Ever considered meditating with Insight Timer? I get far more out of meditating in the privacy of my home than I do semi-concentrating on containing my drool in a yoga nidra class.

The kids went back to school on Monday and it has been a doozy of a week. After drop-off, I joined another mom for breakfast and was surprised she didn’t comment on how comatose I looked. The bags under my eyes were absolutely noticeable and I was only half present as she shared with me all about her summer. All I could think of was how tired I felt.

Dog tired.

Double dog tired.

After breakfast, I resorted to spending the entire day on the sofa hydrating, sleeping and mediating. Where was my energy? Was I getting sick? It was too early for PMS!

A Summer on Low-Level Alert

When 8 and 10-year old boys are on your watch 24/7 for three months straight, something happens to the Low-Level Alert switch in the brain. It flips to “ON” and gets stuck there. Despite my kids being low-maintenance, I have realized that during the summer my brain is in a constant state of Low-Level Alert.

So, I’m figuring that after dropping the kids at school on Monday, the Low-Level Alert button flipped to the “OFF” position and my brain, having been “ON” for so long, decided it was time to shut down.

Yes, some stress is inevitable—like the general stress that comes from mothering children. But Monday’s shut down reminded me that I need, no I must, “turn off” and reenergize—regularly!

Make Time to Zen Out

I mentioned meditating. I’d be lying if I said I zen out daily. I have never made time for it. Like flossing, it’s something we should do every day, but how many of us really do. But it’s finally sunk in. I know I will be better off just doing it, so I am going to give it an honest effort.

One tool I have discovered that is making my lofty goal unbelievably easy is a free app called Insight Timer. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Maybe you even use it.

Meditating with Insight Timer

Insight Timer offers all varieties of meditation. From guided full-body scans to relaxing flutey music complete with Tibetan bowls and gongs. I get far more out of meditating in the privacy of my home than I do semi-concentrating on containing my drool in yoga nidra class. Plus, I can wear the ratty sweats over there lying on the floor, and if I don’t want to sit up in a “comfortable position,” I can lay my lazy self down and maybe even drift off to sleep.

Be Social, Only If You Want To

If you want to get social, Insight Timer shows you how many other zen-seekers are meditating while you are. Yesterday I meditated with 2,539 other people. Surely a crowd, but it didn’t feel like it.

Bookmark Your Favorite Meditations

When you find a particular meditation you love, be sure to bookmark it. And if you have a tough time figuring out which one to try first, the star rating system is pretty reliable. There are meditations specifically for kids and on the topics of eating disorders, forgiveness, pregnancy, parenting and more. Two of my favorites are:

Deep Relaxation: Descent to Zero | Ignazio Dentici | 19 Minutes
The Art of Letting Go | Sampo Manninen | 28 Minutes

Meditate On-the-Go

Because smart phones and tablets are portable, you can meditate with Insight Timer pretty much anywhere (except while driving, of course—not the best idea). Try it on the bus, in the bathtub, in the car waiting for the kids at pick up. You could even sneak in a session under your desk at work. Why not?

Join Me!

Tempted to begin meditating with Insight Timer? It’s available from the App Store and on Google Play.

I am aiming to add one Insight Timer session of meditation to my day—be it 5, 10 or 30 minutes. Care to join me? If you decide to try meditating with Insight Timer, let me know what it does for your energy and peace of mind.