07 Jan I’m less reactive and more open hearted - Daniela

“I believe meditation has helped me become more thoughtful and kind, especially when I’m overwhelmed by emotions. I’m less reactive and more open hearted,” says Daniela Miau, our mindfulness hero of the week. She started meditating recently, and has experienced immense benefits since then. She believes that meditation helps people get on a road of calmness, quiet and self-nurturing, where you can discover your own superpowers to give a safe space to yourself, where you can just be, no other attachments.

Why did you start meditating?

Daniela: I started doing yoga first. The only class they offered at school was of Kundalini yoga, and I really loved it, it took me some other types of yoga to realize that what I really needed was the meditating part, the physical was nice too, of course. And it wasn’t until last year, maybe even just 6 months ago, that I started meditating and it just perfectly clicked for me.

I think I’ve always been really ‘bad’ at meditating, my mind never shuts up and I get caught up constantly in thoughts. See I have control issues and that brings anxiety, which brings obsessive thoughts, and those are very hard to get rid of. But as I researched on all these concepts, I learned that most of them are tightly related to focus, and that’s exactly what meditation is, kind of. It helps you shift your attention from these things and find a quiet, safe space inside yourself.

How has meditation helped you become a better person?

Daniela: I believe meditation has helped me become more thoughtful and kind, especially when I’m overwhelmed by emotions, I’m less reactive and more open hearted. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no master of calm or anything! But I feel more balanced and I can understand my needs better, which is, in the end, what you need for a better communication.

I stayed with Aware app because I love the singles, and I enjoy the freedom you get with the duration of each meditation. If I’m having a busy day, I can just take a five-minute meditation on self-confidence in the morning and the sleeping meditations at night. I have huge sleeping problems, something that has improved with the Sleeping single meditation. I can lay in bed, breath and be told “good night” at the end.

At the moment I am going through a very tough road in my personal life, and meditating regularly settles my mind enough so I can heal my heart by understanding my own toxic mental paths and finding new solutions.

After all, it’s in still waters that you can see the ground.

Share some tips for beginners.

Daniela: As for tips, I would say just try five minutes per day. Put yourself a goal, maybe a week, start small. At the end of that week, if you succeed, give yourself a prize that’s related to this challenge. If you don’t, try again!

Even bigger: Pay attention to yourself, your emotions, your mind, your everyday activities and the way they change when you meditate. Maybe small things don’t bother you so much, or you just feel more calm throughout your daily routine. It’s very important to pay attention before you start meditating regularly too, because that’s when you can clearly identify the differences!

I don’t think there’s a magical recipe for meditation, you just have to be good to yourself and give time for your own mental health without it being super expensive or anywhere outside your own self. I believe Aware has done great at sharing such a beautiful, simple wisdom, and helping people get on a road of calmness, quiet and self-nurturing, where you can discover your own superpowers to give a safe space to yourself, where you can just be, no other attachments. And that is, I believe, exactly what we need to stay strong against this fast, commercial, competitive, capitalistic, discriminatory, aggressive society.