Meditation and its benefits

I never thought about meditation before.  Recently I went through a surgery and having to lie low with no physical activity for 4 to 6 weeks, well that wasn't anything that I saw as being fun.  The farthest thing from fun actually. I am an active person that does at least one to two workouts per day starting at 4:25 am. I am always on the move and don't handle sitting still very well, I get bored quickly and find that I feel better emotionally when conquering a task. How am I, as an active person, going to abstain from any activity?

Leading up to the surgery friends and coworkers would ask me this question, "what are you going to do with your time?" and I didn't have an answer.  Now I knew it was extremely important not to do anything that would risk my body healing 100%.  I knew that the purpose of this surgery was to take care of some longtime health problems that were causing me pain every day, all day.  I wanted to come out of this being 110% and being able to work out harder, longer and for the best results of my life.  I am only 34 years old and have a ton of living to do so to push myself too soon wasn't an option, but how was I going to stay still.

My first week was filled with grogginess and throbbing pain.  But by the second week I was feeling much better and my energy was coming back. Oh no, what was I going to do, you can only watch so much Good Morning America and daytime TV before you start feeling helpless...and I got this on day 2 of my second week. Then a friend asked, "Have you tried meditation?" I laughed and responded with an..."Um, no".  She suggested I try the Headspace app on my phone and said it would help.

So I starting looking more into it. I found this video and it opened my eyes to the benefits of meditating. I didn't have to sit for hours for lasting results? 5 minutes... Really?



"Silence your mind, calm your nerves and just 'be'.  Your body will speak to you". My thoughts; a sarcastic, sure it will. 

However, I would try anything to sit still for a bit and feel good about it.  When I am not working out I feel guilty; yes, I realize I have an addiction...at least it's a healthy one. [LOL]

So I sat down and downloaded the Headspace app on my phone and the description reads, "Ever want to sleep better, feel calmer, focus more and just get some relief from that busy mind? Well it's probably time to get some headspace.  Headspace is mediation made relevant to modern life.  Learn for free with Andy Puddicombe, the man the Times (London) call "The Expert's Expert'. Also featured in Vogue, Timeout, Huffinton Post and on the BBC." ... he might know a thing or two, so why not give it a try. 

A happier, healthier mind couldn't hurt, right? I do think I could benefit form a sense of calm and clarity in my life. 

So I started from the beginning with Day 1 - Take 10: [10 minutes a day for 10 days]

This was my first time ever meditating, I have done yoga and Pilates before and felt it might be the same kind of mind set... not quite.

You have to approach it in the right way. The app gives you several videos that explains everything to you, every step and how the mind actually works and reacts.  How to begin and how to calm your mind.  This was extremely helpful for someone new to this mediation subject, like myself. 

I learned that it isn't about stopping your thoughts while meditating, it's about letting all your thoughts in and then just letting them pass. You get to understand the way you feel.  "Holding the seat on the side of the road", let the volume of traffic on the road pass, don't try to run out in the street and control it all, don't get caught up in it all.  Step back, allowing thoughts and feelings to come and go. But how? I am always tempted to jump out in traffic and try to control everything in my life. Like perhaps most of you as well. 

The tip Andy gives: don't 'try' with meditation - you can't try to force mediation to work.  Let your mind come to rest naturally. 

This is my 10 minutes. Sitting back and relaxing...I'll be back. 

Wow...impressive, I wasn't able to totally clear my mind and actually had quite a few thoughts distract me but Andy was able to pull me back in and just getting a centered sense of self for that short time did make me open my eyes more refreshed.  I'd say it was better than an afternoon nap that we are never afforded in our hurried lives.

Worth the 10 minutes and worth keeping in mind and perhaps even turning into a daily routine.  Do you mediate? If not, I suggest giving it a try.

With a quieted mind I find myself not itching to move as much, just sitting calmly feels O.K. With a little more meditation I might be able to silence my mind enough and work on my minds clarity and focus in these next 3 to 6 weeks.