Disclosure: Mommy Love Media has partnered with amp&go, on behalf of Moment of Space. I did not receive any monetary compensation; however, I will receive a free Moment of Space subscription as a thank you for sharing with my readers. Opinions in this post are my honest and unbiased thoughts and yours may vary.
Last year I turned the BIG 4-0! I have not shared my health journey yet (I’ll be sharing this soon), but it is part of the reason I haven’t been as active on Mommy Love Media. SPOILER ALERT… I’m back! I am realizing that I although I try to give my family the best part of me that I can, prioritizing my health was never top of the list and I’m trying to turn that around.
I am extremely grateful for the life I have – it’s filled with love, purpose, and lots of laughter, but I also know that I can make healthier choices! Not taking care of myself has left me in a constant state of unexplainable pain and that’s hard to deal with when you have a busy family life! There’s work, non-profit work, blogging, Girl Scouts, school, kid activities, and the normal wife, mom & house responsibilities.
And a huge shout out to my husband – he has been a rock for me & took care of me, our family & all the household needs on the days that I was just in too much pain, which recently have been constant, never complaining. He encouraged me to get back on Mommy Love Media because he knows that I love this community. He also pushes me to want to be healthier and the best version I can be for our family. Thank you babe, I love you!
The two main symptoms I am focusing on first (besides pain) are inflammation and anxiety. I searched for something to help me get out of my own head. It’s funny because the moment my kids say, “I can’t do this” I immediately explain its all in their mindset. I share how they are mentally stopping themselves before even attempting said task, so why am I doing this to myself?
I did some research on the benefits of meditation, because if I am going to be healthier, I need to reset my mind. I need to be aware of what I can actually do and what I am stopping myself from. It is a never-ending cycle of “That will hurt too much, you can’t do that”, “I am doing the best I can”, “Am I setting a good example?”
I will never be able to explain how broken I felt when my youngest daughter was excited to have family time then turned to me and said, “It’s okay Mommy. You don’t have to play, I know you are hurting.” This is not the memory I want her to have of me.
In learning about meditation, I found there are SO many benefits! Most notably, in my opinion, would be the ability to reduce stress and center yourself in a moment. However, I also learned that it could help with long-term benefits such as reducing symptoms of anxiety & depression, improving sleep, controlling your perception of pain, and more! It may even help you break dependencies by increasing your awareness of triggers for addictive behaviors.
Living such a busy life can make squeezing in another daily task challenging. Learning that Moment of Space embraces a “little and often” approach was appealing because it is more manageable and easier to accomplish when your on the go all day! Instead of carving out more time, I can now meditate as I move throughout my already scheduled day!
WHAT IS MOMENT OF SPACE?
Moments of Space, co-owned by actress & wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow along with the app’s creator Kim Little, is a next-generation meditation platform, powered by AI personalization, delivering a unique ‘eyes-open meditation’ practice that can be done anytime, anyplace. By practicing ‘little and often’ throughout the day, users benefit from a continuity of mindfulness in their daily lives which has greater benefit than a single daily meditation.
MY FIRST SUCCESSFUL MEDITATION MOMENT
Moment of Space has four focus pillars – Body, Mind, Heart and Space. I chose Mind to start. It has beginner and intermediate paths. The beginner path is labeled “Watching the Mind” and is described in the app as “Distance yourself from your thoughts to increase mental clarity, focus, and calm”. This sounds exactly like what I am trying to achieve, so I choose this path. It then breaks it down further into two skills “Watching the Breath” and “Recognizing Thought” and each again into simple tasks “Learn”, “Practice” and “Apply”.
When choosing your path, there are a few options to select so that it can personalize the experience to you. You can choose whether you are stationary or walking, would like a female or male voice and whether you want an ambient sound or no sound. I found the choices on the path to not be overwhelming and enjoyed building my experience. Once I saved my choices, I hit the play button.
I immediately see a soothing white image moving across the screen as I am explained what to expect. I am completely intrigued when I learn that Moment of Space has an eyes-open approach to meditation.
In fact, after learning what to expect, I took my first “Moment of Space” in my backyard as a thunderstorm was just starting to come down (Caution: Do not attempt at home or at least watch for lightning!). My husband took this photo of my moment as I felt every raindrop coming down.. the hot Florida weather turn cooler and watched the breeze sway each tall tree from side to side. I could hear the whistle of the wind and see each cloud move swiftly in the sky.
I tried to embrace our chicken, Beep Beep, in my moment but she wasn’t one for sitting still even for a ‘little-skip the often’ moment.
My husband also decided to join me for our first “Moment of Space” together as we hugged in the rain without speaking. His warm embrace was welcoming in the cool wind!
I was amazed at how many sensations I felt in the few minutes I was outside. Something I have always wanted to master was being in the moment more, allowing myself to feel everything I could and Moment of Space is going to allow me to teach myself that. Their distinctive ‘eyes-open’ meditation approach challenges the image most people have when they hear just the word “meditation”.
The image that used to come to mind is sitting perfectly upright, legs crossed, hands on each of your knees with your palms up and pointer finger & thumb touching, eyes closed. Sound familiar? I love that the Moment of Space approach allows me to practice in the middle of my busy life without having to schedule an outfit & scenery change to accomplish wellness.
Additionally, this approach, especially for beginners (and perhaps overthinkers like myself), removes all barriers I had mentally given myself. Am I in the correct position? What am I supposed to be thinking right now? Am I doing this correctly?
Moment of Space allows users to focus on wellness using
an innovative eyes-open meditation approach anytime, anywhere!
SPECIAL APP FEATURES
Moment of Space has a few special features, including AI personalization and the ability to connect with friends & family!
The Reflect feature utilizes an AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered personalization approach to capture how you are feeling and uses the information to find the right content for you and your individual needs. My Girl Scout Troop attended a STEMapalooza Event recently where we learned all about AI. We had an opportunity to listen to “The AI Professor” Ora Tanner with Black Unicorn Education and, prior to, I’ll admit I used to think AI was a bit intimidating.
After learning more about it and seeing it in action with Moment of Space, I find it to be an innovative approach to seamlessly incorporate mindfulness into my daily activities, like enjoying my morning coffee, walking our dogs or taking a hot shower.
If you are worried about not being able to focus with your eyes open, Moment of Space has a gentle image that you can follow in each of itsfour pillars that is quite soothing. My personal favorite is watching the white wave in the Mind pillar – it reminds me of tranquil beach waves.
I found Moment of Space to be the best meditation route for me because, at any moment, I have 25+ tabs open in my mind. This makes the traditional eyes-closed meditation method hard. After I get past the “Am I doing this right” phase, my brain moves through each open tab, so keeping my eyes shut does not work for me personally.
I need to be able to get out of that mode by focusing on my surroundings and/or the tranquil beach wave on my phone. I am much more apt to focus when I am able to visually take in my surroundings and focus on the senses around me. Moment of Space has been a serious game changer for me and I am excited to continue working on becoming the best version of myself with it!
Additionally, it has a Buddy Up feature that allows you to share your invite code and connect with friends on the app! Use this feature to hold each other accountable, motivate and monitor your progress.
GWYNETH PALTROW’S ANYTIME, ANYWHERE CHALLENGE
To celebrate Gwyneth Paltrow becoming co-owner of the Moment of Space app, she is currently offering a FREE 3 Month Premium Subscription when you download the Moment of Space app & share on Instagram your most surprising, unexpected Moment of Space! Be sure to tag @MomentOfSpace and use the hashtag #AnytimeAnyplace. Gwyneth Paltrow herself will be sharing those that she finds the most creative & inspiring! Holy freaking WOW!
So, join me today on the Moment of Space app and leave a comment below where you’d like to experience your most unexpected Moment of Space!