Do you have a lot of stress in your life? Has this stress caused you to lose sleep, decreased your appetite, or even caused physical problems/ailments? Did you know that you can help yourself and all it takes is some breathing?
Yep, that’s right, all it takes is a few minutes a day of sitting there and breathing. That’s not too hard because you already know how to sit and how to breathe, and you’re probably doing it right now! What if you went into a quiet room or gave yourself some quiet by putting on music or putting in earplugs? Sit in a comfortable position (in a chair, on the floor, whatever) and focus on your breath. Before you know it, you’re meditating! Just like the sages in caves in ancient India, you too can meditate.
One reason I think many people are hesitant to meditate is they think they will be bad at it. They think that because their minds run at 1937492 miles/hr., there is absolutely no way to clear it long enough to meditate. Well here’s an idea that may help you – meditation isn’t about clearing your mind. Just like yoga isn’t about standing on your head. There are many layers of complexity to both practices that you can’t possibly sum them up in one idea. Our minds weren’t made to be blank – that’s left for zombie brains. Our minds were created with thoughts and ideas and impulses that are all completely natural. When we meditate, we don’t try to get rid of these thoughts, we work to let them go.
Just as you let your shoulders go in your yoga poses, you don’t hold on to thoughts as you meditate. in a two-minute session, you may have 45 different thoughts come to mind. And that is completely fine. As long as you don’t hold on to these thoughts, ruminate over them, and let them stress you out, then you are right on track. What you may find is that the better you get at letting the thoughts pass by, the easier it becomes to tune them out. Then you may find you sleep better, you get sick less often, your blood pressure and other body functions return to a more level state – overall, you are a healthier person. And seriously, all it took was some breathing.
Don’t believe me? Here are some recent studies on meditation:
Meditation Makes Your Brain Stronger
Meditation Is Better Than Morphine
Meditation Helps Tune Out Distractions
Yep, that’s right, all it takes is a few minutes a day of sitting there and breathing. That’s not too hard because you already know how to sit and how to breathe, and you’re probably doing it right now! What if you went into a quiet room or gave yourself some quiet by putting on music or putting in earplugs? Sit in a comfortable position (in a chair, on the floor, whatever) and focus on your breath. Before you know it, you’re meditating! Just like the sages in caves in ancient India, you too can meditate.
One reason I think many people are hesitant to meditate is they think they will be bad at it. They think that because their minds run at 1937492 miles/hr., there is absolutely no way to clear it long enough to meditate. Well here’s an idea that may help you – meditation isn’t about clearing your mind. Just like yoga isn’t about standing on your head. There are many layers of complexity to both practices that you can’t possibly sum them up in one idea. Our minds weren’t made to be blank – that’s left for zombie brains. Our minds were created with thoughts and ideas and impulses that are all completely natural. When we meditate, we don’t try to get rid of these thoughts, we work to let them go.
Just as you let your shoulders go in your yoga poses, you don’t hold on to thoughts as you meditate. in a two-minute session, you may have 45 different thoughts come to mind. And that is completely fine. As long as you don’t hold on to these thoughts, ruminate over them, and let them stress you out, then you are right on track. What you may find is that the better you get at letting the thoughts pass by, the easier it becomes to tune them out. Then you may find you sleep better, you get sick less often, your blood pressure and other body functions return to a more level state – overall, you are a healthier person. And seriously, all it took was some breathing.
Don’t believe me? Here are some recent studies on meditation:
Meditation Makes Your Brain Stronger
Meditation Is Better Than Morphine
Meditation Helps Tune Out Distractions
