7 Foundational Practices for a Life of Thriving Part 2: Daily Meditation

Daily Meditation 

       Benefits:

  • Grow Grey Matter in the Brain
  • Increase Memory
  • Increase Self-Awareness
  • Increase Self-Control
  • Improve Focus and Concentration
  • Recognize the Egoic “Monkey” Mind
  • Confront Your Inner Resistance
  • Reduce Stress

In case you haven’t heard, daily meditation is extremely good for you on just about all levels of your being. From an objective, scientifically researched, standpoint regular mindfulness and meditation practices have been heavily investigated in recent years and have been linked to the regrowth of grey matter, increased memory, reduced stress, increased well-being, and more. Check out The Great Courses: The Science of Mindfulness for a more comprehensive lecture series regarding the laundry list of positive benefits of meditation and mindfulness. This course provides a variety of both seated practices and daily mindfulness habits along with an overview of Buddhist psychology as it relates to modern neuroscience and modern psychology.

On the subjective side of knowing, i.e. contemplation, seated meditation gives us the daily opportunity to come face to face with our own instinctual mind, the ego. It’s not always easy to sit down and simply witness thoughts as they arise. In fact, I personally feel resistance every single time I go to sit. But, again, that’s the point. No one can get in the way of our own development more than we can. A daily meditation practice gives us the opportunity to sit down, face the nature of our own mind, hear what sort of thoughts and excuses come up, and direct our awareness anyway. Ultimately, the thoughts that distract us during meditation are what urge us into various forms of self-sabotage in the rest of our lives. Don’t take my word for it, just take the Mediation Challenge and see what happens:

Further Resources:

***Meditation Challenge***

1) Join “The Game” – Get your free copy Here.

2) Daily Meditation – 20 minutes daily is a solid standard for beginning meditation. I know, that amount of time can seem like an eternity for someone who has little or no experience with the practice. However, most meditation teachers, books, and retreats advise students who live in modern society to work up to 30 minutes in order to reap greater benefits.

That being said, don’t let 20 or 30 minutes be a big enough obstacle to stop you from developing the habit of meditation. If those times really seem too daunting, or maybe for those who can’t imagine how they could squeeze 20-30 minutes into their schedules, just start with 10 minutes per day for a week or two. If you can sit down for 10 minutes for 7-14 days in a row, that’s an amazing start. Congratulate yourself. It’s an excellent an accomplishment. Then try to up it to 20 minutes if it’s possible.

We live in a hyper stimulating world. Facebook, Youtube, TV, and the internet provide almost constant stimulation. When we sit down to just reflect on the nature of our own thoughts, it can be different. It’s like switching gears. During the first 10 minutes of meditation, the mind tends to be very jumpy. It can be difficult to keep our attention on the breath for 10 consecutive cycles; even 3-5 breaths is quite a challenge. The mind interjects with stories, to-dos, emotions, urges, images, and more. From 10-20 minutes, the mind already begins to calm down. Our focus stays put for longer periods. We sink into our mind, and by 20-30 minutes we might even be able to move from a breath focused meditation to one of open awareness, vipassana meditation.

Check out a quick guide on how to meditate Here.

For the third Foundational Practice for a Life of Thriving click here.

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