So you’re interested in quieting the mind? I was also wondering about meditation and how to get started just a few months ago. And then rather than just exploring some options with a low time commitment online and the bargain cost of free, I decided to go for a full week-long immersion through a course called Seduction of Spirit with the Chopra Center.
The biggest thing I learned at the meditation retreat with Deepak Chopra is that everybody has thoughts during meditation. Let me repeat that – everybody (even Deepak – yes, really) has thoughts during meditation. And I love to pass on that bit of knowledge – it was the biggest surprise takeaway from the week!
There were so many other memorable and incredible aspects to this experience – meeting phenomenal like-minded people, building up to 2 hours of meditation a day, just simply being unplugged for all that time – ahhh! And yet, there are plenty of ways to learn meditation basics that involve far less than an intensive week-long event. How about just 15 minutes a day?
The way the process has worked best for me is when I make it a habit and keep a schedule (I say this in the present tense because I’ve had to adjust the pattern a few times to find the best rhythm and consistent schedule). Even when I don’t feel like I got anything out of a particular meditation session sometimes, I often notice later in the day that I’m just a bit more patient and relaxed.
Here’s some meditation sessions to check out (and they’re all FREE!) – it’s worth listening to a couple different people and styles to see what works for you:
- Starter 15-minute session: Guided by Deepak Chopra with music
- iTunes downloads: Guided by Davidji – he’s got a funky, cool vibe
- Deepak and Oprah examples: Sample 1 Sample 2
There is also this concept of biurnal beats and I have listened to a few recordings. The idea is that the tones can help relax the listener to go into a meditative brain wave state more easily. Kinda out there, kinda scientific. I will do a complete blog post on this another time – just another idea so you can see there are many different ways to quiet the mind. And of course, most simply, you can always just get comfortable and sit and breathe!
Did you find this helpful? What questions do you still have? Please let me know in the comments below and I would be thrilled to provide more information.
~ Health, Happiness and Prosperity ~