A Doubter’s Guide to Meditation
Is it breath taking or out of reach?
In 2019 I tried a meditation app. Like many, I assumed meditation was ten minutes of breathing and resisting thoughts. However, after some reading and practise I’m understanding its hidden potential. In 2010, former Buddhist monk and recognized meditation expert, Andy Puddicombe, aimed to make meditation accessible with the app “Headspace”, and I was one of many giving it a go. It got me wondering, does meditation work for me? I started from a clean slate, not understanding meditation like lots of us out there, so here’s what I learnt…
Attempt one began in 2019, where sitting still whilst work piled up left me more on edge than before I started. I spent days doing 1-minute meditation bursts before having enough. I was impatient, and rather than seeing this as a reason to meditate, I ended my subscription. It was down to not understanding what I was doing and why, but I didn’t know that at the time.
In 2021 I returned to meditation. I began reading a book called “A Monk’s Guide To Happiness. Meditation in the 21st century” by Buddhist monk, Gelong Thubten, arguing meditation’s benefits in our fast paced, tech savvy, world. He wrote how “modern life tends to be characterised by an overload of busyness and the stress hormone cortisol” (Thubten, 34) where “being busy is seen as a mark of success” (Thubten, 34) but that the “real problem is that we are out of touch with the true beauty of our own minds” (Thubten, 35). Thubten’s work struck me as a reflection of my experience. I was caught up in a pacey existence, distracting myself with books and my phone, when maybe the distractions were the issue. I decided, with the motivation to take things slower and become more present, to give it another go.
I gave meditation shot number two in 2021. This time felt different. I did it daily and committed myself regardless of how frantic life was, because if nothing else it gave me a chance to slow down. Progress seemed quicker this time, first with it making me less irritable, and then by improving my relationships. My parents saw how relaxed I was becoming by taking time for myself, and I am now more present with friends.
I have noticed the impact first-hand, becoming a better master of challenging situations. From being calmer navigating public transport, to keeping momentum on busy days, training the mind improved mental stamina, and prevented fatiguing from stress so easily. I’ve also found benefits to sleeping better (although this is a working progress still!).
Don’t just take it from me, Puddicombe writes in his book “Meditation & Mindfulness” how “at Stanford Medical Centre, neuroscientists discovered that, after just six weeks of mindfulness, participants were able to fall asleep in half the time than usual” (Puddicombe, 197).
Even if research, my experience, and other people’s stories aren’t convincing you, isn’t it worth seeing for yourself? We’re all different, and even I gave up on my first attempt despite loving it now, so maybe giving it a go to see if it works for you is worth a shot.
I have a lot more to learn, from delving into the history of meditation to how I can take it further in my daily life, but from someone starting from scratch with many reasons not to give it a go, you can take it from me that it’s at least worth trying. It might completely revolutionise your life, or you might need to come back to it another day, but you’ll never know until you try it.
Work Cited:
Puddicombe, Andy. Meditation & Mindfulness Hodder & Stoughton, 2011, Great Britain.
Thubten, Gelong. A Monk’s Guide To Happiness. Meditation in the 21st century. Yellow Kite, 2019, Great Britain.
Image: Irina L from Pixabay
