Meditation > Medication

During the past week or so I've been trying to learn how to meditate like the big kids do. You know, actually sit still and breath, think about nothing, and get all superior to everyone. Right? No. That's not the way.

The right way is to sit still and breath and, well, meditate. What I've learned is sitting cross legged hurts. I also fidget and have a hard time getting comfortable. My back hurts and ... you get the idea. I'm like a grumpy old man trying to do yoga. Hmmmph. 

I read about all the good stuff that meditation can do for you. Also, my therapist has recommended it to me for over a year. "Hows the meditation?", she asks. "Oh, the medication is fine", I reply. She looks at me, then at her pad, then jots something down. I don't know why I pay her real money to do that.

Homebrew focal point

Anyway, back to meditation and how uncomfortably fun it is, but not really fun, all at the same time! In fact, after a week of fidgeting and trying to get comfortable I finally found my stride in sitting still. I even setup a little East-meets-West-in-a-Karate Kid-sort-of-way focal point of candles and incense. Hey, it works for me as a focal point so I'm going to keep doing it. Plus, I enjoy the smell of incense. Who doesn't?

How did I go from a fidgeting, grumpy, old man trying to sit still while cross legged on the floor? Here is my secret to finally enjoying and getting "something" from meditation. That secret is finding a guided meditation guru of sorts that actually guides you through the Chakra.

Chakra, not chocolate. Oh, man chocolate sounds sooooo good right now. 

As far as I can tell the Chakra is a set of points within your body or mind or what-have-you, each of which connects to a spiritual aspect of yourself. There are 7 Chakras, starting from your legs and working the way up to the crown of your head. Regardless of what they are, or how mystical they sound, I found meditating with a focus on something other than saying affirmations or imagining I'm a butterfly is something I appreciate. 

As for the 'guru' I'm using Spotify to access a Guided Meditations podcast by someone called The Yoga Bunny. Now, don't laugh. I thought the name leaned toward Southern California hippy dippy, but her work is solid and there's also an implication of following the White Rabbit to her handle. I have listened to many guided meditations and landed on hers because it hit the right notes for me. Most other meditations seem to be very focused on relaxing, and breathing, and boring..snooze.

Not me

The Yoga Bunny is different. She has a series on the Chakras and I've learned a lot, such as how to sit still and get in touch with my surroundings. Surprising to me, my mind is clear and I have a sense of control throughout my day. I feel more in tune with my feet and head. It's hard to put in words, but it's like I have an extra second of time in my brain when I'm making a decision. It's like bullet time from that movie "The Matrix"....but not as cool visually.

Thanks for reading!