BE UNIQUE
Why start Meditation?
It refocuses your attention from outside to within.
Again? We’re through with the same meditation bullsh*t.
I know.
No matter how trendy and clickbaity it sounds, meditation works.
Even Phil Jackson — renowned coach of the NBA — initiated the Bulls and Lakers how to meditate in the Last Dance leaving the likes of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Scotty Pippen to win several championships.
Before I explain, let me acknowledge the hurdle of even thinking about starting this practice.
I know how hard it is to sit down and not move for a while.
I’ve been through it and I failed 6 times since 2017 before I was able to make this a daily habit. Sitting down and doing nothing is very counterintuitive for a society where “busy” is the new cool.
But it is possible. It’s the same as learning to ride a bicycle. At first, you don’t how to balance yourself, then after a while, you bike without even thinking about it.
Meditation also needs training like any other skill.
There are two types of meditation: passive and active.
The first one is based on Mindfulness and being more present.
The second one is geared toward visualization and manifestation.
Both serve different purposes but ultimately have similar benefits.
Our social media day and age, as well as our daily life tasks, prevent us sometimes from facing inner turmoil.
Our need for guidance makes us expect answers to come from outside rather than within ourselves.
And when the signals we get contradict each other (which they will due to several factors including developing our own personality which clashes with our upbringing/culture), our brain is confused and starts seeking an escape through being busy.
And truthfully, we are happy to indulge in those distractions because they keep us from confronting what’s brewing inside: problems, negative self-talk, and maybe past failures.
Well, Meditation — when practiced with intent — doesn’t allow those distractions.
It helps you deal with those subconscious issues because it refocuses your attention from outside to within. You sit with yourself, concentrate on your breathing, and suddenly there is only you.
No more friends giving you sugar-coated compliments.
No more blaming your parents for everything wrong in your life.
No one to help you but you.
It is also through self-reflecting that you start picking up contradictory patterns of thoughts with your own emotions/actions.
This is where the juicy part is because it aligns thoughts, emotions, and actions together.
A self-discovery process to finally take responsibility for who you are and your thoughts.
How do I start?
Simply meditating every day for at least 5 min every day.
This is why I recommend doing this habit in the morning after brushing your teeth.
Get it done first thing in the morning so you lose the opportunity to procrastinate on it during the day.
Set a timer of 3–5 min, take a pillow, and go in an empty space/room where you will not be disturbed. Try doing it for a week with an intention to succeed.
And I mean a real intention to succeed.
It doesn’t suffice to sit down, count your fingers, and complain when you’re unable to empty your mind. “I’m too stressed. or “I’m not in the mood” will not cut it. “You know, I have a real job with real responsibilities, alright?” is also unacceptable.
If studies show people with ADHD can do it, your only excuse is the bullsh*t story you tell yourself to escape from doing it.
If it’s easy to be busy, then even more props to sitting down and trying the hard part of doing nothing.
As a beginner, I recommend starting with guided meditations. Below are some suggestions that got me started and/or recommended by my network.
As a meditator for two years, I compared my experience with my friends. We experienced common benefits such as alignment of disparate thought and emotion. It also made us aware of the depth of our minds.
My insight was that meditation’s benefits are universal but the answers you find in yourself are unique to each person.
And the best thing is you are in control of the process.
I’m not going to lie. I struggled like a majority of people at first.
Then, as I kept on practicing, I slowly got better at it. I noticed when I tend to escape from responsibilities with my family and also in my love relationships.
When I became aware of my pattern, I was able to change some of them. Others take a bit of time because they are deeply rooted.
But seeing the small changes and how I am becoming better each day gives me faith that I will shift all of them completely.
There are several applications to help you get into meditation such as Headspace or The Mindfulness App. I used the free version of Omvana until I started meditating on my own. I would also recommend trying the free 6 phase Meditation Quest by MindValley.
I personally tried it and followed their advice on how to meditate properly in terms of posture, process, and guidance.
Are there other ways to do it? ( in other words, do I have to sit down?)
The most common one is sitting down or laying on the floor/mattress/bed, with your back straight. It is a gentler type of meditation.
There other ways: A cold shower in the morning is another type of meditation. It helps center you in the present moment. Ice baths such as the Wim Hof method also work too.
Other types of meditation include martial arts such as we see in Shaolin Temples. Certain forms of Qigong (or KungFu) base meditation on movement which promotes mind discipline combined with breathing techniques and agile movements. You can find a great article about the foundation of Qigong philosophy.
You can choose whatever meditation practice that works best for you.
As long as you practice one of them consistently, you will experience more mindfulness and presence of your patterns of thoughts.
Most importantly, you will know what to prioritize in your life.
You will cease to feel like you’re chasing the day.
None of the links, brands, or products I put in this article is sponsored. I merely shared my experience and knowledge using them.
