In the past, I've made several attempts to meditate regularly. But I've always failed for the following reasons:
-- meditation is boring
-- meditation is hard
-- I don't have enough free time... Or at least, I'd rather spend my free time doing something that isn't boring or hard
But I've decided to challenge myself. I keep reading about all these health benefits of meditation, so I'm gonna give it a fair try. I got the app for my phone, and I'm going to do it for 15 minutes at least four days a week for a month. I'm posting my goal here with the Internet as my witness so that I will stick to it.
At the end of the month, I expect all my problems to be solved.
I had decided to meditate this month, too! But I haven't done it yet, not once. what app did you get?
ReplyDeleteIt's called Simply Being.
Deleteoh, and i'm fully expecting it to NOT work but then i'll have experimental evidence that it does not work for me...
ReplyDeleteI was a yoga teacher before med school. I'm three years in to med school and will be a new mom in August. You are absolutely right. Meditation is hard. Especially when you are juggling many aspects of life at once. That said, I can't express enough how much my meditation practice has helped both with stress associated with school and throughout my pregnancy. It's not a magic fix, but it did help me get out of cyclclical thinking and to be more aware of when my thought process is working against me. Probably the biggest thing I notice is an ability to stop ruminating over things that are stressful and either decide to do whatever will diffuse the stress or realize there is nothing to be done so being stressed is wasted energy. In terms of practice, for me, the key is simplicity. You don't necessarily need an app or chanting or even time to sit in one spot undisturbed. My favorite way to go about it is to tune into my breathing. Every time a new thought comes by, let it go on your exhale. Sometimes you are letting a new thought go every time you breathe out. Traditionally, meditation is performed seated but you can turn any activity into a meditation. I do it a lot when I cook or when I walk the dog. You can tune in to the smells of the food you are preparing or the sounds of whatever environment you find yourself in, again using the instruction to let go of new thoughts on the exhale. Even after 10 years of practicing, some days it feels great and others it feels like pulling teeth. Overall, it's way cheaper than therapy and unlike wine, you can do it at work.
ReplyDelete