Do you meditate? I tried something new and it was harder than I thought!
So I’ve been “sort of” practicing the art of mediation inconsistently for 2-3 years. I start and then I stop. I start and then I stop. Sound familiar?! Hey, at least I keep coming back to it to try again.
Many people are fearful of meditation. They’re not sure how it works. They think it’s too hard. They think it means “shutting your brain off” (lets be clear….if you shut your brain off you’re dead). They think it takes a long time. They’re not sure of the point. They think you have to be “religious” or “spiritual”. Do any of these resonate with you? Most of them did for me once upon a time.
Here’s the thing. There’s a TON of science around the benefits of meditation (I’m a closet science nerd) a few of which are: it helps to reduce stress, control anxiety, decrease blood pressure and it may reduce age related memory loss. Pretty awesome reasons to give it a go if you ask me. Besides the fact that when I do take the time to meditate I feel happier, more optimistic and more grateful. Also, pretty good benefits don’tcha think?
So today I tried a new form a mediation that I hadn’t tried before; an intentional walking meditation called VIPASSANA. I walk pretty consistently in the mornings (when it’s not a million degrees in the desert) but I always have my ear buds in and my phone on me. I’m usually listening to affirmations, podcasts or audio books while snapping selfies or boomerangs for IG because ya know, PRODUCTIVITY.
Anway, back to the walking meditation. I left my phone at home (gasp!) and set a timer on my watch for one hour. Now I could have easily speed walked for an hour and enjoyed the outdoors but my mind would be EVERYWHERE. I’d be thinking about all the things I should have done in the past, beating myself up for all things I should be doing that I’m not doing out of fear and insecurity, all the time I’ve wasted in life (guys, I’m almost 50. Need I say more?!) I mean seriously, the brain is an asshole and it’s always fucking with you. BUT…. something I’ve learned thanks to DR Joe Dispenza is that WE ARE NOT OUR MINDS. We think our brain controls us but that’s a lie. WE CAN CONTROL OUR MINDS. WE ARE IN CHARGE OF THE THOUGHTS WE THINK. Thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions, become your habits, you habits become your values, your values become your destiny (Gandhi) When you change your thoughts you will change your life! Enter the power of meditation.
Meditation isn’t about turning your brain off. It’s about TUNING IN WITH FOCUS and tuning out the NOISE (you know, that shit that’s on repeat in your head on the daily) even if only for a short time.
So back to this vipassana meditation……. it’s an insight meditation where you pay close attention to sensation. Sitting is the most common way to perform this meditation but I prefer meditations that I can lie down or walk. Some extra beni’s of walking mediation is that it aids in balance, accuracy of awareness and durability of concentration. (Via lionsroar.com) In this walking meditation you pay close attention to the actual walking process, tuning into the mechanics and sensation of walking. Sounds easy enough right? Not so much ha. Remember, this is done for a whole HOUR! First thing I noticed was that I had to really slow my walk down! (I’m usually a pretty quick walker!) I noticed my mind wandering pretty quickly. Oh hey look at that cute dog, look at those pretty flowers, what’s that weird smell, eeewww are there bugs on me? Damn it’s getting hot my pits are sweating….and a whole other host of random thoughts that were invading my meditation. THIS IS ALL NORMAL. The key is to NOTICE. I’m becoming a pro “noticer” of my thoughts because of meditation. And when you start to notice your thoughts you can change them. So when I notice my mind straying I bring it back to TUNING IN to the process and the sensation of walking. Needless to say I found it challenging and I’m excited to keep coming back to the practice and see if I can make it through one whole hour of controlling my mind while I walk. I have no idea how long it will take. Couple months? Couple years? I couldn’t even guess but I’m excited to keep practicing and find out. Who knows what other magic will unfold in the process.
Wishing you a life full of JOY, VITALITY & ABUNDANCE always in all ways,
Michelle
PS. I thought you might enjoy a short list of different types of meditation practices to try out.
Calming VS Insight
Guided VS Unguided
Mantra meditation
Yoga meditation
Sound bath meditation ( a personal favorite)
Chakra meditation
Qigong meditation
“Warning: when feelings become the means of thinking, or if we cannot think greater than how we feel, we can never change. To change is to act greater than the familiar feelings of the memorized self””