How to Meditate REALLY | What 7 Days with a Monk Taught Me About a Busy Mind

Have you ever struggled with how to meditate when your mind feels too loud, too anxious, or just won't slow down?

In this solo episode, I'm sharing what actually happened when I spent seven days at a monastery — and why the experience completely changed how I understand meditation. I didn't find instant peace. I met my own restlessness, overthinking, and discomfort first. I even got the flu! But that's exactly where the learning began.

If you've struggled with how to start meditation, or felt like meditation for anxiety just doesn't work for you, this episode offers a gentler way in. We talk about simple meditation techniques that support your nervous system instead of forcing stillness, and the real benefits of meditation that go far beyond relaxation. This is about learning how to sit with yourself without needing to fix or change what you find there.

Key Moments

02:12 — Arriving at the monastery: meeting my busy mind instead
08:40 — How to start meditation when stillness feels uncomfortable
16:05 — Meditation for anxiety: why nothing needed to be controlled
23:30 — Meditation techniques I learned from living alongside a monk
31:10 — The deeper benefits of meditation

Listen for…

a softer, more honest way to meditate — one that helps you feel less at war with your thoughts and more at home in your own mind.

• How to meditate without trying to empty your mind or "do it right"

• What seven days with a monk revealed about anxiety and overthinking

• How to start meditation even if you've struggled to stick with it before

• The emotional and nervous system benefits of meditation

• Meditation techniques that bring calm through understanding, not control

Resources Mentioned…