Things rarely go the way we plan. Last week the weather forecast called for a calm, wind-free day. So a friend of mine and I went to beautiful Coronado beach to make a short video called “Why Meditate” for you.
Once we started filming, the wind kicked up. Although the background is gorgeous, all you can hear on the soundtrack is the wind racing across the microphone. The next day, we tried again at Dharma Center. In two takes, it seemed like we had a great video. I uploaded it to the computer and discovered at some point the camera tilted, so viewers have a wonderful shot of my nostrils. So rather than post a video of me talking down my nose while you look up it, I’m writing instead. Don’t worry, we’ll try the video again, because as you know, three times is a charm!
Let me get right into it: Why Meditate?
If you’re like most people, you’re very busy. You have a huge pile of things you need to do just to maintain your life. And then you have another long list, perhaps tucked away, of fun things you want to explore in this big magnificent world. Between the two, who has time to sit and do nothing?
The truth is, most people don’t have time to meditate. However, the successful people, those who are at the top of their field, have made time to do some type of meditation. They may not call it that, but at some point each and every day, they stop and let their mind rest in silence.
Meditation allows us to access the eternal part of our being, completely changing our perspective. Sitting in silence lets us experience unreasonable joy and a peace deeper than anything we can imagine. This time spent with our true self recharges and refreshes us and lets us find the play of existence.
Besides these ephemeral and difficult to describe states, even just the practice of learning how to meditate brings wonderful benefits to our lives. Our ability to focus and concentrate improves, along with our memory and ability to learn new things. There is an increase in our sense of well-being, self-esteem, and our overall awareness. And it gives us what every extremely busy person needs most: meditation decreases anxiety and stress.
Ancient yogis and yoginis have known about all of the benefits of meditation for thousands of years. In our modern world, we don’t want to take someone’s word for it; we want scientific studies. If you’re not ready to devote time each day to sit in meditation, then peruse a few of the articles below and perhaps that will inspire you to give this most excellent gift of meditation to yourself.
When you’re ready to learn more, come find me or another teacher at San Diego Dharma Center.
Here’s just a few of the articles that point to the studies that have been done:
Forbes: 7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change the Brain by Alice G. Walton
http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain/
Harvard Gazette: Eight Weeks to a Better Brain by Sue McGreevey
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/01/eight-weeks-to-a-better-brain/
Huffington Post: The Daily Habit of these Outrageously Successful People by Carolyn Gregoire
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/05/business-meditation-executives-meditate_n_3528731.html
Body Mind Soul Spirit: This Buddhist Monk Shows Unheard of Brain Activity During Meditation by Rachel Nuwer
If you are not in San Diego, you can learn how to start your own meditation and mindfulness practice from my book, “Peace with Pain: Your Guide to Life in a Malfunctioning Body,” available in paperback and Kindle.
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Prayer is speaking to God and meditation is listening to God.