Meditate or Not

Do you meditate? The first time I tried meditation I fell asleep! For real. I am not even kidding you. It was during one of my classes at Governors State University. It was a Communications class and the professor was into meditation, vibrations, zen and all of that stuff. This was an evening class which usually ended around 10:00 pm. The days that I went to school were pretty long days. I was usually up at 5:00 am, did a full day of work and then took two classes two evenings a week. During meditation the lights were turned off, the soft music would start, and the Professor's soothing voice led us through a guided meditation. Well I am happy to say that I wasn't the only one that dozed off, but I was still embarrassed. And that was my first experience with meditation. I actually fell asleep during my first yoga class too. (but that is another story)

During that term we often meditated and I was conflicted at first. Some people are against meditation and say you are dabbing with the occult and the spirit world. Well, I definitely didn't want to be calling on no spirits, but since it was a part of my classroom experience, I decided to do some research for my own peace of mind.

What I found out is that there are many forms of meditation. For the sake of space I will list a few of them here. You can do your research to see which form works best for you.

Mindfulness Meditation

Zen Meditation

Christian Meditation

Transcendental Meditation

Guided Meditation

My favorite is guided meditation. You don't need to know how to meditate. All you have to do is listen. During guided meditation you are guided by a narrator. Sometimes there is soft music playing. I find this form easiest.

Meditation is the act of sitting still and breathing in a controlled manner for a certain amount of time. Science has proved that there are some real health benefits from meditating.

Some Benefits of Meditation

Reduce stress

Improve sleep

Reduce anxiety

Lower blood pressure

Boost memory

Enhance self-awareness

Makes you happier

I find that when I meditate I am more calm and at peace. As you know from my first experience I fell asleep. Then I started doing 2-3 minute guided meditations. You can find them on You Tube, there are meditation apps for your phone. Now I am able to do the meditations that are offered every quarter with Oprah and Deepak Chopra. They range from 15 to 20 minutes. And I hang in there. Talk about growth. lol. Years ago I couldn't sit still or quiet my mind long enough to meditate. Now meditation is a big part of my life.

With meditation there is no right or wrong way to meditate. If meditation is something that you are interested in, explore the many different types until you find the style that works for you.

chopra.com