Why meditate?
There really are so many reasons, but the one that I became aware of today is equanimity. My daughter has two hockey games today. We finished the first and came home for a few hours before heading out to the next. I thought I had plenty of time to spatchcock a whole chicken on the grill (If you haven’t tried this, you totally should!). On a trip out to flip the chicken over about 2/3 of the way through its cooking time, I realized the gas had run out at some point…with no spare! In my pre-meditation years I would have totally freaked out, made a big deal about it, and thought I was cursed with bad luck. Today it was: oh, the grill seems cool; oh man, no more gas; well then, I guess I’ll finish it up in the oven. No drama, no blame and no stressed out feelings. Calm, cool, collected.
But wait! There’s more!
Even in that last paragraph there was another benefit: self-awareness. I am so much more conscious of my thoughts and the little habits and things I do. It’s a game changer! Would you like the super power to be able to see your self-destructive or negative patterns and change them? Try meditation. But, it doesn’t stop there! Here are some more benefits according to the Mayo Clinic:
- Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
- Building skills to manage your stress
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
- Increasing imagination and creativity
- Increasing patience and tolerance
- Lowering resting heart rate
- Lowering resting blood pressure
- Improving sleep quality
Sounds great! How to get started?
Not everyone meditates in exactly the same way. It’s about finding what works for you. An easy place to start is with your breath. In just sixteen seconds you can calm and soothe your sympathetic nervous system with Box Breathing:
- Slowly inhale for four seconds
- Hold for four seconds
- Gently exhale for four seconds
- Hold for four seconds
- Repeat as many times as you’d like.
Let’s take it a little deeper.
Try that same exercise but this time allow your attention to move to the sensations instead of the counting. Feel the coolness at your nostrils as you breathe in and how that air is now warm on the exhale. Feel the inhale fill and move your chest and belly. Notice the exhale release as your chest and belly move back down. Let me lead you through it in this YouTube video.
Looking for more?
There are so many different kinds of meditation. We started with breath (well, ONE type of breathwork), but there is also Metta (Loving-Kindness), body scans, mantras, tonglen (taking and receiving), guided visualizations, and so much more. Even yoga is a form of moving meditation. The beauty of having a practice is that you keep what works and leave what doesn’t. Meditation doesn’t have to look like it is traditionally represented. It can look however YOU do it. That’s another advantage of meditation, by the way, you begin to care less about what others’ think of you and more about how you feel and what you need and want!
Need a bit more convincing?
Well, what is there to lose? Who couldn’t use a little bit of extra quiet time? It’s free. It’s relaxing. To start, it can be as short as five minutes. FIVE minutes! I am willing to bet you can find five minutes to give it a go. What is the worst that can happen? In fact, only three things can happen in meditation: stillness of your body and mind, thinking, and/or sleep.
I am very thankful I gave meditation a try. It truly has changed my life and what my day-to-day life is like. It didn’t happen overnight, but I have let go of my ‘get it done’ mentality in favor of taking more time for myself to rest and do enjoyable activities (as well as letting go of the idea that constantly doing things somehow makes me worthy or a better person). With meditation, I have gained beautiful insights about myself and my life, welcomed forgiveness to myself and others into my heart, learned so much about myself in sudden ‘Aha!’ moments, and am learning more and more how wonderful the present moment is.
Let me know how this breathing technique worked for you in the comments below! Looking for a group or private lesson? Let me help you with that! Visit the Services or Contact Me page for more information. Thank you for breathing with me. Until next time, Namaste!
Dawn Ventura