Hello, sweet things. A couple of weeks ago we launched a meditation challenge. If you didn’t do the challenge but are interested in starting a daily practice, please do, and let us know how it goes in the comments. (Some tips for beginners here.) Also, be reminded, that we said there was a prize! Three lucky winners will get presents in the mail from Essence of Vali, and they are announced below.

We were inspired (and, being honest, surprised) that so many of you gave it a go. Sitting still is hard, but it gets easier every day, as several of you noted in your letters.

A lot of you said that you were sleeping better, which is music to our ears. One writer said “I learned that I love meditating!” and you ALL (yes, all) of you said you intended to keep up the practice even after the challenge ended. Autumn said she felt more focused overall, and without trying. “It came naturally. It was a small difference, but it was noticeable.”

Some of you noted that after just a couple of days, five minutes went by in a blink. Letter writer Nicole used an alarm, and writes: “Day 1 and 2 I was anticipating the alarm, hoping that it would go off already! However, by the third day I was actually alarmed when the alarm went off—pun intended!!” (Um, Nicole, you’re adorable.)

Many of you said you found your mind wandered (normal) but that mantra helped. Some of you used “Let Go,” which we recommended, and one of you even went all the way with “Ohm Namashivaya” (looking at you, Rebecca!).

Literally every one of you who wrote to us said you really enjoyed meditating daily and Jana wrote: “It’s amazing how quickly I’ve begun craving meditation.”

Another writer likened it to training for a race: “When you train for running, you’re like ‘OK, today I’m going to run an extra mile.’ I’m not sure what the heck this is training for…clarity of mind?” Yes! That!

The most touching comment, to me, was this, from Bettina in Germany: “Knowing that there are people who are doing this with me for the past week makes it more meaningful—like I’m participating in a world movement!” (How are you all so freaking cute?! Really.)

And finally, Moksha from Montreal took the words right out of our mouths:

“There are constantly a billion ways for our minds to be engaged (even in extremely positive ways) but I suspect that one of the things people are very hungry for, whether they know it or not, is emptiness and the recognition of emptiness.”

As we said, three lucky people would win a prize from an aromatherapist we love. Her name is Valerie Bennis and we first met her while we were researching our book. She makes wonderful mixtures for her line Essence of Vali, and is so passionate about what she does.

Her sleep formula is incredibly powerful, and it smells so good we wish we could wear it as perfume. (Can’t do that, though—you’d be snoozing all over the place.) We also love her other mixtures and three of you have won care packages from her.

Drum roll please….

1. Nicole, from Hoboken, NJ

2. Katherine, from Houston, TX

3. Jana, New York, NY

Let’s all congratulate the ladies, and if you did the challenge but never wrote to us, or want to talk more about meditation, or aromatherapy (mmmm), weigh in, in the comments.

Image from meditation challenge participant Alex Newell. Thanks, Alex!!