Meditation for Dummies
Why don't we do what most of us know can help us?
Living a life centered around the ego, or the thought that I exist comes with suffering. We are conditioned to see ourselves in our minds. I like to define our minds as our thoughts, dreams, and desires. When we think we are our minds, we live a life that includes attachment, pride, and expectations of others. Inevitably, this leads to disappointment and in many cases, suffering.
Personally, I have found the practice of meditation to be helpful in easing the degree of suffering. Before we get to my thoughts on meditation, let's first look at the power of perspective. Let me take you back to grade 12 physics class where we learned the 1st Law of Thermodynamics - Energy can neither be created nor destroyed but only transferred from one form to another. This is not just for states of matter shifting from one form to another, but this same law applies to the energy or perspective we bring to any situation. I have always been intrigued by how the same set of circumstances can happen to people with drastically different outcomes. Take for instance someone who gets into a serious car accident. For one person, the pain and emotional suffering they experience can turn into lifelong debilitation. To another person, who perseveres through the same pain and discomfort, it could lead to renewed physical strength and resilience. Obviously, there are many factors that could predispose someone to the former and also aid someone to the latter. The point is to appreciate the level of autonomy we all possess when faced with obstacles. We can control how we respond. Responding is always better than reacting. One of the ways to gradually shift us into responding to situations is by meditating.
I’m aware that by using the ‘M’ word, I may have lost some of you. The use of labels can be counterproductive because people have different experiences with words. If meditation comes with images or thoughts that do not resonate with you, then let's use the term mindfulness or awareness. Let's look at some science behind what happens to your brain when you meditate.
By measuring electrical activity in the brain via an electroencephalogram (EEG), people who meditate see an increase in alpha-1 brain wave activity in the prefrontal cortex.1 Alpha-1 waves are the bridge between conscious thinning and our subconscious mind. Increasing alpha-1 waves also indicate that different parts of the brain work together in coherence. This coherence extends beyond the actual meditation session.[1]
Regular meditation has also been linked to improved anxiety and depression, chronic pain, and insomnia.[2] Over time, you’ll develop more mindfulness, too. Mindfulness is the ability to be aware of what’s happening in the present moment. It builds emotional intelligence and these benefits spill over into other parts of your life
.A common meditation misconception is that your goal is to have a totally clear mind to reap the benefits of the practice. Marvin G. Belzer, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCLA, shares “If we try to fight the thoughts to make them stop, that’s a losing battle.” Instead, we can focus our thoughts elsewhere: on the breath, the sounds around us, or our body. A useful way of thinking about this is that in order to get to no thoughts and simply appreciate the moment before us, we can try to get down to one thought. With enough practice, we can go from one thought to no thoughts. When I say no thoughts, I mean the experience of just being in the present moment.
I don’t have time!
This is a natural human response to things that may seem difficult. The world is a place that bombards us with external stimuli. It takes effort to sit still, even if just for a few minutes. At the end of the day, we do things we deem to be important. Like many things in life, when you figure out your 'WHY' for doing something you are much more likely to stick with this practice. Do you want to have better conversations with your loved ones? Do you want to think less about the past, and decrease how much you worry about the future? The first part of any new habit is really understanding why you want to do it. Regarding the actual time commitment, let me break it down this way. Of the roughly 1000 waking minutes in the day, can you set aside 3-4 minutes to start meditating? This equates to 0.3% of the time in your day. If you want to start with this practice, you may want to try it as soon as you get up in the morning or when you pull into your garage after a long day. Particularly hectic days are usually the ones where meditation can be most helpful. When we separate the forest from the trees, we can often gain unique perspectives through meditation. This can help solve problems that have been stifling us in our lives.
ACTION STEPS:
Start with a ‘META or love and kindness meditation’. This meditation is focused on connecting you to your heart and feeling more compassion.
Google ‘binaural beats’ from Youtube, put some headphones on, close your eyes, and focus your attention through your third eye (this is located in the middle of your forehead just above your eyebrows).
Download the INSIGHT TIMER app which has meditations as short as 3 minutes. Other meditation apps include Calm, Ten Percent Happier, Balance and Headspace.
Sources
Roth, B. (2018). Strength in stillness: The power of Transcendental Meditation. Simon & Schuster.
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know