Hello my friends.
I'm really happy to be with you right now.
I'm grateful that you've taken the time to join me,
And I'm really excited to talk with you about a practice that has changed my life.
Meditation.
Now,
I know what you might be thinking.
Meditation.
That's something for hippies or Buddhist monks or my weird woo-woo friends,
But not for me.
And you might be thinking,
I don't have time to meditate.
But I promise you,
Meditation is for everyone,
And you do have time to meditate.
You can start with just a few minutes a day.
Meditation is an incredibly powerful practice that can help us manage stress,
Improve focus,
Reduce anxiety,
And perhaps most importantly,
Bring a deeper level of consciousness to every moment of our lives.
I began my own journey to meditation on September 11,
2001.
The evening of that terrifying day,
I was on my way to the university chapel in the town I was living in,
Because I felt drawn to participate in a communal prayer experience.
As I was about to enter the chapel,
I was approached by a Buddhist nun.
She invited me to join her in a group meditation that was happening in a building just across from the chapel.
Something deep inside me was moved by her invitation,
And so I said yes.
And I'm so glad I did,
Because that incredibly powerful experience started me on a decades-long practice of meditation that continues to this day.
I'd love to share with you some of what I've learned over the years,
What's worked for me and what might work for you,
And be meaningful for you as well.
The founder of Buddhism lived in India around 500 BC.
His name was Siddhartha,
And he was a prince who wanted to understand the nature of suffering and the cause of suffering.
So he developed a spiritual path and taught his followers to find their own peace of mind and release from suffering through various practices,
Including meditation.
Thousands of years later,
We are still drawn to the Buddha's teachings.
So why should we meditate?
Well,
For starters,
Beyond the so-called spiritual benefits,
Science has also begun to show us tangible,
Quantifiable evidence that meditation,
Contemplation,
Yoga,
And prayer can improve our well-being,
Our physical and mental health,
And our ability to have healthy relationships with ourselves,
With our thoughts,
And with others.
Studies show that people who meditate tend to be more productive and have better problem-solving skills.
This can be a huge help to us in our daily lives,
Whether at school,
At work,
Or simply when we're spending time with our friends and families.
Meditating daily,
Even if only for five or ten minutes,
Can increase self-awareness,
Give us a greater sense of calm,
Peace,
Happiness,
Can make us more resilient,
And can even relieve physical pain.
Meditation helps us become more mindful.
It helps us to live in the present and appreciate each moment of our lives.
It helps us to connect with our inner selves and make better decisions.
Meditation can help us become more creative.
It can help us relax.
When we meditate,
We are able to slow down and focus on our breath.
And this can help us stay calm and reduce our stress levels.
We can use meditation practice to gain clarity and perspective.
There are plenty of great reasons to meditate.
Meditation is not meant to change who we are,
But rather reveal the deepest parts of ourselves and allow us to recognize the eternal and unchanging nature of our awareness.
Meditation is quieting the mind to hear that still,
Calm voice that is always within us,
Reminding us of who we really are,
Bringing us to that level of consciousness within which we are all connected and where we are all one.
Meditation connects us to that eternal place from which our being arises and can remind us that this is the place where we already are and always have been,
That place Jesus calls the Kingdom of Heaven and the Buddha referred to as emptiness.
Meditation creates the space where we can simply be.
While meditation does involve using the mind,
Meditation is not thinking or thinking about something.
It's not studying.
Meditation is ceasing to identify with thought and emotion.
Not that we don't have thoughts and emotions,
But that we simply don't identify with them.
Meditation is not about denial or pretending.
Think of it this way.
Thoughts are like clouds.
We see the clouds.
We let them pass.
Some of the clouds are strange.
Some are scary.
Some are beautiful.
Some are peaceful.
They float across the sky,
Which in this case is our minds,
And they disappear.
Now you may have heard the term mindfulness and you may have noticed that people often use the terms mindfulness and meditation interchangeably.
And while these are connected,
They are also different.
Mindfulness is a cultivated awareness of our experiences in the present moment so we can live each moment as fully as possible.
Meditation is when we cease to identify with our thoughts by single-mindedly paying attention to the present moment.
One great thing about meditation is that you can do it anywhere.
With time,
You'll learn that you can practice meditation at a red light,
In line at the pharmacy,
Waiting in a doctor's office,
In the dentist's chair,
On an airplane,
Anywhere really.
But for now,
Find a place in your home where you can sit comfortably and be relatively quiet.
Don't worry too much about noise or interruptions.
Those can be great tools to help you practice patience and concentration.
But try to find a spot where you won't be disturbed or distracted.
Some people find it helpful to dim the lights,
To light a candle,
Have a table with some meaningful objects on it,
Anything to help you focus,
Stay calm,
And maybe even feel inspired.
Find a comfortable position,
Any position that works for you.
You can sit in a chair or cross your legs or even lie down.
Just try to keep your head,
Neck,
And spine in a straight line.
You can let your hands rest quietly in your lap or by your sides.
You may want to let your head face slightly down,
With your eyes closed or almost closed.
Many meditative practices focus on breathing as an anchor to which we can return when our minds inevitably begin to wander.
Especially at first,
We may find it challenging to go even a few seconds without our minds running away with us.
After all,
We are thinking animals and thoughts will come whether we ask them to or not,
And that's fine.
When thoughts do come,
Just say,
I'm thinking again and return to your breath.
When you do,
You are practicing mindfulness as you meditate.
And this is good.
Before we begin,
I just want to say that I hope you enjoy this practice.
Remember,
The key to successfully sitting in meditation is just to relax.
Let go of expectations.
Just be in the present moment as best as you can.
Thank you for joining me today.
Peace and blessings.
