Meditation
Meditation usually makes people have a couple of different reactions. People either think it sounds cool to say they do it but never actually tried it, they think it’s some woo woo thing, they tried it once for two minutes and quit or they actually do it. Find yourself connecting with one of these?
About six years ago I was asked to participate in a medical study where I was required to meditate daily for an entire year. Everyday for a whole year, can you believe that? I actually jumped at the opportunity so fast because I had dabbled in meditation before but always wanted to establish a practice. So I started out and like a good student I checked off the boxes and got quiet everyday. Over the course of a year I tried out different types (who knew there were so many) to see which ones I connected to more. Not every day was the same length of time but each day I tuned in. After the year was over I not only was able to turn in all my results from the study but better yet I kept my practice going. Score!
In case you haven’t heard all the recent buzz about why meditating has become so mainstream, the benefits are plentiful. To name a few it’s known to:
Reduce stress
Lessen anxiety
Increase focus
Improve sleep
Increase compassion
Enhance your mood
Sounds worth a try, doesn’t it? So if you’ve never tried it before or maybe you did but quit shortly after your busy brain went wild then I suggest just trying some very short, basic techniques. You can simply sit comfortably (in a chair or on the ground-don’t get hung up on it) and tune into your breath. Just deepening your breath by breathing into your belly will instantly start to calm you down. Witness the rise and fall of your breath. By taking 2-3 conscious breaths like that you’ll feel an energy shift in your body. Maybe that’s all you need to start out with and that’s great. Try to do that several times throughout your day and notice how you feel.
If you’re ready to take your practice up a notch there are like I mentioned above tons of different types of meditation. My suggestion is play around with different styles to see what feels best to you. Many popular ones include transcendental (using a mantra), body scan, heartfulness & mindfulness.
Regardless of which one you try just know that thoughts will arise and that’s ok. In fact the goal is not to stop your thoughts all together rather to allow them to come and go without being attached to them. The more you practice the easier it will be to quiet your mind leaving you to relish in the stillness of pure awareness. Man, those moments are THE best! If you know, you know.
Note to Self: Take time each day to get quiet and still. No time doing this will be wasted. It’s called a meditation practice because it takes time so don’t give up.
