Hello peoples! Well, as most of my clients could attest, I pretty regularly mention meditation as an excellent tool not only for managing anxiety and stress, but also for simply calming down one’s mind in the midst of the chaotic world around us. We are bombarded constantly by “information” (read “noise”), and the majority of it is either useless drivel, totally negative, or both. Many of us also fall prey to the tyranny of our own racing and spiraling thoughts, leading to stress, anxiety, anger, etc. Meditation does not remove these problems, but the practice trains our brains/minds to stay more at peace within the craziness and teaches us to not react to all the noise.
It is my intention to create some meditation audios and videos to put on the website here, and it’s definitely on the to-do list. However, I was doing my Yoga workout in the Sweat Lodge (aka, my garage, heat index 107 degrees!), and I do my meditation right after that. Another aspect of the mediation practice is that it trains us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and I figure sitting still for 15 minutes after a workout in a hot environment qualifies as discomfort! So after my yoga workout, I decided to experiment with video-recording my breathing meditation. I figured it would be good practice for me and might actually be beneficial to others. Like for one, putting my money where my mouth is and practicing what I preach, and secondly, maybe if someone sees me doing a meditation in less than ideal circumstances, and in a location like a garage – and doing it big-time imperfectly – maybe they would see it as less daunting of an undertaking.
So I did the video and decided to post it below. It is dark, as I do my meditation in a dark environment, so only the light of the TV/youtube video was used. Additionally, I don’t know how to edit video just yet, so there’s a commercial glitch in there early on. But all in all, I think it works as an example of how anyone, in any crummy circumstance, in most any location, can start putting together a meditation practice. Future videos will be way better, I promise! But until then, do a little review of the introduction and, if you’re really brave, sit with me for the duration! Until later, peace and blessings all ~ Jim