On Meditation

Meditation is the single most important thing that I have added into my daily routine in the last year. I’m still not sure that meditating is for EVERYONE (maybe it is), but it really has made a definitive difference for me.

I was incredibly skeptical about meditating when I first started. I just didn’t “get it”. I was incredibly distracted, constantly thinking about what I would rather be doing or what I needed to get done or how nothing was happening (this is exactly why I NEEDED to meditate – I couldn’t focus on being in the present moment). However, once I figured out how to meditate and get into a “meditative state”, everything changed for me. I started to look forward to my quiet meditating time. I became more relaxed and aware of the present moment. I started worrying less about things in the future that were out of my control. Overall, I just felt way more “chill”.

I think the general perception of meditating is what prevents people from ever giving it a try (I’m guilty here). People think it’s “hipster” and doesn’t really do anything, but again if you can get rid of this preconceived notion and go into it with an open mind you may end up stumbling upon something that can really help you. There are a number of different ways to meditate (at various points in time I have used: 3 minutes of positive thinking in the morning, somatic tracking throughout the day, guided mindfulness in the evening, guided sleep meditation before bed). I enjoy going on YouTube and trying different meditations. I have a few that are my “favorites” that I will re-visit frequently (essentially these are the ones I get deepest into my “meditative state” and can focus the best with), but I’m always searching for more.

I typically shoot for 15-30 minutes for my guided sessions, but will go as short as 3 minutes for something like a positive thinking session. Like when you do curls and get a pump in your biceps, or do leg extensions and feel your quads get worked, I get a very similar feeling in my brain when I do longer guided meditations (it’s actually a really strange sensation to have a “mind pump”). If I am really locked in it will leave me rather fatigued (similar to a difficult training session in the gym, I feel like I am putting my brain through a demanding training session). Overall, I have been really enjoying my journey with meditation. I started out extremely skeptical, but have since become a believer. I’d encourage you to at least give it a try – be open-minded, remove potential distractions, and be as locked in on the present moment as you can.Hopefully you can get some value out of it, too!