One of the most frustrating experiences in sport happens when you realize that you aren’t competing to your potential. All that hard work while having nothing to show for it will break anyone. Until I found the answer, it broke me and left me in tears.

When I wrestled in high school, I started to notice that I performed better in practice than in competition. My mental development simply could not keep up with my physical and technical development at the time as I had devoted hours upon hours of training and analyzing the wrestling greats. However, I had neglected to develop myself psychologically, and this was mostly due to the fact that the mental aspect of the sport was not a largely discussed topic at the time. As a result, my performances seemed almost forced and I couldn’t compete to my fullest potential. I felt as if I were driving a car with the emergency brakes on.

It became clear to me that I had an issue when I repeatedly failed to execute techniques that I had practiced and done so effortlessly during practices. In competition, none of my attacks felt as smooth and crisp as they had felt in training. Instead, I was stuck having to think about how to perform certain moves or how to respond in certain wrestling positions. Against mediocre competition, this was still enough to win. Against a high level competitor, this was the razor-thin margin between winning and losing. Opportunities to attack and score points can be created in fractions of a second or decided within a distance of several inches. Split second moments of hesitation or non-execution could ultimately decide the match, and they did. For a long time, I never seemed to be on the winning side of these decisions.

The Role of Sports Psychology

For several years, I had no idea what was wrong and how to fix my issue. I simply thought that I was not “good enough.” Occasionally, I would have performances that my coach would call “flashes of brilliance” in which my performance actually reflected what I was truly capable of. Unfortunately, these performances were rare occurrences and instead of improving, my performance anxiety got worse. My sub-par performances would bring me to tears, and I was miserable.

At one point, I had gotten so frustrated by my own performance that in a crying fit, I repeatedly punched a trash can in the visiting team locker room. My knuckles were bruised purple for days afterward. Eventually, I couldn’t handle it anymore and knew that I had to do something.

At the end of my second competitive season in college, I realized that I needed to understand sports psychology and performance psychology. This led me to pick up Josh Waitzkin’s book, The Art of Learning, where I learned about the inner workings of a world class performance.

After taking serious notes, I immersed myself in a series of different mental exercises in order to reach the inspired mental states in which world class performers seemed to perform their craft effortlessly. I found peak performance examples through other combat sports and disciplines in which the performers seemed unstoppable. How was this possible? The answer came to me in the form of mindfulness practice and meditation.

Consistent guided meditation was my answer. As a gift from a local sports psychologist, I received a sports visualization CD for peak performances. When I first tried this, I felt peace and clarity of mind that I had never felt before—and it was a wonderful feeling. However, I was unable to consistently carve out 30 minutes out of my day to listen to this CD, so I searched for a shorter alternative. A guided meditation app gave me exactly what I was looking for—short and sweet meditation sessions at my convenience. This became a staple in my daily routine, and I still meditate to this day.

The Role of Guided Meditation

Clearing my mind and clarity of focus led to new heights in my performances. During an off-season tournament that I attended with a few friends, I felt liberated. Instead of performing one attack at a time, I was able to fire off combinations of multiple attacks at once. I had removed the emergency brakes that had prevented me from competing to the best of my ability. Those split-second moments of hesitation were finally gone, and mindfulness had finally set me free to perform to my potential on the wrestling mat.

For the first time, I tried breathing exercises and visualization before my matches in order to bring my mind to the present moment—no anxiety, no emotional baggage, and no stress. The psychological noise had subsided and I delivered the best performance of my entire wrestling career. This became a good sign of things to come as I was finally able to enjoy and be present in every moment of competing. At last, the chains that held me down were broken. Finally, I was free.

You might also like:

• The Psychology Of Skill Development
• The 6 Steps To Building Mental Toughness
• 7 Ways To Create Better Mental Toughness
• The Science And Psychology Of Motivation For Athletes

The post The Key to Overcoming Performance Anxiety appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

In order to thrive in this day and age, we must learn to “avoid the noise.” This means that it is important to avoid the things that don’t serve you while staying centered on the activities that promote health and growth.

Pay close attention. You do not want to miss this.

1. Ignore Your Email First Thing in the Morning

Why is checking email in the morning a bad thing? It’s because you’re setting yourself up to react to the day ahead instead of planning your day. Immediately, once you review those emails, you’re mentally pulled in multiple directions that usually don’t need immediate attention. If instead, you used the time to plan your day, it will set you up for more success and allow you to be on the offense all day. Ask yourself, where is the best place for my energy to go? It is critical to define early in the morning (or the night before) what is most important versus what is most urgent for that day. When we are running on only urgent messages we tend to avoid the most important.

2. Meditate

Meditation has become more mainstream over the last decade for many great reasons. The biggest reason of them all is results. It is amazing what a 10-minute guided meditation can do for people. I have never met an overachiever that did not meditate and have those quiet moments to allow themselves to let go. Meditation is all about letting go; not trying, not doing anything, in fact. Successful people use meditation as their secret to success.

Try starting every day with a nine minute meditation that looks something like this:

• Minutes 0-3: Think about what you’re most grateful for
• Minutes 3-6: Think about your three major outcomes for the day
• Minutes 6-9: Imagine your three major outcomes in life

This is a very simple exercise and anyone can do it. Imagine what would happen if you practiced meditating on gratitude and your personal outcomes every day. You would be able to start playing offense and go after more of the things you want, not just what others expect of you.

3. Exercise Daily

Successful people understand that regular morning exercise can have a tremendous effect on daily focus, productivity, and happiness. Exercise has biologically proven to change and reorganize our brains to handle stress. Whether it is attending a class at a nearby gym or working out at home, exercise will drive more attention to what needs the most attention—you and your health.

4. Do Something Social

Successful people are social butterflies, always meeting and chatting with new people. They put tremendous effort into expanding their network because they understand that relationships are often the keys to success. Never underestimate the power of a $5.00 cup of coffee.

5. Eliminate Outside Distractions

Successful people don’t spend their time indulging in Netflix binge-watching. Instead, they substitute TV-time for books and education. The average CEO reads sixty books per year compared to the average employee who reads only six. A successful person is shaped by the meetings and events they attend, the books they read, and the associations they spend the most time with. Your current fitness and financial levels are the exact averages of the five people you spend the most time with. If you want a six pack, hang out with people who have a six pack. Avoid all the other distractions that won’t aid you in attaining your goals.

6. Squash Negative Self-Talk

A big step to manage a successful life is to stop negative self-talk in its tracks. Successful people avoid ruminating on negative thoughts because doing that only gives those thoughts more power. Any thought, whether it be negative or positive, can only be fed by focusing on the thought rather than the solution. Successful people are more solution oriented, and they choke out negativity by not feeding it anything. Feed your solutions instead of feeding your issues.

The Bottom Line

If being successful is important to you, then your daily activities are essential in order to back up your long-term desires. Eating healthy, practicing meditation, and getting regular exercise are critical for your success in life, but these can never be stand-alone happenings. Like any great workout plan or diet, there needs to be supplements in order to take you to the next level. Pay more attention to your daily routines and you’ll see a complete 180 in your fitness, your mindset, and your success ratio. Kick old habits that don’t serve you to the curb and sprinkle in the good ones instead. Like anything, your habits must be reinforced daily to foster long term change.

The post Make These 6 Subtle Changes to be Successful appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Just spend more time focusing on your mind. Give yourself extra time to be quiet. Take a class on meditation or mindfulness. All easy things to say, but quite difficult to do in the real world. Let’s take a look at some recent studies on the elements of these things. This will highlight just how many ways the same thing can be achieved. Just like lifting weights, there is a lot of “same but different.” Once we see the different options, we’ll discuss how to actually implement them, while still maintaining your schedule of work, family, and Game of Thrones.

It Won’t Work If You Don’t Do It

Our first study¹ looked at an internet-based mindfulness program and a writing program. The mindfulness group had online modules that consisted of reading, exercises to do, and audio to listen to. The program included things like breathing exercises, walking and sitting meditation, and certain yoga poses. The group was encouraged to practice their exercises or focus 30-45 minutes a day, most days.

The writing group was asked to write for about 20 minutes a week. They were specifically tasked with writing about stressor related emotions, which has been used in the past. However, they also included writing projects that were positive prompts, such as “what has become better since…”.

Modest improvements, if any if any at all, were reported by these groups. Yet the thing that struck me was only 39% of the participants completed the mindfulness modules, and 70% completed the writing project. So most people dropped out of an online module requiring almost daily effort, and almost 30% dropped out of a weekly writing project. Sounds like a small return for a relatively big time commitment.

If a benefit exists, maybe it’s not from an online program (at least as it was designed), and maybe something less intensive and overwhelming is required for a beginner.

Experience and Effectiveness

Another recent study² looked at long-term practitioners of meditation. It showed that intense meditation can actually change brain activity during sleep. They used two styles of meditation. One was Vipassana style, which focuses on being less reactive to emotional responses. The other group did Metta meditation, focusing more on love and peace for others.

Increased low frequency activity was noted during a specific sleep cycle in both meditation groups compared to controls. The functional significance of this isn’t as important as the fact that two types of meditation actually changed brain activity. Like anything else, different styles can produce similar results if you actually do it.

This study was particularly well done because it didn’t just use college students with no experience (no disrespect). It used people who have been practicing meditation for at least 3 years, with an average of over 15 years of meditation training. The authors noted that the brain activity changes went up relative to experience. Those who were better at meditation got more changes from each meditation session. While this could be discouraging, I look at it as proof that it works, and even a small amount of consistency can go a long way.

Reducing Pain in the Mind

Yet another recent study³ looked at mindfulness training and pain. 34 subjects were used, half who had moderate to severe pain. The experimental group went through a 6-week mindfulness program including sitting and walking meditation, Hatha yoga, and other informal tips and exercises.

After the 6-week program, the experimental group had a significant decrease in reported pain compared to the control group. The authors noted that a change in perception helps us deal with pain in a different manner. Instead of reacting, it becomes more of an observation that can be dealt with. It makes sense that pain can control our emotions and, just as in physical therapy, we need some mental therapy as well. The authors even used brain scans to show an increased area of activity of the brain connected to emotional reactivity and how it can be redirected.

Make Mindfulness and Meditation Priorities

The first study we reviewed here highlighted an important fact. Nothing can work if you don’t do it or believe in it. Start small, track results, and either continue or find something a little different. The second study involving experienced meditators used 8 hour sessions. Not many of us can do that, but shorter sessions consistently undertaken could go a long way.

In strength training, we discuss tension. In a pushup, your body requires a certain amount of tension to keep proper posture. This level of tension is much less than say, a max bench press. The way stress and commitments can rule our lives sometimes is the equivalent of our mental tension being at a maximum bench press.

I’m not an expert in meditation. I’m simply a nutrition and fitness professional who sees on a daily basis what life can do to sabotage our wellbeing. Having an awareness of the different disciplines of mindfulness and meditation will hopefully encourage you to explore different options.

Here are a few ways that I’ve implemented mindfulness and “stress reduction” strategies for myself:

• I used to bring my phone on walks with my dogs. Instead of enjoying the moment outdoors, I was checking email. Once I stopped this, I enjoyed it much more and it helped bring me down from the day. I even noticed we have stars in the sky. It doesn’t have to be a walk with a dog, but having something you do each day to disconnect you for a bit can be a great routine.

• I started taking baths with Epsom salt to help muscle soreness. Like the dog walks, I would have my phone around. I ditched it, and just enjoyed the quiet. My wife is doing the same thing after a long day. She was having upper digestive issues, and just a simple bath brought her stress levels down enough to fix it.

• Quiet time in my home gym in “corpse” pose, lying on the ground. Just lying on my back for 10 minutes after foam rolling or a few stretches. Focusing on breathing and just the pure quietness. It’s amazing how refreshing it can be, on par with a short nap.

Meditation, mindfulness training, and stress reduction all are related, but I understand they are totally separate and expansive disciplines with much to offer. The recent research shows the benefit of doing something to train your brain and keep it healthy. Without a strong mental game and managed stress, a training program or diet cannot be as powerful as it should be.

When looking at new year’s resolutions, I understand the diet and exercise folks. But what are you going to do this year on the mental health side of things? As Ben Stiller’s character in Dodge Ball says as he’s reading the dictionary upside down, “I like to break a mental sweat, too”.

More on the relationship of mental and physical states:

The Thanks Giving Zone Boosts Performace

References:

1. Kvillemo, Pia, Yvonne Brandberg, and Richard Bränström. “Feasibility and Outcomes of an Internet-Based Mindfulness Training Program: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.” JMIR Mental Health 3, no. 3 (2016). Accessed November 12, 2016. doi:10.2196/mental.5457.

2. Dentico, Daniela, Fabio Ferrarelli, Brady A. Riedner, Richard Smith, Corinna Zennig, Antoine Lutz, Giulio Tononi, and Richard J. Davidson. “Short Meditation Trainings Enhance Non-REM Sleep Low-Frequency Oscillations.” Plos One 11, no. 2 (2016). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0148961.

3. Su, I-Wen, Fang-Wei Wu, Keng-Chen Liang, Kai-Yuan Cheng, Sung-Tsang Hsieh, Wei-Zen Sun, and Tai-Li Chou. “Pain Perception Can Be Modulated by Mindfulness Training: A Resting-State FMRI Study.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 10 (2016). Accessed November 17, 2016. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2016.00570.

The post Do It and Believe In It appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you and I are anything alike, then the second you hear words like ‘meditation’ and ‘mindfulness’, your BS alarms go off. I used to be the same way. Until recently, the subjects of meditation and mindfulness have been dominated by a lot of meaningless ‘self-help’ methodologies that do very little good for anyone. They have been presented as a magic fix for whatever internal struggles you might be facing. Proponents have often promised far more than they can give without backing it up with any amount of evidence, while also amassing fanatical, cult-like followings, which instantly make me wary.

Thankfully, in the past few years, a great deal of research on the subject has accumulated. Today, many pragmatic and practical minds both inside and outside the strength community endorse the benefits of a regular mental practice. For those of us that spend so much time and effort to optimize our physical function (be it for strength, endurance, general fitness, etc.), doesn’t it make sense that our mind would deserve equal attention?

Before I get any deeper into this subject, there are a few things I want to get out of the way. A mindfulness practice isn’t some magic voodoo blessing that’ll automatically fix all the problems inside your head and improve your quality of life a hundred-fold. What it will do is provide you an internal framework to better organize your thoughts and reduce any extraneous noise that might get in the way of you doing the things that you really care about.

Once you get the habit of meditation down long enough, there’s no limit to how far you can take it. [Photo credit: Pixabay]

Meditation and Mindfulness, Defined

Now let’s get into the specifics. We’ll start with defining what these terms actually mean:

• Meditation: Meditation is a practice where an individual trains the mind or induces a mode of consciousness, either to realize some benefit or for the mind to simply acknowledge its content without becoming identified with that content.¹
• Mindfulness: Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.²

For all practical purposes, these terms can be considered as interchangeable, with the former referring to the actual practice, and the latter referring to the general concept. One thing you might have noticed is that there was nothing in the above definitions about ‘clearing’ or ‘emptying’ the mind. A mental practice allows you acknowledge your thoughts as they come, and practice the skill of letting them go if they’re not doing you any good. The last thing we need is more empty minds walking around, especially considering how plentiful they seem to be already.

Evidence for Meditation

It’s always best to take an evidence-based approach to the things you choose to invest your time into. That means taking a look at the research on the topic. Trust me, I don’t enjoy it either, but being able to make more informed decisions is well worth the trouble. So without further ado, let’s get deep into some nerd shit:

A randomized trial³ exposed 66 participants to a three-day (25 minute/day) mindfulness practice. The study concluded that, “brief mindfulness meditation training buffers self-reported psychological stress reactivity.”

A smaller-sample study⁴ concluded that “performance in a distributed-attention task reinforces the view that meditation practice can have a lasting and generalizable impact on human cognition.” In other words, a meditative practice has a chance of helping you get more stuff done in less time.

If that wasn’t enough for you, there has even been evidence that a consistent mindfulness practice induces structural changes in the brain, “[providing] a means for improving self-regulation and perhaps reducing or preventing various mental disorders.”⁴

On top of all that, it even has proven possible use-cases for creativity,⁵ focus,⁶ treatment of anxiety,⁷ and maintaining better relationships.⁸

Up Your Mental Game

Now I know there are some of you out there thinking, “I don’t care about all this hippy stuff, I just want to get jacked and strong as heck”. Well, having your mental game in check will only enhance your ability to push it harder in training, not let struggles in your personal life effect your workouts, and deal with the mental stresses of competition.

Nothing is without some costs, but in the case of meditation they are very low. The most common one is time. It will take at least a few weeks of daily practice (in most cases you won’t need more than 10min/day) to form the habit, and another few weeks to begin noticing any tangible benefits. So if you’re not comfortable ‘wasting’ a little time up front, it might not be for you. But the up front cost is well worth the benefits you’ll get down the line.

Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Life

There are countless ways you can incorporate a mindfulness practice into your life. It doesn’t necessarily have to involve you sitting cross-legged in a corner for hours on end. For some people, it could be as simple as practicing non-judgement in their daily life. Or being ‘in the zone’ when practicing your sport. But for most people it’s going to involve at least a little bit of sitting down. Maybe staying still for a bit. Horrifying, I know, but it’ll be worth it.

There are countless ‘schools’ of meditation, ranging from a simple 10-minute-a-day practice, to 10-day-long retreats where you speak to no one, acknowledge no one, and spend the entire time trying to focus on your breath. We’ll be focusing a little bit more of the former in this piece.

The most widely-practiced form of mediation is something called Transcendental Meditation (TM). In a nutshell, it involves you being assigned a special mantra which you will repeat to yourself throughout the course of each session. What the mantra provides is an ‘object’ for you to use to focus your thoughts on. While you’re focusing on your mantra, if you’re randomly assaulted by the irrational worry that you left the stove on even though you know for a fact that it’s turned off, you would practice removing that unnecessary thought from your mind and re-focusing on the mantra.

Other forms of meditation have you take the mantra that TM is so fond of, and replace it with your breath. That simple action of bringing your focus back from distraction is all there is to it! No matter what the methodology, the bulk of the benefit comes from simply practicing the skill of bringing yourself back to focus. This lets you analyze and make intelligent decisions based on each thought that enters your mind, instead of letting it get you all flustered and mess with your groove.

Find the Time for Meditation

In the simplest sense, all meditation involves is being still for a period of time while trying to maintain your focus on a single object; be that your breath, a mantra, or just something in your field of view. While you’re there, if unwanted thoughts enter your mind, you simply acknowledge them for what they are, and kindly escort them out of your mind, bringing your focus back to the ‘object.’

When you start out, you’ll naturally be doing a lot of escorting. But as you get better, you’ll get past the initial stage, and will eventually be able to sit in silence and maintain a quiet, calm focus for an extended period of time. Once you can maintain such a state for an hour or so, you’re likely beyond the point that either myself or anyone else on the internet can be of service to you, and are better off finding a full-time mindfulness practitioner or center to take your practice to the next level.

On the subject of time, start as low as two minutes if you have to. The biggest mistake many people make when trying to get into meditation is trying to do too much too soon, burning out, and then not touching the subject again for months. For most, a simple progression is best. Start with two minutes and add one minute per week until you reach 10-minute sessions. And if you’re reading this and saying “I don’t even have two minutes to waste on this,” then you’re likely to benefit from a mindfulness practice more than anyone else.

Guided Mediation Tools

If you’re looking for help getting started with meditation and mindfulness but aren’t ready to seek out a teacher, I suggest trying some guided meditation tools. Headspace and Calm are two apps with both free and paid options that make it easy to introduce yourself to the habit of meditating with a little guidance. They ease you into the practice and give you subtle instructions to guide you through it.

I hope you’ve been armed with everything you need to take better control of your mind, and finally get that thing under control. Meditation is a scientifically proven way of enhancing your mental performance. Doing so will have benefits that trickle into every aspect of your life, the same way physical training does. Once you get the habit down long enough to perceive the benefits, there’s no limit to how far you can take it.

More on mindset:

Make the Switch to Better Habits and Mindset

References:

1. Lutz, Antoine, Heleen A. Slagter, John D. Dunne, and Richard J. Davidson. “Attention Regulation and Monitoring in Meditation.” Trends in Cognitive Sciences 12, no. 4 (2008): 163-69. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.01.005.

2. Bloom, Paul. “Mindfulness Definition.” Greater Good. Accessed October 04, 2016.

3. Creswell, J. David, Laura E. Pacilio, Emily K. Lindsay, and Kirk Warren Brown. “Brief Mindfulness Meditation Training Alters Psychological and Neuroendocrine Responses to Social Evaluative Stress.” Psychoneuroendocrinology 44 (2014): 1-12. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.02.007.

4. Colzato, Lorenza S., Ayca Ozturk, and Bernhard Hommel. “Meditate to Create: The Impact of Focused-Attention and Open-Monitoring Training on Convergent and Divergent Thinking.” Frontiers in Psychology 3 (2012). doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00116.

5. Ostafin, Brian D., and Kyle T. Kassman. “Stepping out of History: Mindfulness Improves Insight Problem Solving.” Consciousness and Cognition 21, no. 2 (2012): 1031-036. doi:10.1016/j.concog.2012.02.014.

6. Levy, David M., Jacob O. Wobbrock, Alfred W. Kaszniak, and Marilyn Ostergren. “The effects of mindfulness meditation training on multitasking in a high-stress information environment.” In Proceedings of Graphics Interface 2012, pp. 45-52. Canadian Information Processing Society, 2012.

7. Roemer, Lizabeth, Sarah K. Williston, Elizabeth H. Eustis, and Susan M. Orsillo. “Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapies for Anxiety Disorders.” Current Psychiatry Reports 15, no. 11 (2013). doi:10.1007/s11920-013-0410-3.

8. Barnes, Sean, Kirk Warren Brown, Elizabeth Krusemark, W. Keith Campbell, and Ronald D. Rogge. “The Role of Mindfulness in Romantic Relationship Satisfaction and Responses to Relationship Stress.” Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 33, no. 4 (2007): 482-500. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.2007.00033.x.

The post Meditation for Meatheads appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Here is some science about the physical effects of meditation, as well as tips for getting started.

Why Meditate?

In her article, How Meditation Can Heal Your Adrenal System, coach and nurse practitioner Vanessa Bennington detailed some of the important benefits meditation has for athletes:

Stress hormones and the physical signs of stress and the fight-or-flight reaction (like blood pressure and heart rate) are shown to be consistently lower in individuals who regularly meditate. So, just like a strength training program, the longer you stick with it, the stronger and bigger your muscles become, and you can eventually lift some pretty heavy weights. The longer you meditate, the stronger your meditation muscles become, and the more stress you can cope with without jacking up your adrenals.

You might say exercise is well-managed intentional stress (or at least, hopefully it’s well-managed). As noted by Vanessa in the quotation above, meditation helps the body cope with stress. So in essence, meditation may make your workouts more efficient and beneficial. That would be pretty cool, right?

3 More Reasons for Athletes to Meditate

A number of Breaking Muscle coaches have noted other exercise-related benefits of meditation:

1. Control Heart Rate Variability

Coach Craig Marker explained the role of the vagus nerve on heart rate variability:

One branch of our vagus nerve (our brakes) slows down heart rate. As we inhale, that branch of our vagus nerve is inhibited (so our brakes are not responsive), which allows our sympathetic system (our gas) to run free. As we exhale, our vagus nerve inhibitory action returns and our heart rate slows down. This mechanism is probably one of the reasons for the benefits of meditative breathing.

This explains some of the crazy stories you might have heard about experienced meditators who can control their heart rate simply by thinking. It’s not a Jedi mind trick, after all.

Learn more about the vagus nerve and its role in exercise recovery in Craig’s article, “Heart Rate Variability: The New Science of Recovery.”

2. Effects on Lactate Levels

Yoga instructor and athlete Julie Rader explained how meditation aids blood flow and lactate removal:

During meditation functions of the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates our fight-or-flight response, are decreased. Therefore, the constriction of the blood vessels is reduced allowing for greater blood flow. During meditation, the increased flow of blood delivers more oxygen to the muscles and lactate is more quickly and effectively removed.

Read more about meditation’s effects on blood flow and lactate levels in Julie’s article, “How to Improve Your Mental State Through Just 5 Minutes of Meditation.”

3. Increased Immunity

A study conducted in 2012 found people who exercised and meditation reported fewer sick days than those who did not. The participants who practiced daily meditation only had 257 sick days and 27 instances of respiratory illness, as opposed to the inactive group, who reported 453 sick days and 40 cases of respiratory illness. We all know sick days at work usually mean workouts missed in the gym, so this is great news.

For more details on this study, check out coach Joshua Wortman‘s article, “Science Says: Regular Exercise and Meditation Reduce Sick Days.”

3 Steps to Get Started

Hopefully I’ve convinced you meditation isn’t just for Jedis and monks in caves. Here are three steps to get started with establishing a regular meditation practice.

1. Create a Space: Yoga instructor Mindith Rahmat gave five tips for creating a space for your meditation practice:

1. Find a Good Spot: “Find a space that is free find a small area in your home that is easy to access with good ventilation, temperature control, and lighting.”
2. Eliminate Distractions: “Remove or cover all visible work, laundry, and to do lists.”
3. Keep It Clean: “Keep your space free from any dirt, dust, mess, and clutter.”
4. Make It Pretty: “This is a personal choice, you can keep it simple with a nice rug or colorful mat to sit on.”
5. Get Comfortable: “Set up an a space that allows you to relax and get comfortable. Use pillows, bolsters, or even a comfortable chair.”

Read more of Mindith’s tips in her article, 5 Tips for Creating a Simple Meditation Space.

2. Find the Right Style for You: Meditation doesn’t look the same for everyone. Consider what style of meditation is best for your personality before you commit to a practice. Coach Danielle Harlan detailed eight types of meditation in her article, Discover the Best Meditation Type for You, so check it if you need some creative ideas.

3. Just Do It! Coach Traver Boehm is a big fan of meditation. In the video below, he explains a simple approach to meditation that can be done anywhere. So if you can’t find a quiet, distraction-free space, don’t let it hold you back. As Traver explained:

You can meditate anywhere. It doesn’t have to be at an ashram, it doesn’t have to be done in a temple. It can be done at your workdesk, it can be done in your car, it can be done while in line at the bank. It can literally be done anywhere, for any amount of time.

Watch the video below to learn some ways to make meditation accessible:

More Like This:

• Simple Tools to Improve Your Meditation
• 5 Myths About Meditation
• Can Meditation Cause Harm in the Wrong Hands?
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Meditation 101: Why and How to Start a Meditation Practice appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

For people looking to explore and incorporate meditation into their regular health and wellness routine, the greatest challenge can be identifying the right type of meditation to meet their individual needs and preferences. Fortunately, there are dozens of types of meditative practices – many with different emphases, different postures, and different underlying philosophies – which means plenty of options for you to find the practice that works best for you.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation has swelled in popularity in the past two decades, and is increasingly the subject of empirical studies focusing on its potential psychological and physiological benefits.³ Though generally considered non-religious, this type of meditation stems from the Buddhist tradition and emphasizes an awareness of breath, a focus on the present moment, and letting thoughts come and go without judging them.

Mindfulness meditation may also involve focusing on specific parts of the body. This type of meditation is generally practiced while sitting cross-legged on the floor with a straight spine or in a stable chair.

Heart Rhythm Meditation

Heart rhythm meditation (HRM), much like mindfulness meditation, emphasizes the breath, but also incorporates the heart, and involves coordinating the breath and heartbeat in order to direct and circulate energy. Different types of breathing techniques, which include inhaling, holding, and releasing the breath in various rhythmic patterns, are common to this practice. Though the benefits of HRM have not been thoroughly studied, many of its practitioners believe that it can be a powerful tool for emotional healing.

Qi Gong

Qi gong, based on the Taoist tradition, is a type of meditation that uses the breath to circulate life energy, or qi or chi, through the body. The practice focuses on aligning breath, mind, and body so that you may realize your full potential as a human being. Along with a focus on breathing and relaxation techniques, qi gong frequently involves movement and is a key component of some martial arts practices.

Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental meditation (TM), rooted in the Hindu tradition, is a meditative technique that involves a mantra (a sacred word or phrase). Practitioners sit with their eyes closed twice a day for fifteen to twenty minutes while repeating their mantra. TM was popularized in the mid to late twentieth century by a guru named Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as a way to relieve stress, increase relaxation, and encourage self-development.

Kundalini

Kundalini meditation is another type of meditation that finds its roots in the Hindu tradition. In Kundalini meditation, practitioners are seated and use a combination of breathing techniques and mantras to release psychic energy through a series of chakras (energy centers or points of spiritual power in the body), with the ultimate goal of attaining enlightenment – also known as Kundalini awakening.

Though the scientific research on Kundalini meditation is scant, practitioners and non-practitioners both caution people to be aware of Kundalini Syndrome – the psychological and sometimes physiological problems that can arise when the practitioner is unprepared for the awakening.

Guided Meditation

Guided meditation is a popular technique that isn’t specific to any one meditative tradition, and instead may be done for a number ofdifferent types of meditative practices (including those mentioned in this article). The key element of guided meditation is that an instructor is verbally leading the participant or participants through the practice.

This is generally intended to teach the participants the practice, so they are able to do it on their own when necessary. Guided meditation can be a great option for someone who is new to meditation and prefers the option of working with a teacher as he or she learns more about the ins and outs of the practice.

Walking Meditation

As its name suggests, walking meditation involves being upright and moving while meditating. Like most types of meditation, there are a variety of ways to do walking meditation, but the majority of these practices involve being outdoors, clearing the mind, and focusing on foot movement and/or sensations in the body. For practitioners who have a difficult time sitting for too long or find themselves restless during seated meditations, walking meditation can be a good alternative.

Zazen Meditation

Zazen meditation (literally: “seated meditation”), from the Zen Buddhist tradition, is a type of meditation that is done to calm the body and mind, improve concentration, and ultimately attain enlightenment. It is considered one of the more basic types of meditation. It emphasizes concentration; meditating on a particular question, word, or problem; or a total focus on the present moment while observing, but not engaging with, any passing thoughts.

Which Meditation Is Right for You?

In addition to the more widely known meditative practices outlined in this article, there are countless other variations and options available if you’re aiming to incorporate regular meditation into your lifestyle.

In identifying a type that’s right for you, it’s useful to think about what you want out of your practice – whether it’s improved concentration (as in Zen meditation), incorporation of movement (as with walking meditation), or someone to walk you through it (as with any form of guided meditation). It’s also important to remember that not all practices are ideal for all people. You should feel free to experiment and try different practices until you find the one that works best for you.

References:

1. Ramesh Manocha, “Meditation, mindfulness and mind-emptiness.” Acta Neuropsychiatrica 23, no. 1 (2011): 46-47.

2. “Meditation: An Introduction.” NCCAM. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm (accessed July 17, 2014).

3. Scott Bishop, et al., “Mindfulness: A Proposed Operational Defition.” Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice 11, no. 3 (2004): 230-241.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Discover the Best Meditation Type for You appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Most people who take up mindfulness-based practices for stress relief are not true Buddhists. The question, then, is are they using meditation for harm? Can mindfulness and meditation actually cause negative effects instead of positive ones? 

The Opposing Viewpoint

Those who oppose mindfulness-based practices for daily life are concerned their forms of spiritual practice are being stripped down, evaluated scientifically, and applied sectarianly strictly for benefits such as greater efficiency at work and reduced stress. The Times summarized an argument written by Michael Stone for Salon saying, “It shouldn’t, he argued, be used to make members of the world’s biggest military better at killing.”

Similarly, opponents to mindfulness-based practices in corporate America argue against what is – at its heart – a spiritual exercise being proposed to reduce absence for sick leave. There is a small but vocal component of the meditation community who simply feel those people at the top of the one percent who do not embrace the totality of Buddhism or transcendental meditation should not employ the practice for their own means. In short, many people take issue with meditation based on universality and nonviolence being used to contribute to a system that is essentially ego-driven and at times violent.

You may fall into this category. You may live a life that, from the outside, does not appear to be Buddhist, transcendental, or related to other forms of Eastern religion. You may go to work every day, hit the gym, run errands, juggle a social schedule, and come home to meditate for the sole purpose of making your hectic life a little easier. Have you “hijacked” a spiritual practice and employed it for selfish means?

The Supporting Viewpoint

My short answer to the previous question is: no, you are not using and abusing meditation if you have specific, sectarian goals in mind for your practice. We don’t selectively choose the results we get from living a more mindful life. Sure, it may make us more efficient workers and less likely to lose control in a combat situation. But, mindfulness and meditation does so by reducing our stress, helping us become more self-aware of emotions and feelings, and teaching us to tune in to default mental processes. These things, ultimately, may make us better spouses, parents, and members of our communities. As we all know, we don’t get to just choose one benefit and turn off all the others.

Many people show up to my yoga class each week simply to get stronger, lose weight, increase flexibility, or reduce stress. For me, the yoga path is much more than the sum of those parts, but I’m still happy to have them in class. If nothing else, I’d love for them to receive the benefits they are seeking. In the best-case scenario, if students are open to the wider benefits of the practice – living according to a personal and social code, reduction of distraction, and even ultimately union with all beings – those benefits may come to them as well.

A CEO who takes up meditation to train the brain for more efficient multitasking may also discover she has become a more compassionate mother by becoming more aware of her emotional landscape. Soldiers using meditation may be less likely to commit unnecessary violence, less likely to experience PTSD, and more likely to transition back into civilian life in a healthy and productive way.

Ultimately, whatever the reason people start getting more mindful, they will likely discover a greater range of benefits than they initially imagined. Meditation was not designed by a group of people seeking certain benefits. People started meditating, and they discovered truths about the human condition as a result. We should allow all individuals the freedom to explore this same path without restricting them to a specific end game.

The Real Dangers of Meditation

All that said, there are some true dangers of exploring the mental, emotional, energetic, and subconscious landscape through meditation. Individuals with an unstable mental condition may be putting themselves at risk of a dissociative experience. Similarly, individuals can experience past repressed trauma, either in a flashback state or as a memory, and great harm can come as a result.⁴

For this reason, meditation should not be prescribed as a cure-all practice for people who experience a wide and complex array of personal challenges. Many meditation centers have psychiatrists on site to deal with any issues that may arise, and wise teachers will be aware of stage-based behavioral therapy.⁵ While meditation can pose risks if introduced too early, mindfulness in general is a safer introduction into self-awareness. Activities like mindful eating, mindful walking, and general awareness techniques can be helpful tools in early stages of recovery.

References:

1. North, A. “The Mindfulness Backlash.” The New York Times. June 30, 2014.

2. Eaton, J. “Gentrifying the dharma: How the 1 percent is hijacking mindfulness.” Salon. March 5, 2014.

3. Stone, M. “Abusing the Buddha: How the U.S. Army and Google co-opt mindfulness.” Salon. March 17, 2014.

4. Hanson, H. “Potential Psychological Dangers of Meditation – Especially Relevant for Those with PTSD.” New-Synapse.com. Accessed July 8, 2014.

5. Herman, J.Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror.Basic Books, 1997.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Can Meditation Cause Harm in the Wrong Hands? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As you continue on your meditation journey, here are some tools you may find helpful:

Meditation Props

If you cannot sit in relative comfort, you will not be very successful at sitting still. Don’t put pressure on yourself to sit on the floor with your legs crossed. Today, there are plenty of helpful props to ease hip and back pain while you sit. My favorites are:

• Back Jack Chairs: These cushions fold up for easy storage, but they unfold to provide as much support as a chair. A light cushion under the sit bones helps elevate the hips, and the back support allows even inexperienced sitters to adjust posture in a way to remain still. You can find back jack chairs at many yoga stores, through yoga prop providers, and through online retailers.
• Zafus: Zafus are simply firm pillows that boost the hips in any seated posture. Be mindful that you are purchasing an actual meditation zafu and not a yoga bolster. While bolsters may be helpful if they are the only thing on hand, zafus are firmer and smaller, providing for better alignment. Many yoga studios sell zafus, or you can find them at yoga stores, through yoga prop providers, and through online retailers.
• Meditation Benches: You will likely need to order a meditation bench specifically through a retailer, as these are hard to find. They are low benches that provide space for you to either cross your legs or fold them underneath the bench. There is no back support in most benches, but many meditators prefer the high elevation of a bench over a back support cushion.

Websites and Phone Apps

Today, you have your pick of technology to help you meditate. You can use any old timer, use a meditation-specific timer, or even delve into any of the social media-related apps that make meditating into an online community. My specific favorites to look into:

• Insight Timer: This app is specifically designed to time, track, and journal your meditation sessions. The timer sound options are all Tibetan bells, and you can elect to set interval bells throughout your meditation. When you have set the timer you like, you can save it as a preset. Each session will be automatically logged, and social options on the company website let you share messages with other meditators.
• Buddhify: This seriously smart app is perfect for those who want to listen to guided meditations. After selecting preferences based on where you are and how much time you have for your meditation, you will be guided through the process. Buddhify even has multi-player options, turning meditation into a social game as well as a personal journey.
• Calm: There may not be much to it, but Calm is a brilliant idea for those who need a little boost. The site has separate options for guided meditations, meditation timers, online support, and a downloadable phone app.

General Meditation Resources

• The Chopra Center for Well Being/Chopra Center Meditation: Deepak Chopra’s websites offer everything from articles on meditation to over twenty free, guided meditations. If you are looking for something extra, Chopra pairs up with Oprah Winfrey for three 21-day meditation challenges. These are available for purchase individually or as a set and include audio recordings and journals to help get you on your way.
• Whil: lululemon founder Chip Wilson’s new venture, Whil, encourages small, sixty-second meditations. The site allows users to share one-sentence insights and commitments, and free membership provides access to articles, interviews, and meditation instruction.
• S.N. Goenka’s Vipassana Meditation Centers: For those seeking a fully immersive meditation experience, Vipassana retreats are available free of charge throughout the world. These ten-day silent retreats are not for everyone, but many people find them to be powerfully uplifting.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

Zafu photo by Dontpanic (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

The post Simple Tools to Improve Your Meditation appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

We are all descendants of really bad meditators. Add to this the general level of distraction we face each moment, and you have a recipe for a tough time sitting in stillness. This is either good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it.

Bad news, we catch only limited moments of success; good news, simply trying to meditate brings about the benefits, whether or not we ever calm down the default circuitry of the brain. But for those of us who just meet frustration every time we come to the cushion, one option is a walking meditation.

About Walking Meditation

The goal of any mediation is to be present in the body’s experience of a given moment. Therefore, even in walking meditation, it is best to choose a space with limited distractions, turn off your telephone, walk alone, and choose a path that is not too challenging.

Being in nature is best, as this increases overall happiness with the process. This is not an opportunity to “tune out” through distracting yourself with physical movement. Rather, think of walking meditation as a way to increase awareness of the body’s sensations and the mind’s work to process those sensations.

Instructions

1. Creating habits leads to greater success. Decide on a time each day for your walking meditation. After a meal is a great choice as walking provides good posture for digestion.
2. Do your best to make sure you are free of distractions. Leave behind your telephone, or at least turn it off. Choose a path you know well so you can concentrate on the experience you are having. Labyrinths and meditation gardens are also a great option, as the walking is confined to a specific experience of the path and therefore limits sensory data.
3. Before you begin walking, take a moment to feel your body. Feel the quality of your breath. Take a mental scan of your body, and notice any areas that are calling for your attention. Just observe without feeling the need to act accordingly.
4. Start walking. Settle on a slow pace that allows you to coordinate breath with your movement.
5. As you walk, be keenly aware of what your senses are taking in. Notice smells, sounds, the feel of the air on your skin, grades in the terrain, and how your breath varies based on these experiences. Continually witness the body’s response to the changes around it.
6. Do your best to not allow your thinking brain to go into processing mode. A tip: try to take language out of the equation by thinking in feelings rather than words. For example, rather than hearing a sound and mentally saying, “That is a bird,” just witness what it is like to hear the sound. Try to feel the part of your ear that perceives that particular sound, or feel the sound as vibration in your body.
7. Walk for ten minutes to an hour. At times during your walk, you will catch yourself wrapped up in thought. Use your senses to tune back in to the experience around you.

Is This Really Meditation?

I cannot say for certain whether walking meditation meets the full criteria for meditation in the yogic sense. My teacher is notorious for saying, “It is only when the body is still that the mind can fully relax.” Ultimately, I think we can more profoundly and deeply experience the moment when we are still. We learn to attune to smaller sensations, and we have an easier time catching the brain on its way to default mode.

However, I believe our brain’s hardware limits many of us from having truly deep experiences in seated meditation. Eventually, you may move to an alternating meditation, spending thirty minutes walking then thirty minutes sitting. In the end, I believe any act of mindfulness is better than no mindfulness at all. If walking meditation gets you to meditate, I’m all for it.

Happy walking, everyone, and please share comments, experiences, and questions below.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post A Way to Meditate: For People Really Bad at Meditation appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Vipassana means seeing in various ways, but it is loosely translated to intense concentration when applied to a type of meditation.¹ The good news: the days when this meditation clicks for me are the days I have my deepest and most profound sits. Many people feel a sincere sense of surrender and connectedness with this technique.

Instructions

1. At this point during our eight-week meditation challenge, you should know the drill. We always start by finding an appropriate meditative posture with a tall spine. For this meditation, I strongly recommend a seated posture, as it will keep you aware and alert.
2. Take a few moments to become aware of the fact you are sitting for meditation. Adjust anything that needs adjusting, and focus on the inner space.
3. Find one point of awareness. Traditionally, this point is a tiny atom at the tip of the nose from which you can feel the breath enter and exit the body. Not the whole nose, not the throat or lungs, just one point at the tip. If you choose another point of focus, fine, but make sure it is just as compact.
4. Sit and focus on that point. When the thoughts wander, bring them back to that one point. Just keep sitting.
5. Stay this way for five minutes to begin, but you may work up to thirty minutes or – in more regular sitters – an hour or more.

Benefits

Sounds simple, right? It is. That’s part of the beauty of vipassana meditation. However, the practice of drawing the mind to such a minuscule existence is intensely challenging. You will notice some days you cannot go more than two breaths without losing your focus. Some days you may go whole minutes. Don’t be concerned about it. Many people feel they are not “good” at this meditation if their minds wander. These are the people who can benefit most from training the mind in this way. Stay with it.

The benefit of this practice is profound and far-reaching. It cannot be summed up in one article alone, because the benefits range from increasing attention span to developing a greater sense of contentment in life. Some benefits are proven by science, some are more esoteric and only proven by your individual experience with the practice.

One benefit we all receive from meditation, though, is learning to control the mind to focus on one thing for a longer period of time. Our minds, in part thanks to a life dedicated to multitasking, have a tendency to jump from one thing to the next.

We may think we are doing two things at once, but all research shows the brain is not capable of this. It takes several seconds for the brain to switch from one activity to the next.² So, if you simply do one task to completion then switch to the next task, you will be making better use of your time and brain power.

Challenge

My challenge to you is to try sitting each day for a few minutes in intense concentration on one small thing. Just watch what happens, and share some of your experience in the comments below.

You will be amazed by how many people have a hard time with this (hint: everyone), but you will also recognize an area of your personal development where there is much room for growth. Namely, you will test your ability to sit in stillness and peace without filling the mind with thoughts.

References:
1. Silananda, U. “Questions and Answers about Vipassana,” Theravida Buddhist Society of America.
2. Hamilton, John. “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again,” NPR.org, October 2, 2008.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2

Overcoming Insomnia: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #3

Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Before you begin, as always, find a comfortable position with a tall spine. If you feel tired, opt for sitting up rather than lying down. You can always sit in a chair, but if you are just meditating for five or ten minutes, this is a good one to practice without the aid of a chair. Bonus: sitting on the floor or on a cushion without a chair helps build core stability and support for your back.

Stage 1: External Awareness

1. Close your eyes, but leave your senses open.
2. Allow your attention to flutter from one sound or experience to the next. Without lingering or obsessing on any one sound, simply listen in all directions.
3. Use your four remaining senses – without sight – to take a mental picture of your experience. If someone were to ask you about this scene later, what could you describe?
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we allow the senses to run wild, which often fulfills our need to explore the world prior to settling in.

Stage 2: Inner Awareness

1. Turn the focus inward, but do not try to control your inner experience.
2. Allow your mind free rein to experience thoughts as they come up. Similar to the external experience, avoid focusing on, suppressing, or judging any one thought. Simply experience each thought as it comes up, then allow it to pass.
3. Remain constantly aware, as if you are watching billboards passing on a highway and reading each one. You may feel as if you have drifted off or are falling asleep during this portion. Bring your awareness back to the thoughts every chance you get.
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we allow the mind to run wild, which should fulfill its desire to categorize, plan, and worry. Hopefully, by giving it permission to experience thoughts, your mind will surrender to stillness rather than give in to these tendencies.

Stage 3: Thought Control

1. Begin to call to mind a specific thought. The first one you think of is typically the best.
2. Allow your mind to experience this thought completely, seeing it from every possible angle. Then, abruptly, throw the thought away.
3. Continue this process with several thoughts. You may feel yourself clinging to the first thought and not able to throw it away. If it helps, visualize yourself writing the thought down on a piece of paper and tossing it into the trash.
4. Stay in this stage for a few minutes. This is the stage where we become active participants in the meditation, no longer simply allowing the senses and mind to run free, but rather yoking them into a specific experience.
5. If you are only meditating for five minutes, you may stop right here. This alone should leave you feeling refreshed, clear, and more mindful. If you have more time and wish to take the meditation deeper, move on.

Stage 4: Meditation

Often, antar mouna meditation is broken into multiple further stages. For our purposes, we can group them together in one stage I will call “meditation.” You may ask, “But wasn’t I already meditating?” Technically, no. You were concentrating. In sanskrit, we call this dharana. It is a valuable action, and if you never go further than simply sitting still and focusing on one thing at a time, you will gain tremendous benefit.

To progress to meditation, try these steps:

1. Begin to focus more on the space between the thoughts. Initially, there may only be a fraction of a second in between. Eventually, this space will grow.
2. Watch as the space between the thoughts grows greater and greater. Work to dwell in the space between thoughts.
3. Ultimately, true meditation – dhyana – comes about when we have no thoughts at all and no awareness of the fact we are thinking or meditating.

Try this meditation every day for a week. You may find you come closer and closer to meditation each time you try to sit in silence. If you are particularly agitated one day, don’t worry. Simply move through the first three steps, and stop there. Remember the one truth about meditation: consistency or practice is the only way to get “better” at meditating. Simply sit, every day, until it gets easier.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2

Overcoming Insomnia: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #3

Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Origin of the Metta Meditation

The term metta comes to us from Buddhist teachings. It has been used in many forms, including organizations that have chosen it as their trademark. For example, The Metta Institute, a program for those nearing the end of their lives, chose the word because:

METTA is an ancient Pali (Buddhist) term meaning loving-kindness, friendliness, benevolence and non-violence. It is a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others. We chose it as our name because we believe it expresses the essential human quality that is most beneficial in the lives of those who are dying and their caregivers.

Now that you are aware of the word metta and its meaning, you will likely see it pop up all over our culture. Meditation based on the concept of metta simply aims to bring the feelings metta embodies – friendliness, benevolence, non-violence, and loving-kindness – to those who practice the meditation. I find most people feel at home with this meditation as it is straightforward, positive and easy. It is a great place to start if you are aiming to use meditation to benefit your daily stress and feelings toward the world.

Simple Steps for the Metta Meditation

1. Start by finding a comfortable seated position with a tall spine. If sitting is hard for you, feel free to boost your hips on a bench, stool, or even a chair. Sitting against a wall is always an option for beginners.
2. Close your eyes and take a few clearing breaths, inhaling slowly through the nose and exhaling gently through the mouth.
3. Begin to breath only through the nose, paying attention to the rhythm of the breath and the sense of peace and calm it creates.
4. Call to mind the image of one person (or a pet) that brings an immediate smile to your face. This should be someone you love dearly and have only positive feelings for. Mentally or out loud, say to this person, “May you be happy. May you be healthy and strong. May you live with ease.”¹ Pause to let these feelings come forth from your heart.
5. If you are sitting for some time, you may continue to call to mind the images of those you love or who are in your thoughts. Repeat the phrase to each and pause to feel the impact of your words. If you are only sitting for a short meditation, continue to step six.
6. Call to mind the image of yourself, perhaps as you are today or perhaps as you were when you needed tremendous love in your life. Hold the image clearly in your mind, and say to yourself, “May you be happy. May you be healthy and strong. May you live with ease.”
7. Finally, call to mind the image of someone who is least deserving of your love and affection. This may be someone who has harmed you personally or a figure who has harmed many. See this person clearly in your mind, and say, “May you be happy. May you be healthy and strong. May you live with ease.” If you are sitting for sometime, you may repeatedly call to mind the images of individuals least deserving of kindness.
8. Pause to let the benefit of the meditation sink in.

Benefits of the Metta Meditation

While many people believe sending positive thoughts and feelings will positively impact the world, I cannot claim scientific proof of this fact. I can tell you, however, that studies do show generating these feelings in meditation will bring a greater ability to sympathize and empathize to the individual practicing the meditation.² These are skills we all need more of in life.

Personally, this mediation gave me the ability to do something years of traditional therapy couldn’t provide: forgive openly without depending on another person’s apology. By recognizing that all people need love, even when they don’t deserve it, I healed many relationships in my life. Further, this meditation taught me I have a right to love everyone, and their actions should not take that right away from me. It has been a freeing experience.

Practice this meditation for five to thirty minutes a day this week. Watch the benefits unfold in your life or share them in the comments below. Thank you, and as I say at the end of every yoga class I teach, “May you be happy. May you be healthy and strong. May you live with ease.”

References:
1. You may use any variation of these words you choose. Phrases you may choose from can be found on the Metta Institute’s website or simply by researching Loving Kindness or Metta Meditation.
2. Hanson, Rick, “Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom,” New Harbinger Publications, 2009.

In case you missed it:

Just Sit: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #1

Overcoming Insomnia: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #3

Inner Silence: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #4

Vipassana: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #5

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Loving Kindness: 8-Week Meditation Challenge #2 appeared first on Breaking Muscle.