Meditation
“Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”
The above is a quote from Viktor Frankl’s book ‘Man and his search for meaning’. Meditation helps me to become aware of the space that he talks about.
In the beginning stages of a meditation practice the space is very small but it can grow and with daily practice we can learn to sit in the space for longer. Growing this space inside changes our reactions and/or our responses to both internal and external events.
My meditation practice has become very inconsistent over the last two years. I have set myself a goal for September to meditate for at least 10 minutes daily. In this post I’ll give a brief overview of the benefits of meditation, list resources that I have used and I’ll write about why I meditate.
Benefits of Meditation:
Reduced anxiety and stress levels
Improved creativity
Improved concentration and focus
Improved patience and less reactivity
Growth of self awareness
Improved sleep quality
Improved capacity for compassion
Why I meditate:
The reason that I meditate is to train myself to habitually be able to return to my inner self or my breath in any stressful situation. It doesn’t even have to be a very stressful situation. When I find my mind following a thought process that may not be helpful to me or when my emotions overwhelm me, I would like to be able to catch myself and come back to my breath. By focusing on the breath I can then let go of the thought process or watch the emotion run its course through my body. I find that when I get the hang of this I develop a sense of spaciousness and ease. In the past when I have practiced meditation daily I found that I became less reactive and more compassionate. By practicing for 5-10 mins a day I can then tap into the skills practiced when stressors arise throughout the day.
Start a meditation practice:
Start with a 5-10 minute goal
Try to stick to roughly the same time each day
Sit on a chair with a back support or on the floor with back against a wall
Focus on the breath
If the mind wanders try saying in your mind ‘inhale’ on the in breath and ‘exhale’ on the out breath.
Alternatively try a box breath technique where there is a 4-6 second count on the inhale and the exhale with/without breath holds
When the mind wanders, which it will, try not to get irritated or upset and think that the meditation is not working. Our minds will always wander so just gently note that you’ve noticed and come back to the breath.
I have done a post on the breath previously: https://www.yogaspace.ie/blog/breath-space/diaphragmaticbreath
Apps and resources that I have used:
Headspace (https://www.headspace.com) - I used this app years ago and found it very useful. Due to the expense I cancelled my subscription but have recently re-joined. It has since expanded in volume in what it has to offer. There are courses you can join or if you prefer single meditations. There are moving meditations, group meditations and even quick meditations to manage big emotions or reactivity. It is very user friendly and a great app to pay for if you are hoping to commit to a daily practice but prefer guidance and variety.
RCSI The Science of Health and Happiness (https://rcsi.eventsair.com/the-science-of-health-and-happiness/registration/Site/Register) - This is a free online lecture series run by RSCI. When I went to the website I see they have started a new course for younger people and one for ageing too. I did this course a couple years ago and found it fascinating. I’ve signed up to do it again. There are 10 lectures and you can do them at your own pace.
https://www.thebraveway.co/ I was a bit sceptical about this 21 day meditation course only because I came across it on Instagram ads, but it was brilliant. The music and visualisations used are beautiful. I did this in August to ease myself back into a daily practice and found it very easy to complete the 21 days. Once completed you have access to the course for life. Great introduction to meditation for beginners and those trying to get back to practice.
https://www.downdogapp.com/ I use down dog app to practice yoga but when I joined I also got access to their meditation app. It is very user friendly. Best used by those who already have an established practice
https://drdansiegel.com/wheel-of-awareness/ I recommend reading some of Dan Siegel’s books if you want to understand the mind and how it works. He is a psychiatrist. I first began reading his parenting books which lead me to his other books. In particular I recommend ‘Mind - A journey to the heart of being human’ and ‘Mindsight - the new science of personal transformation’. On the website link is an audio of his wheel of awareness meditation. These are also freely available on you tube.
https://jackkornfield.com/books-audio-programs/ Jack Kornfield’s book ‘Bringing home the dharma'. Wonderful introduction to begin to understand Buddhism and Buddhist meditation. It is presented as a series of lectures or talks. I listened to it as an audiobook on Audible a few times over the last few years. There are a few meditations in the audiobook.
https://www.drshefali.com/books/ Dr Shefali's book 'The conscious parent'. Whether you're a parent or not this book is really good at helping you to begin to try to understand yourself and your triggers and self care needs. I wish I had read this before I had children.
Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘The power of now’ is a wonderful read. I regularly watch is you tube videos. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEguIFSuqm6jDytL0SmF_gsf_szOPDs0u He also speaks a lot about finding the pause, space or gap between thoughts and activities.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-benefits-of-meditation#12.-Accessible-anywhere
Yoga for you by Tara Fraser 2001 edition
