Hey MU, are you still doing your post-workout meditation?

It's been six years since my first "mindright" meditation. What does my practice look like today?

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Six years ago in Nashville, my friend Todd McCullough introduced me to his post-workout meditation practice, which he called “getting his mind right.” Immediately following our workout, we sat down right in the middle of the gym, closed our eyes, and went through a four-part self-guided meditation. (← Listen to my podcast with Todd for more.)

1. Gratitude: Think about one big thing, a few specific things, or a long list of things for which you are grateful today.

2. Lifting someone up: Think about one specific person, a group of people (friends, loved ones, strangers), or yourself, and lift them up by sending positive, loving energy.

3. Setting your intention: Think about what you want out of your day, and set a specific intention for yourself—physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

4. Sit quietly: Still your mind by listening to the sounds around you, whatever they may be.

At the end, we were surrounded by the sounds of a very busy gym on a Saturday morning; people talking, music blasting, weights clanking. I opened my eyes when we were done and felt like a whole new person—grounded, peaceful, and centered. I nearly floated out of the gym, and committed to keep up with this meditation practice on my own when I got home.

A new morning routine

This “mindright” meditation became a cornerstone of my morning routine. I performed it religiously after every workout, yoga class, ruck, or hike. People at my gym grew accustomed to me sitting cross-legged on the turf, eyes closed, sometimes for many minutes at a time. (It takes as long as it takes, I’ve discovered.) I’ve done it on mountain tops and by alpine lakes, in strange gyms in New York and L.A. while traveling, and with more than a few friends who said, “Can I try that with you?” It gave me a sense of peace, clarity, and calmness that my workout alone could not, and created yet another space for me to talk (and listen) to God, the Universe, my spirit guides, and my highest self.

I used to post photos of my cross-legged self every day, often sharing my intention for the day or who I chose to lift up. In the last year or two, however, I’ve moved away from recording as much—I just got burned out filming my workouts. Many of you have noticed, and have asked, “Are you still meditating?”

Bet your booty I am! It just looks a little different today. And in case I haven’t reminded you of this lately, you can do it any way you want—including meditation.

Parallel Timeline mindright

For many years, I performed the 4-part mindright meditation mostly the same each day. From the start, my “intention setting” was less me deciding what I wanted out of my day and more asking God, my intuition, or the Universe, “What do I need today?” (I always get an answer. It’s not always what I want to hear, but it’s definitely what I need.)

A few years ago, though, I found myself struggling with my physical and mental health—like, a lot. My workouts felt harder, my recovery took longer, my “gains” were non-existent, and my mental health was taking a beating. I thought I just needed to work harder and be a little more disciplined, but the more I did, the worse I felt.

At the time, I happened to be on the side of Alternate Reality TikTok, and the concept of “parallel timelines” struck a chord. Intuitively, I began using my meditation sessions to talk to Parallel Timeline Melissa—a version of me in an alternate reality who was happier, healthier, less stressed, and far more satisfied. Instead of running through my mindright format, I’d focus on connecting with Parallel Me and asking her, “What did you do to get where you are?” (← The answer, it turns out, was “DO LESS,” and it changed everything.)

Reparenting mindright

I flipped back and forth between my mindright practice and talking to Parallel Timeline Melissa for a few months. Then late in the summer, I found myself diving back into some gnarly work with my therapist. We were digging through my sexual abuse (again), and how that trauma was continuing to show up in my relationships today. As part of this work, my therapist suggested I look into reparenting. This is where you (an adult) meet the emotional needs that went unmet in your childhood. By giving your younger self what they lacked as a kid, it allows them (you) to let go of the unhealthy coping mechanisms they (you) developed as a result.

I began using my post-workout meditation to connect with younger Melissa, starting with a little girl (around 8 years old), and slowly working up to 12-year-old Melissa. The closer I got to the age all of this started (14), the slower we had to go, and the more emotionally difficult it became. But because I had that dedicated time built into my morning routine, I had a daily opportunity to stay in the process. It took months (and we’re still not done), but I had incredibly rewarding, comforting, and cathartic experiences during those sessions. Through my mindright practice, I was able to let go of a few coping strategies that still popped up, but no longer served me.

The lesson of mindright

So YES, I’m still doing my post-workout meditation. And though it doesn’t always look the same today, I am still doing the exact same thing every day:

• Carving out time to connect with myself

• Creating space to listen to God (et al.)

• Conscientiously choosing a vehicle (4-part mindright, talking to Parallel Timeline Melissa, reparenting younger Melissa) to make the most of of each session

All of these meditation practices have brought me truly life-changing insights from the same source—my highest self/God/however you want to think about it. It’s made me realize that while the 4-part mindright practice was a great place to start, I didn’t have to stay there to gain the benefits. I needed the structure in the beginning, because sitting down and trying to “be Zen” would not have been productive or helpful. But now that I had the habit of meditating and knew how to “drop in” no matter where I was, I could take this practice anywhere I wanted and still reap the benefits.

If you’re looking to start a meditation practice, the 4-part mindright flow is how I’d recommend you begin. But if you’ve been doing that for a while and have felt a tug to do something different with those moments of quiet in your day, follow that. A big benefit of meditating is connecting with yourself and learning to listen. If your body, mind, or spirit are hungry for another form of connection, whether you understand it or not, trust yourself to go there. It will only strengthen that connection and your habit, and you never know where these connections will take you.

Do you meditate? Have you tried #mindright? What kind of therapeutic, “woo,” or traditional practices are working for you today? Paid subscribers can share your experience and learn from others in comments.

XO, MU

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