Often myself and General Manager Pasia speak about meditation and the different forms available. It made me realize how much we overcomplicate it. Personally, I have tried what I believed to be true meditation more times than I can count, each time resigning myself to the fact that I suck at it. I just can’t shut my brain off enough. But do I actually suck at it? Or was that style of meditation just not right for me?
I have listened to some peaceful-sounding gentleman try to talk me through practice, reminding me to let go of my thoughts and focus on my breathing. For me, this usually works for a solid 10 seconds before my brain starts going again—at max speed. It’s not with negative thoughts; quite often it’s the opposite. It’s more like the daily things I need to get done. With the occasional random intrusive thought of what I’m eating for lunch lol! I have an overactive squirrel mind and IT NEVER STOPS—apart from when I’m in the throes of a good workout!
When I workout, I think of nothing else. I think of the exercises I’m doing, how my body feels, how much I have in the energy tank or how many reps I have left. I am 100 percent invested in that particular workout. For me this is my form of meditation. I love that for one whole hour, my mind is focused on the task at hand and not racing with thoughts and ideas. Isn’t this, after all, the idea behind meditation?
Wikipedia says this about meditation:
“Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, “discursive thinking”, achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditation process itself.
Simply put meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.
Defined like that, meditation doesn’t seem so unachievable. Find something, ANYTHING, that you enjoy, that engages your mind and takes your focus away from the hamster wheel of everyday life. There is no wrong way to do it. Fully immerse yourself in whichever form works for you, even if only for sixty seconds each day. Use this guide for info and inspiration on how to get started from the mayo clinic HERE.
Inspiration provided by Stacy Boil at Faith Fitness Gym.com.