Meditation is widely known by experts for its incredible health benefits when it comes to reducing stress and anxiety. But a question we must ask ourselves that goes beyond meditation is “how do I break bad habits and heal my past trauma?” and “how can I use meditation to restructure my mind and cultivate a completely new attitude on life?”
Award-winning nutrition coach, Leah Peters peels back the curtain and shares how her daily meditation practice has transformed her health, marriage, and wellness business.
“I remember staying up late as a kid to journal about my day, as well as do breathing exercises before bed to release stress and cultivate positivity. While I didn’t know it back then, I was practicing meditation from the age of 10. It was something I kept to myself, but as life got more and more hectic among a complicated divorce and festering eating disorder, my attitude towards practicing meditation changed and I became anxious, closed-minded, and self-absorbed rather than self-aware.”
It was during this time that Leah was put on anti-depressants to help her cope with her uncertain environment. “With the numbing of my entire being also came the numbing of my consciousness. The next many years of my life were filled with anxiety, instability, and consequently, trying to make myself smaller and smaller, subconsciously wishing to slip out of existence. I found myself struggling with self-harming as I felt trapped in my own mind and scared of my future.”
For a large portion of Leah’s life, her mind tormented her telling herself she was not good enough. Because she was no longer meditating she didn’t know how to change or detach from her own thoughts. Rather than going within to find peace, Leah sought out validation through her physical appearance, her athletic ability, social recognition, and other measures of vanity. “I drowned out all other thoughts by focusing on bodybuilding and fitness to an unhealthy extent” Leah shares.
Find your way back to mindful living
The idea of meditation and soul work can easily sit in the back of ones mind, meaning change and transformation isn’t always spurred by a light bulb or ‘aha’ moment, but rather a gradual progression throughout consistent practice.
This was the case for Leah, who was 26 years of age when she gave meditation a second chance. It was a gradual process of 5 to 15 minute meditation practices that had her feeling less of a victim to the “evil” voice in her head. Through practicing a few times a week, Leah started to regain more control over her emotions and finally let go of anxious thoughts after a decade.
Often in relationships, we can be prone to emotional outbursts that we take out on our partner or spouse. This is because it can be difficult for some to communicate their emotions, so they find themselves acting childish or irrational. Rather than taking a few deep breaths when one is under stress, it can easily result in yelling and even crying. These heightened emotional reactions were a symptom of Leah’s internal dialogue that were both toxic and depressing. Through meditation, she learned how to separate her true self from her emotions and thought patterns, and also learned how to better observe and transmute negative emotions.
Improving romantic relationships through self-healing
This emotional maturity (which was brought on by increased self-awareness) welcomed forth massive self-healing and improvements in Leah’s marriage. While her husband was not interested in meditation at this time (which is something she learned not to force) he has noticed positive changes in her energy from her regular zen-routine.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and fear became apparent, for many it meant leaning into meditation even further. Daily meditations have fast become a morning and an evening ritual to observe ones thoughts, connect deeper with soul and source, and visualize the future they desire.
For Award-winning Nutrition Coach Leah, doubling the time she spent meditating meant her levels of self-confidence, self-awareness, and self-control increased to the point where she was able to quit a 4-year habit that had been slowly hurting her health: vaping nicotine. She hired a meditation coach to guide her through breathwork, self-inquiry, and meditation techniques. By educating herself more on her own body and soul, positive changes rose to the surface.
Giving up toxic habits through increased self-awareness
When Leah began to meditate and feel more aligned, there was one area of her life that still felt off – which was her addiction to nicotine she had picked up just after college with some friends. She had not talked about this on social media (or to many people at all) because she carried a lot of shame and embarrassment around her habit, especially as a nutrition and fitness coach who preaches healthy eating and exercising.
Leah felt incapable of quitting for such a long time until she started to improve her mindset and empower herself through the power of thought and self-observation.
After 4 years of allowing her toxic habit to destroy her health, she finally drew the line in the sand and decided to kick her toxic habit once and for all. All of her previous mindset and meditation work over time allowed her to see clearly again and quit habits that no longer served her. “It is my hopes that meditation can help you detach from addictions big and small, from social media, to negative self talk, to sugary drinks, or something more consuming. Whether you need to break a sugar addiction, improving your communication skills, create stronger relationships, or a stronger body, observing and letting go of your thoughts is the most critical place to start. While it will take discipline to overcome any bad habit, the strength you gain in the process will stay with you for life.” Leah shares.
Meditation benefits for business
Incorporating daily meditation can help many business owners find more acceptance of the highs and lows that come with entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs can often find themselves overworked, anxious, and lacking creativity. By incorporating daily meditation practices, we are able to connect more with our inner voice.
Throughout the revelations and peace this award-winning nutrition coach found with meditation, she was able to enhance her signature program Weight Loss Warriors. By incorporating meditative work, journal prompts, guided meditations, and soul work resources for her clients, they can experience the magic of meditation for themselves. “I believe that by bringing the spirituality element into my fitness coaching and weight loss programs, I am able to evoke a deeper transformation with each person in my class.”
Whether it is through her podcast show, Instagram posts, exclusive coaching programs, or simply through a conversation in the form of a direct message, Leah always make a point to shine a bright light on mindful awareness as much as possible.
“Staying conscious, open minded, and open-hearted is a full-time job, but the more people that discover this practice, the faster we will experience positive change in society, our health, & our relationships.”
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