Meditation and where to start
Think about nothing. Whaat?
You often hear that meditation is where you sit with your legs crossed, retreat to a mountain and think about nothing.
Don’t get me wrong, but when I heard that I was a little worried. How on earth am I going to achieve that?
It wasn’t until I started learning from meditation teachers that I realized, that observing your thoughts as they pass through your mind and letting them just float by is how you start.
What we have believed about meditation is reaching Samadhi, is the meditation. What is this samadhi? Here’s a definition for you.
sa·ma·dhi /səˈmädē/ noun
a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation. In Hindu yoga, this is regarded as the final stage, at which union with the divine is reached (before or at death).
So how do make this work for us? Yoga and meditation techniques have been shared with the world because of their many benefits.
No one is perfect! Everything is a practice and a process. Meditation and Mindfulness practice is the same way.
I believe it’s about working towards Samadhi. It’s a practice, it takes time, and doing a little each day goes a long way. When you practice mindfulness you get a chance to allow your brain to switch from your sympathetic body to your parasympathetic.
Sympathetic is Fight, Flight, or Freeze. This is the survival brain. This is great when you are in danger, it helps us to react. Not so great when we’re not being chased by a tiger or avoiding a copperhead snake. But you can still be triggered by nasty texts, emails, long wait times, etc. the list goes on.
Parasympathetic is your relaxed and feel-good state. This is when the endorphins have been released into your system. You can make better choices from this place, it’s driven by joy and happiness. Your body is more relaxed along with your mind.
So how does one begin?
You can check out meditations via an app. Prices may have changed by the time you read this. So please always double-check for yourself before purchasing.
Insight timer - over 45, 000 Free options.
Headspace - you gotta pay for this, it’s about $70 Annually or $13/monthly.
Ten Percent happier meditation- Beginner friendly! it’s about $100 annually.
2. Find a Meditation teacher in your area. A quick google search can help you there!
3. You can attend a Yoga studio, often yoga teachers will also guide you through a short meditation at the beginning, or during svasana at the end. Svasana is a time when you can lay there and be still. It’s a great place to allow the thoughts to float by. Sound familiar? Sound like meditation or mindfulness?
I hope this encourages you to start a practice of meditation and mindfulness.