Common perception of meditation.
I believe when most people think about meditation they think about some Buddhist monk sitting outside in the cold, overlooking a mountain range for twelve hours, chanting “oom” over and over. Fortunately, that is not the only way you can meditate. Transcendental meditation can be a powerful tool to gain happiness, peace and productivity, and it doesn’t take a lot to get started. I mentioned my practice of this in my post on how I start my day and my morning routine.
Transcendental meditation is the practice of allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go. As you practice this skill during meditation, you strengthen the ability to recognize and and respond to those thoughts and feelings throughout the day. This certainly does not mean that you will stop getting angry or sad or happy. What it means is that when you do have those feelings, you will be more in touch with yourself not lose control to those feelings. They will come, you will recognize and process them, and they will move on. This is incredibly powerful. To be constantly present in your everyday life can only lead to more happiness, more productivity and more calm. Do not underestimate what this can do for you.
If you do need some additional convincing, consider this list of people from Transcendental Meditation who are proud of the fact that they meditate and attribute it to their success:
Hugh Jackman
- Oprah Winfrey
- Nouriel Roubini
- Rupert Murdoch
- Jennifer Aniston
- Paul McCartney
- Clint Eastwood
- Hugh Jackman
- Russell Simmons
- Martin Scorsese
I’m not saying that you should try to be everything that these people are, and do everything they do, but you cannot deny they are incredibly successful. I’m also not saying that if you meditate everyday, you will have the fame and success these people do. I think what this list does is add significant legitimacy to practice of meditation. It’s not some hippy-dippy product of the 60s or some mysterious tradition from the Far East, it’s a tool to create balance and happiness in your life. Another great piece on meditation is this conversation from Tim Ferriss’ and Kevin Rose’s “The Random Show”, Episode 25. The entire video is great, but if you only have time to watch the meditation discussion, it starts at 26:08.
I am personally about forty-five days into my meditation experience, and it has already been life-changing. I cannot imagine ever starting my day without at least twenty minutes of meditation. I use the Headspace app, and have found it so rewarding. When I first started, the ten-minute meditations seemed to take an eternity. You would be surprised how much can happen in your head in what you think is a short period of time. Now, my twenty-minute sessions are done too soon, and I look forward to the next one.
If you are looking to get started meditating, get back into it or try something new, there are three apps I highly recommend for guided meditations:
- Headspace: available on iTunes, Amazon Appstore and Google Play
- Calm: available on iTunes and Google Play
- Mindapps: iTunes and Google Play
I personally use Headspace, and the other two are both excellent resources as well. Remember, taking some time for yourself each day and better preparing your mind to handle the things life throws at you on a daily basis will only help increase your productivity throughout the day. If you think you don’t have the time for twenty minutes each day, try it for a month and see if you aren’t able to get more done during the rest of the day.
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Regards,