On January 10, I got on the soapbox and proclaimed to the blogosphere that my goal for the year was to dive into the wonderful world of meditation. I didn’t come right out and say it, but my hope was to log a few minutes every day and slowly build up to marathon meditation sessions. My goal (I always have to have one, and if you are practicing Patanjali’s eight limbs of yoga, this one just happens to be the motherload) was to attain Samadhi.

Samadhi is the highest state of wisdom, a place in which the mind cannot and does not pose any questions. It is pure, organic, unadulterated inner peace and tranquility. According to Swami Rama, the author of Meditation and Its Practice, “the highest of all joys that can ever be experienced by a human being can be attained through meditation.”

I was on a quest for that joy, but I was also realistic in knowing that I would eventually fall off the meditation bandwagon for periods of time when life gets hectic. I just didn’t think it would be so damn quick. In January my meditation was in full swing, and I had some pretty awesome sessions. But February hit, with lots of assignments to finish up for YTT, family, and work obligations, and somehow meditation got squeezed out of the equation. The paradox is that when we are truly stressed out and harried, we need meditation the most.

It was the last week of February, I had been off my daily meditation routine for a few weeks, and, like an addict, I knew I needed a hit of meditation and I needed it bad. I had lost my meditation groove, and I wanted it back!

Enter Melissa Cugini, the owner of Nirvana Yoga, and her Mix it Up Monday classes that just so happened to have a meditation theme that week. I walked into Nirvana Yoga stressed out after a long day at work and was quickly transformed by the peaceful vibe of the studio. Nirvana Yoga resides in a beautiful, historical stagecoach building in Richfield, Ohio. The high-beamed wood ceiling, along with dimmed lights, faux candles, and mellow music makes for a zenlike experience.

Melissa started the class off with guided breath meditation, followed by a gentle asana flow, a few restorative yoga poses, and a deliciously long session of meditation at the end of class before wrapping up with savasana. Melissa had all the right moves and all the right verbal cues to bring the class into a peaceful meditative state. As I went through the meditation practice, I felt my body melt into my mat, and I journeyed off to that still happy place that I always hope to visit when I meditate. Each exhalation brought more and more joy.

By the end of class, I felt like butter. My groove was back and I was picking up a vibe from the rest of the students that they were feeling just as groovy.

Thank you, Melissa!

That class helped me rekindle my love affair with meditation. I didn’t realize how much I had missed it, how much I had needed it until I sat in utter bliss at the end of that class, bathing in the effects of just letting my mind relax for a few minutes. It’s kind of like any vital appliance that you utilize day in and day out—you gotta give the poor thing some rest.

I know it is not always easy to do what we know is best for our bodies and minds, but I learned an important lesson that night: If I’m gonna get my groove on, I’ve got to take the time (even if it is only for a few minutes) to give my body and mind the rest they deserve.

Image: Kymberly Vohsen