Meditate

I made an Instagram post today talking about our Wednesday Habit Practice.

Meditating gets tossed out there a lot and I feel like there are still a lot of misconceptions about it. There’s apps, there’s how-to’s, there’s blog posts, there’s seminars, and there’s retreats. So what’s what?

Similar to training, I want to lower the barrier for entry. We can get into the nitty gritty later but for now, the best place to start is to do. Like training, it’s best to get out there and go. Meditating, like training, doesn’t have to be balls to the wall right off the bat. My first recommendation to someone that has never worked out before is to simply go for a walk. Same for meditating. Well, close but not exactly. What’s the walking equivalent for meditation? Simply sit down in a comfortable chair, place your hand on your belly, and breathe for 10 breaths.

10 minute walk = started for training

10 breaths = start for meditating

The act of counting your breaths will keep your mind focused and hopefully keep unwanted thoughts from flooding the system. By putting your hand on your belly you are using biofeedback to remind yourself what you’re doing and it helps to count the breaths. I specifically count the exhales but it’s totally up to you.

Eventually the idea is to work up to several minutes or even thirty minutes. That’s if we have the time. In our ever changing world where time seems to shrink, it gets harder and harder to find that time. As you learn to enjoy the meditative experience and reap the benefits then you’ll be surprised how much time you’ll want to dedicate to it.

We’ll get more into meditative experience, some pitfalls and how to get around those in upcoming weeks. For now, just sit quiet for 10 breaths. You don’t even have to close your eyes. Just breath.