I meditate daily, and have been doing so for about two and a half years now. I've fallen off a few times but never for long, because I can immediately feel the detrimental effects of skipping my meditation sessions. Nowadays I don't tend to skip more than a day or two here and there, and only if I'm traveling or otherwise unable to find a quiet moment during the day. Most days, I am able to manage anything from ten to thirty minutes in the morning, followed by at least five or ten minutes in the afternoon.
I know it sounds a bit kooky and New-Age-y, but there is so much power and yes, even science, behind a meditation practice, I am not surprised that it's become so popular during this turbulent time. It's got something for both the dreamer and the hard-core realist. You can practice meditation regardless of your religion or creed. It can be Buddhist, but it needn't be Buddhist. It can be Hindu, but it needn't be. It conforms neatly and quietly to whatever shape your mind is in, and whatever cultural reality exists for you.
First of all, it's not about emptying your mind. It's almost the opposite; you can't empty your mind, is the point. It's about meeting yourself where you are–your mind is a movie screen and you can be a spectator to the drama in your head. You cultivate an attitude of, oh, that's interesting.
Second, it's a practice, like a daily visit to the gym or the daily writing habit I cultivate on this blog. That means it's not a race or a competition, and it also means that any particular meditation session doesn't matter. A particularly peaceful session doesn't mean you're approaching enlightment, and an unfocused, distracted session doesn't mean that you're messing up.
And third, you will find yourself pausing and realizing that your mind was about to wander, but you caught it before it did. And it's a blessing when this happens during your husband's monologue or the kid's dance recital. We want to show up for the important things in life, but too often we are busily working through other things in our head. And multitasking is a lie. You can't multitask. No one can. So when you are planning a vacation in your mind while your kid warbles on stage–you're not present. You've bailed. And don't think your kid won't notice, either. They always notice.
I use a wonderful app called 10% Happier, put out by Dan Harris of ABC's Nightline fame. Harris famously suffered debilitating panic attacks…on camera. He was also suffering from drug addiction and possibly some level of PTSD after returning from Afghanistan, where he covered the war for ABC News. While he did receive professional help in the form of traditional medicine, he also began to meditate, and shortly thereafter, became an evangelist for an approach “without the woo-woo.” A self-described skeptic, he needed to find a basis in science for meditation, or he knew he wouldn't respect it.
The app got me hooked. It has video classes, guided meditations, and even a coach whom you can message 24/7 with questions. I've been using it since the first day I downloaded it, and it's only gotten better. I've done just about every class, every lesson, every guided meditation. There's something for every eventuality, including insomnia, grief, gratitude, joy, and even phone use, food, and driving and walking around (don't close your eyes for those!).
I've since picked up other apps but I always come back to this one, at least once a day. I love it. It requires an in-app purchase to unlock all of the features but I'm fine with that. It's vast. It's nerdy. It's got your back.
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