chronic stress accelerates biological aging faster than almost anything else. Even ten minutes a day measurably reduces cortisol over time, which shows up in your skin, your hormones, and your energy.
It rewires the brain. Regular practice increases grey matter in the prefrontal cortex and shrinks the amygdala. You are literally changing your stress response, not just managing it.
It brings you back into your body. Most of us are living in our heads. Meditation is the practice of returning to your breath, your body, the present moment. It is one of the most grounding things you can do.
Five forms worth knowing
- Mindfulness (observing thoughts without judgment)
- Guided meditation (a voice leads you through visualization or a body scan)
- Movement meditation (walking, yoga, surfing)
- Breathwork (the breath as anchor and tool)
- Silent retreats (full immersion, no phones, no talking, deeply transformative).
Different teachers have brought guided meditation into the mainstream by combining neuroscience with practice, guiding people to not just clear the noise but to actively feel the emotions they want to cultivate. The idea is simple: feel it first, and you create the internal conditions to move toward it
It brings you back into your body. Most of us are living in our heads. Meditation is the practice of returning to your breath, your body, the present moment. It is one of the most grounding things you can do.
Our recommendations this week
On a personal note...
I tried to meditate for most of my adult life, and it never worked. During COVID, I downloaded a meditation app, managed for a few weeks, and then it fell away. In 2023, a friend introduced me to guided meditations, and something finally clicked. The science plus the guidance was what I needed.
I have also learned that meditation does not have to look like sitting in silence. A few years ago, on a surfing trip, hours on the water with my brain completely clear, I thought: this is it. Walking in nature counts. Being genuinely present counts. It is all the same practice, just different forms.
One more thing, and I have nothing to gain by saying this: there is an app called Activations by a young woman named Mimi. I found her before she even had an app, back when she was doing guided meditations on her podcast. Something about her voice just worked for me. She has since built it into something really special, and her walking meditations are what I come back to most. There is something about being guided through a meditation while you move that I find deeply settling. It meets you wherever you are, whether you need to clear your head or quietly project yourself into the life you are working toward.
xx, Diana
P.S. It is not for everyone, but Activations is one of the five apps on my phone I genuinely could not live without. Mimi, if you ever read this, thank you.