If meditating is so good for us, why are many of us not doing it? Time, access, perception and education. We don’t believe that we have 15 minutes in our day to sit down, close our eyes and breathe. Most of us don’t have a Meditation Room in our office buildings. Many are worried what others will think if we meditate. Education is two-fold. I believe that the majority of us either don’t know anything about meditation or don’t believe in its benefits. I’ll briefly address each of these.
Time is a non-argument. Everyone has 15 minutes to sit on a toilet (lid closed) and be quiet. This also answers the question of access. While it is ideal to have a designated Meditation Room with soft lighting, comfy chairs and sound-proofing, it is not necessary. Find a bathroom. Go outside, put your headphones on, close your eyes, lean back against a tree. If it’s raining, go back to the bathroom.
If you’re worried about what people think while you’re meditating at work, you can do it at home before work. Have kids? Do it before they wake up or in the car in the garage after work (they’ll never know)…or on the train. A friend of mine meditates in the pick-up line at school.
Education is tricky. Not everyone knows how beneficial meditation can be. Ideally, we would learn early in school that quieting the mind calms us, enhances focus, improves creativity and, in general, makes us feel better. As adults, we’re not taught how quieting the mind can boost creativity and productivity or that it counteracts the stress response by lowering blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates, and the surge of stress hormones that are lamented for the detrimental effects on every organ system in the body.
So, spread the word…Meditation is good. Grab a friend, an earbud, a tree or a toilet and go meditate.
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