2026 – A “One” Year
What Will We Begin?
The last time we had a “One” year was in 2017 (in numerology: 2+0+1+7 = 10, 1+0 = 1). Here we are again in 2026 (2+0+2+6 = 10, 1+0 = 1). This got me thinking back to what I began in 2017: I started working for a couple of companies that I had worked for 13 years prior. I started my business: Better Ask Becca, LLC and began offering Healing Touch for Animals ® sessions. I bought my Toyota Highlander, Duncan MacLeod. But the thing that changed my life the most in 2017, is that I began meditating daily.
When I met my meditation teacher, Todd Cornell, I didn’t know he was a meditation teacher. I knew he was an entrepreneur, like I aspire to be, and he was at a networking group that I had found. I was instantly drawn to the sense of calm he always seemed to exude. He needed a coworking space, and I happened to know of one, in the same building I was working. He started working there and we became friends.
An opportunity arose for me to MC onstage at a local festival, introducing musical artists to the crowd before they took the stage. I was nervous, full of anticipated stage fright where I imagined I would stumble over my words and seem a fool, and so I was looking for ways to work through this before the big day. I mentioned it to Todd in passing when he asked me what I was working on, and he said he had some breathing exercises and mindfulness techniques that he would be willing to share. I said, “Sure, that sounds great!” and we went to a room together where he taught me about belly breathing.
Not aware of this concept, I couldn’t quite get it as I walked around the pretend stage at the front of the room. He encouraged me to try lying down on my back and breathing into my belly that way to feel it, as he said it was a natural thing for our bodies to do when resting. Now, I have worked through my trauma of lying on my back in a self-defense class, but I was still a little intimidated to lie down on the floor in a room with a guy friend whom I didn’t know all that well yet. I had a feeling that I could trust him, and that the floor was fairly clean, and so I went for it. Lying there on my back, breathing, I became aware of my breath in my lower abdomen, with my belly rising and falling on its own, with its very own rhythm. Without me doing anything, my body was breathing me into a state of calm and presence.
This simple act of awareness changed me, subtly at first. I stood up and was able to breathe into my belly while standing. Bringing my awareness to my breath was the first step in calming my nerves and centering me so I could say what I needed to say while holding a mic in front of a crowd. I was excited and Todd could tell that I was ready for more. He asked me if I had a meditation practice. I said that I didn’t, but that I kept getting signs that I needed it.
I have a deck of oracle cards called “Trust Your Vibes” by Sonia Choquette (the same name as her well-known book) that I draw from regularly. At this time, that was the deck that I was using daily, each morning, as a ritual to connect with my soul. There is a “Meditate” card in that deck with the description in the guidebook that says:
“You’ve been meaning to meditate, and maybe you’re managing to … sometimes. However, if you really want to live a fully grounded and guided six-sensory life in the flow of synchronicity and good vibes, you must meditate every day. I know it takes time and commitment, but the gain is worth the effort. It stabilizes your sixth sense and trains your mind to quiet down so that you can hear your vibes more accurately. View meditation as a gift, not an assignment or an unpleasant duty. You don’t have to meditate for a long time to be successful: 10 to 20 minutes is adequate. What is far more important is to meditate at the same time every day. The more consistent and predictable it is, the easier it becomes. Your subconscious mind starts to anticipate that time as a moment to relax and listen to your Higher Self, and it cooperates.
If you’re consistent, you’ll receive the guidance you seek as you meditate. It’s simple: Start with breathing slowly in to the count of four, and then out to the count of four, and relax. Think only of your breath and being. Start with 5 minutes and work up to 15. If your mind wanders, don’t worry. Simply go back to breathing. Be patient and stay with it. Look forward to it. Enjoy your meditation time. It’s an appointment with peace.”
Now, I had been drawing that card over and over again, sometimes multiple days in a row, and I just didn’t DO it. I thought about it, I would breathe and count while reading the description, but I wouldn’t follow the recommendation of setting up a consistent time every day, and I wouldn’t even remember the advice until I drew the card again.
So, when Todd asked me about meditation, probably on the same day I had drawn that card again for the second day in a row, I knew this was truly a sign from the universe that I needed to pay attention to. Then he echoed the same things that Sonia Choquette said in that description – set up a time every day. Start with simply breathing. Begin with 5 minutes.
He told me about an app called Insight Timer and showed me how to set up a simple preset to keep track of the duration of the meditation for me. He also encouraged me to count my breath cycles: inhale and exhale = 1, inhale and exhale = 2, inhale and exhale = 3, and so forth until reaching 10. Then start over at 1. If distraction comes in and the count is up to 11, 12, 13, just notice and go back to 1. No judgment.
“Meditation is not a way of making your mind quiet. It is a way of entering into the quiet that is already there.”
~ Deepak Chopra
I tried it out the next morning and struggled with the 5 minutes. I checked in with him the next day and he encouraged me to try again, this time for just 3 minutes. I became consistent with 3 minutes/day, each morning after waking up, and he encouraged me to add 2 minutes after I had been consistent for a week. I started to notice benefits in my life like: improved focus, greatly reduced anxiety, much more present moment restful awareness, a greater sense of peace and calm, more happiness, and improved relationships and communication with others.
I eventually made my way up to 15-20 minutes every day and started to add in an afternoon meditation as well. Like bookends to a busy life, meditation became a way to keep my peace contained and easily accessible. Now I still meditate every day, morning and evening, as a way to keep that connection to my true self alive and well. It’s been an amazing 9 years of growth with this practice, and in this “One” year, I’m grateful to be offering the 6-week course that I started with that connects us to our breath, through our senses, and allows the beginning or the deepening of a meditation practice for all who participate.
You can register for the course here.
Stay tuned for more information about the Ayurveda mini-retreat coming up on February 22 in Crystal River. The retreat and the 6-week meditation course will also be offered online for those of you not currently in Florida. I look forward to seeing you there and sharing my practice with you!