This past year, you may have noticed me referring quite a bit to achieving a better work/life balance. It was one of my New Year’s resolutions and I think that in order to make a resolution stick, you have to revisit it throughout the year. So one of my goals is to be more mindful of the ‘now’ and start to meditate in an effort to unplug from work. I try my best to have a positive outlook on life and to uplift others. With that, I also have a heart filled with gratitude and appreciation. Having those qualities keeps me upbeat, but that doesn’t mean I am immune to stress or anxiety. I worry just as much as everyone else does and at times, get anxious too. So I thought attempting meditation would be a very helpful tool for me.

I knew I wanted to start at home, at my own convenience, so I wanted to find some sort of guidance while not being overly committed to a specific time or regimen. I found this app called Welzen and thought it would be a good blend of what I was trying to achieve while being flexible with my day-to-day schedule. Founded by Esteban Gonzalez, Welzen has different meditations ranging from 5-10 minutes to promote mindfulness, reduce stress and anxiety, promote better sleep and an overall healthier well-being.

What I love about the app is the variety of different meditation exercises that it offers. It starts with a five day meditation to get you started and kind of introduce you to the idea and practice. Then, once you have become more familiar, there are different ones to choose from, to increase focus, enhance creativity, and it even offers meditation exercises for children. Since they’re only a couple of minutes long, I found it easy to carve out some time to make this a new habit. The first couple of times I found it hard to stop my head from wandering and I was getting a little distracted. But, like anything, the more you do it, the easier it becomes. After a few times I began feeling the added benefits and actually looking forward to these times in my day. I felt calmer as I breathed and I felt a sense of being more present. I would definitely recommend Welzen if you’ve been wanting to learn more about meditation and how to live ‘in the moment.’

And in April they are adding a new section called Your Path to a Healthier Life. They will be offering new meditation exercises everyday. Like anything, it takes time for something to become a part of your routine, but I consider myself well on the way to this becoming a habit. I will give a little tip, see if you can find the same time each day to do this. It can be in the morning when you first wake up or right before you go to bed, whatever works for you. Setting aside a time regularly during the day helps to keep you consistently doing it and therefore a better chance of making it part of your daily routine.

Here’s to being happier, more present and more balanced! I’d love to hear if you meditate!

Kelli Boyd Photography exclusively for Lavin Label