You're a meditation evangelist! I've been meditating daily for almost 20 years. But part of my practice is letting go of the results, so I couldn't really tell you what the benefits are. LOL. I just know that when I stop meditating for a week or so, b/c of travel or illness, I feel like I'm going a little crazy and wonder how anyone lives like that.
20 years! That's amazing. And ha, I love that part of your practice. I definitely have not reached the point where I can let go of/not measure the results!
I used to practice transcendental meditation... until I had kiddos. I have been looking for some support around mental health. I will look into this. Thanks for sharing.
You convinced me! I The UMass MBSR 4-week "mindfulness tools" course fits into my schedule better than the 8-week one. Curious if you have any opinion on whether this mini-course would still be worth it!
Not sure! I feel like all of their programs are well-designed and well-organized and would be helpful, but I'm so partial to the 8-week program because it's just such a total overhaul. And it can really kickstart a meditation practice. Thanks so much for subscribing 😊
I found myself nodding along as I read. When I think about meditation, it's that I'll somehow be this ethereal being who goes through life unfazed. When I actually meditate, I get agitated (and something I find calm), I think a lot (and sometimes my mind becomes spacious), I am often physically uncomfortable (and sometimes my whole body softens). But I've come to actually enjoy if for all of that, not just the blissed out, ethereal being. As someone who has lived in and out of clinical anxiety since a young age, I got very good at avoiding, of living at the edge of feeling; meditation (and yin) has helped me feel safe to feel. And I can't begin to explain how good that feels.
And then months later, I am reminded why I do it when I notice myself noticing my thoughts before before reacting to them, when I notice how I feel calm even when the world is throwing things at me.
"I got very good at avoiding, of living at the edge of feeling; meditation (and yin) has helped me feel safe to feel. " – YES! So much this. I really love Joseph Goldstein's meditations on this. He has one called "It's okay to feel this." It's about how much energy we spend, consciously and unconsciously, on aversion – maybe letting ourselves feel, but also really not wanting to feel, or wanting the feeling to go away. This is such crucial work in meditation.
Oh yay!!! Let me know how you like it! Some of my favorite meditations: Jeff Warren's "Ocean Breathing," Alexis Santos's "Relax, Allow, Observe," and "Centeredness," Joseph Goldstein's "Open Awareness" and "Fear" and "Be Simple and Easy," Sebene Selaisse's "Let it be" and Sharon Salberg's "Loving Kindness."
You're a meditation evangelist! I've been meditating daily for almost 20 years. But part of my practice is letting go of the results, so I couldn't really tell you what the benefits are. LOL. I just know that when I stop meditating for a week or so, b/c of travel or illness, I feel like I'm going a little crazy and wonder how anyone lives like that.
20 years! That's amazing. And ha, I love that part of your practice. I definitely have not reached the point where I can let go of/not measure the results!
I used to practice transcendental meditation... until I had kiddos. I have been looking for some support around mental health. I will look into this. Thanks for sharing.
I'm so curious about transcendental meditation! Sounds fascinating.
You convinced me! I The UMass MBSR 4-week "mindfulness tools" course fits into my schedule better than the 8-week one. Curious if you have any opinion on whether this mini-course would still be worth it!
Not sure! I feel like all of their programs are well-designed and well-organized and would be helpful, but I'm so partial to the 8-week program because it's just such a total overhaul. And it can really kickstart a meditation practice. Thanks so much for subscribing 😊
I found myself nodding along as I read. When I think about meditation, it's that I'll somehow be this ethereal being who goes through life unfazed. When I actually meditate, I get agitated (and something I find calm), I think a lot (and sometimes my mind becomes spacious), I am often physically uncomfortable (and sometimes my whole body softens). But I've come to actually enjoy if for all of that, not just the blissed out, ethereal being. As someone who has lived in and out of clinical anxiety since a young age, I got very good at avoiding, of living at the edge of feeling; meditation (and yin) has helped me feel safe to feel. And I can't begin to explain how good that feels.
And then months later, I am reminded why I do it when I notice myself noticing my thoughts before before reacting to them, when I notice how I feel calm even when the world is throwing things at me.
"I got very good at avoiding, of living at the edge of feeling; meditation (and yin) has helped me feel safe to feel. " – YES! So much this. I really love Joseph Goldstein's meditations on this. He has one called "It's okay to feel this." It's about how much energy we spend, consciously and unconsciously, on aversion – maybe letting ourselves feel, but also really not wanting to feel, or wanting the feeling to go away. This is such crucial work in meditation.
I trust you, Sarah--signing up to try out 10% Happier.
Oh yay!!! Let me know how you like it! Some of my favorite meditations: Jeff Warren's "Ocean Breathing," Alexis Santos's "Relax, Allow, Observe," and "Centeredness," Joseph Goldstein's "Open Awareness" and "Fear" and "Be Simple and Easy," Sebene Selaisse's "Let it be" and Sharon Salberg's "Loving Kindness."