9 Meditation Tips For Busy Professionals
From April 26, 2017. I’ve meditated almost every day since then, too.
So you want to meditate more. You’ve been told it’s like eating kale. It’ll make you younger, faster, smarter.
First, let me say: I’m an avid practitioner. And I have some thoughts about it.
I haven’t taken a course in how to teach meditation - or even how to meditate. My credentials consist of having read most (but not all) of Full Catastrophe Living (Jon Kabat-Zinn); having fallen asleep to Andy Puddicomb’s soothing voice (Headspace App); and having meditated almost every day for the last three years.
Which may be just the perspective you need, if you’ve got a busy life and you’re looking to get into meditation without taking a course or reading a book on it.
First, What IS Meditation
In a world of transcendental meditation, tantric meditation, and taoist meditation, it can get pretty confusing on what you’re supposed to do.
I rely pretty heavily on Kabat-Zinn - the point (for me) is to be present. To focus on your breath in that moment, and when you notice you’ve drifted, acknowledge the thought and go back to your breath. I set a timer on my (DND!) phone so that I can forget about time (except in the sometimes agonizing ‘isn’t this over yet?!?’).
So you just sit there and follow your breath. It’s that simple. But not all that easy…
9 Tips To Get More Out of Meditation
SHOW UP. This is 95% of the battle. Make it a habit. I used to try to fit it in during the work day, but it was too unreliable. Now it’s one of the first things I do in the morning before I get going.
SMART SMALL. When I first started (back in 2015?), I couldn’t sit still for two minutes. So I set my timer for 1 minute and started there. In the spirit of meditation, just be where you’re at.
COUNT IT. Try counting your breaths (in and out up to 10, then restart). Try not counting your breaths. They feel different and they give me different benefits. Try both.
GAMIFY IT. Headspace took my meditation to the next level. There was something about seeing the daily counter go up (along with periodic rewards) that made me really prioritize meditation.
PREPARE YOURSELF. I have a tendency to worry about tasks while meditating. On days when there is a lot going on, I start with a “to do” list before I meditate, and I get as much as I can out of my head - it usually sets me up for a better session.
BE COMFORTABLE… Be aware of your posture. There’s a link between mind and body. I started to realize that some of my anxiety was driven by letting my shoulders collapse towards my chest. Yes, it took me over 6 months of meditating daily to figure that out.
…UNLESS YOU’RE NOT. If you get an itch, DON’T scratch it. One day my eyelid started to itch. I didn’t ignore it, I just focused on it. It became the worst itch I’d ever felt. I didn’t scratch it and I survived. And since then, things don’t itch as much.
REFRAME VICTORY. I was listening to a Tim Ferriss podcast, and he asked a meditation guru about how to turn his bad days (where he gets distracted 25 times) into good days (where he goes 15 minutes without being distracted). The guru said “Meditation is not about not thinking. We’re all going to think. Meditation is about noticing when you’re thinking and bringing your mind back. So maybe those days where you refocus 25 times are the good days…”
NOTE IT. Fair warning - this is a bit of an advanced technique. This is where, when you notice that you got distracted, you just note what it was you were thinking/feeling. It’s a balance to note - you need to acknowledge the distraction without getting dragged back into it. “Noting” has been very valuable to me - it’s worth trying once you get your sea-legs (or your meditation tush). If you’re using the Headspace App, try the Anxiety pack. It’s all about “noting”.
What Does This Mean For You?
If I can give some advice, don’t make this a should. Either do it, or don’t do it.
I’ve tried to not do it a few times, and I really notice the effects of missing my meditation (a subject for another article).
So, you gonna give it a shot? Let me know how it goes!