I first became acquainted with meditation as a practice in the early 90’s although I had already been practicing a form of it in focus groups, which were designed to make you a more productive and successful Realtor.  The groups taught visualization also, which is another aspect of meditation. Because the focus groups understood how powerful our mind is they used visualization or guided meditation, as it is often referred to, as a tool to help us achieve our goals. Our motto was, “If you can see it, you can be it."

 

Think about an Olympic athlete. They visualize themselves standing on the winners' platform receiving the gold medal (silent meditation). They do this because it feeds their purpose, uplifts their spirits when feeling discouraged and because it is a tool to help create the outcome they desire. Or, a professional golfer who visualizes the course they are about to play and “sees” how they will play each hole.

 

Oh, I know we’re not Olympic athletes or professional golfers, but we too have goals, situations or specific kinds of relationships we want to create in our lives. We want to be the best we can be. Meditation can be a way to quiet the chatter in our mind and give us the insight to achieve those goals. Meditation helps us handle life’s curveballs and expands creativity, clarity and perspective.

 

Meditation has been shown time after time to produce very positive effects, both in real-world examples and scientific studies. In my own life meditation has been very effective in learning how to rein in racing thoughts, deal with stress, calm anxiety, gain insight into life situations, set intentions, develop focus and gain a more peaceful perspective. Those are some pretty significant benefits, don't you think? If you experience a short attention span or are easily distracted, meditation can help you develop longer focus and a more mindful approach to daily tasks as well as specific projects.

 

There are many types of meditation. The most popular and well-known are:

 

• Silent Meditation

• Mantra Meditation

• Guided Meditation

• Sound Meditation or Sound Immersion 

• Walking Meditation

• Movement Meditation with Yoga or Dance

• Transcendental Meditation

• Body Scan Meditation

• Visualization Meditation

• Loving Kindness Meditation

 

The following third-party link has some useful information regarding the meditation methods listed above:

 

 Headspace.com

 

One big advantage to meditation is you don’t need any special tools or equipment. It can be done almost anywhere, even in busy, noisy locations.  In fact, those kinds of places are a great place to practice, because you train your mind to go within and disregard the noise and distractions. Just a minute or two of purposeful meditation can be as beneficial as relaxing on a big cushion in a quiet room for an hour.

 

Here are some third-party links to some helpful articles that describe in greater detail how meditation can be beneficial and how you can overcome some of the 'difficulties' you may run into beginning and developing a meditation practice. 

 

Healthline.com

 

Mindful.org 

​

Don’t get discouraged. It will take regular practice in the beginning, just as learning any new skill does. For me it’s definitely been worth the effort, particularly during those times when I want to go to sleep and my thoughts and emotions are spinning in my head. That’s when the habit of meditation helps rein in those thoughts and allow a more calm and relaxed feeling to take their place. What a relief that is!

 

Meditation Classes are available for groups and conferences. Contact me for more details.