Like any new journey, it’s hard to know when exactly you’ll see results from a practice. With meditation, it’s even harder, since every improvement you make isn’t visible.
How do you know your efforts are making changes? In this blog post, I’ll guide you through five signs you’re about to feel the payoff of your trauma-informed meditation practice.
What is trauma-informed meditation?
This style of meditating is like your typical meditation, except there are options given to allow more freedom, choice, and safety in your practice. A few common differences you might find from your traditional meditation practice are:
- You choose whether to have your eyes open or closed
- You don’t need to follow every instruction given by the teacher
- Making your meditations your own is welcomed and celebrated
I invite you to read this in-depth guide to trauma-informed yoga to learn what makes it different, and if it’s right for you. These principles apply to meditations, breathwork, and all other parts of your yoga practice.
Are there any benefits to trauma-informed meditation for trauma survivors?
Just like a regular meditation, the benefits are wonderful for trauma survivors.
- This study looked at how a 6 week meditation practice affected female trauma survivors of interpersonal violence. Women in the meditation group experienced positive changes in mental health and trauma symptoms compared to the control group.
- This study showed that a specialized yoga program for sexual trauma survivors improved their emotional regulation and awareness.
- This study reported improvements in veterans experiencing PTSD symptoms after completing a variety of meditation based interventions.
I’ve experienced benefits of my own with a consistent meditation practice. I’m more forgiving of my mistakes, welcome more self-compassion, kindness, experience less anxiety, and have more patience overall. I didn’t realize how powerful a meditation practice could be until I committed to a consistent practice.
The best part of meditating is you don’t need to sit still and close your eyes to receive benefits. If you’re curious how you can find your perfect style of trauma-informed meditation after sexual trauma, I welcome you to read this blog post.
How To Tell If Meditation Is Working: The First 5 Signs
You’re not failing if you’re not experiencing these signs. You may experience some, all, or none. You’re always in control of your practice and get to decide if you want to include meditation in your routine. For some, it’s transformational and for others, it does nothing for them. You’re welcome to explore your options and include what best suits you.
1. You’re Tuning Into Yourself More
This is the simplest way to tell your meditation is working. All this means is you notice your sensations, sights, sounds, breath, or perhaps how grounded you feel. As you continue to meditate, you might notice it’s easier to come into the present moment with yourself.
The trauma-informed approach to meditation allows much more options than simply, “sit with your eyes closed and focus on your breath.”
Here are some grounding options to explore if you’re finding this first step difficult:
- Maybe you shift your focus to how your body feels as it grounds the surface supporting you or how your clothes feel on your body.
- Are there any objects in the room that you can focus on to bring you comfort and concentration? This is a perfect option if you don’t prefer to close your eyes.
- Do you notice the temperature of your body? You might start with your feet and complete a slow body scan.
Meditation and yoga begin when you come into the present. Focusing on your sensations is a simple, effective way to set aside any racing thoughts to bring you back to center. Once you’ve reached this stage, you may notice the next sign your meditation is working.
2. You Come Back To Your Meditation When Distracted
How often do you meditate but then get distracted by thoughts of your day and things you need to do? Checklists, chores, or even an itch on your face can distract you from your current practice.
The good news is this happens to everyone. Even the most experienced meditation experts face this in their practice. So, what’s the difference between someone who is more experienced? They gently return back to their meditation after they acknowledge the distraction.
When you experience a distraction, I welcome you to acknowledge it. You may judge yourself at first for not remaining in your meditative state. I invite you to acknowledge that as well. The more you observe, the sooner you’ll enter a state of acceptance instead of judgment. Once you welcome and observe whatever distracted you, you can come back to your practice when you’re ready.
Tips For Beginners:
If you’re new to meditating, you may feel you’re distracted a lot. It takes time to quiet your mind. I’ve been meditating for years and I’ve found it takes about fifteen minutes for me to fully quiet my mind and enter a meditative state. Some people can do this in less time, others it takes longer. Your practice is unique to you.
The best way to reduce overwhelm is to start slowly. You don’t need to be an expert in one day (or in one month). Five minutes is a perfect start.
Once you learn how to welcome distraction, you may soon start to notice this next sign your meditations are working.
3. You Feel Calmer After Meditating
While yoga is not about chasing a feeling or sensation, you might notice a deeper sense of calm after you’ve been practicing for a while. Deep breaths come easier to you, tension releases from your body, or you feel a general sense of relaxation.
How long does it take to feel these effects? Honestly, it depends. There are many factors that affect your practice, including:
- Current stress levels
- Amount of time and how consistently you practice
- If you did yoga or breathwork before your meditation (this helps prepare you for a better experience.)
- Current physical health (If you have injuries, poor sleep, illness)
There’s nothing wrong with you if you haven’t noticed these effects. Even attempting to meditate provides positive benefits like the ones mentioned at the beginning of this post.
If you are experiencing these positive changes, you might get excited about your practice. This leads us into the next sign your meditation is working.
4. You Actually Look Forward To Meditating
There’s a distinct shift you may experience from Ugh, here we go again, to I actually love this. This might happen because you’re feeling the effects of your meditation even after you immediately end your practice. Maybe you notice less anxiety throughout the rest of your day or you move with more ease. This is a clear sign your meditations are bringing positive change to your life.
I welcome you to meditate as often and as long as you like, but to keep a healthy level of attachment to your practice.
The Eight Limbs of Yoga philosophy mentions practicing non-attachment (aparigraha). You can use meditation as a healthy coping tool, but be aware of relying too much on it for happiness.
This may be hard to do at first, but this prevents burnout. How do you know if you’re getting too attached to your practice? This blog post explains if you’re heading for burnout in your trauma-informed yoga practice, and how to easily find balance.
If you found your healthy dose of meditation and are counting down the hours until your next session, you may soon experience this next sign.
5. You’re becoming mindful outside your practice
Have you taken a deep breath if you’re stressed or grounded in the present moment outside of your meditation? This is a sign you’ve taken your meditation into your daily life and is a transformative milestone for trauma survivors.
Practicing to remain present while experiencing a trigger is something that may have sounded impossible to achieve, but now it may come easier to you. The more you practice returning to the present when these triggers arise, the more you nurture your nervous system. This is huge progress.
What if you’re not noticing these effects? Your meditation practice continues to bring benefits, and you can always explore additional resources for trauma healing. I welcome you to work with your support team for managing triggers or other aspects of your trauma outside of your yoga and meditation practice.
Even if you’re not able to remain present during triggering moments, you may notice you’re mindful during other times in your day. This is still a victory, and a clear sign your meditations are working.
Helpful Tips To Keep You Motivated
Here are three tips to make sure you stay motivated while waiting for these first signs. These are all optional and I welcome you to use the tips that best speak to you and your preferences.
- Journal your experience. This doesn’t need to be a long reflection (unless you want it to be). A simple note after your meditation is all you need to notice if there are any changes.
- Focus on the long term. It’s easy to stop showing up to your meditations when you don’t feel any difference. I welcome you to focus your mindset on long-term goals instead of immediate results. Imagine putting in all the effort to meditate, only to stop your practice when you were on the verge of a breakthrough.
- Stay Inspired. I welcome you to surround yourself with your favorite inspirational tools to encourage you to stay on track. Maybe you record every meditation, read books, create a meditation inspiration board, or join a community to support your goals.
Overview
It’s difficult to know the exact moment your meditations change from a chore to a full-blown transformative practice. These five signs are the first ways to tell if your meditation is working, and that you’re well on your way to deeper focus and inner peace. Thank you for reading this post, and take care on your healing journey.
