Why Meditate? š§š»āāļø (The Sparknotes Version)
This week in Bowl Club, my friend Sam Wilensky led us through a masterclass on āThe Meditation Part of Sound Meditationā and I thought Iād share my takeaways here with you.
Even though Iāve been teaching meditation for years, I lo0o0ove going back to the basics cause thatās where the real magic lies.
The foundational teachings arenāt something to outgrow, but to double down on ā an opportunity to dive deeper as our understanding grows over time.
Alright⦠here are the spark notes:
Meditation is a tool to help us break old habits and create new ones.
Thereās a difference between talking about meditation and actually sitting down to practice it. (Hint: you actually gotta do it)
You shouldnāt meditate on anxiety, cause thatāll just grow your anxiety.
Instead, set a focus or intention on something you want to grow: compassion is a good one!
Sam says setting an intention is like setting your destination in your GPS!
Itās normal to lose focus. (or make the wrong turn)
When you lose focus (like you inevitably will) the key is to do two things:
Notice that youāre off track
Joyfully return
Emphasis on JOYFULLY!
Weāre not punishing ourselves here for getting distracted.
Let go of the judgment, and just begin again.
Being nice to yourself is kind of the whole the point!
After a while, it becomes easier to stay on track, and thatās why itās called a practice.
The path is always there, and we always have a chance to return, even if weāve strayed a while.
Time to reflect:
Whatās one habit youāve dropped that youād like to pick back up again?
Instead of judging yourself, what would happen if you just picked up where you left off?
Consider this an invitation to joyfully return.
Youāre doing amazing, sweetie.
Love,
Lindsay