Meditation

If I could only keep one practice in life, it would not be a hard decision.

I do not say that lightly - I love exercising - but nevertheless, I would pick meditation without hesitation. It is a reset point, a way to rest, to store up patience, a place from which to consider different perspectives.

So, what are folks doing when they sit down to meditate? I think “The Rev”, Dr. Michael Beckwith, says it best when he says there are as many ways to meditate as there are people…but for clarity’s sake, we can create some loose groupings.

First off, there are meditative states, and there is meditation. Meditative states are great - I find them in writing, running, and reading, and love the experience of feeling fully present - but meditative states are different than meditation.

Meditation will generally take place seated, with the eyes closed. Our experts will delve into more of the details of what happens from there, but there’s certainly more than one path; depending on the tradition you follow, or the benefits you are looking to gain, there are all sorts of meditations your brain can engage in.

Learn more by diving into the conversations with the experts below!

Bob Roth is a meditation teacher who introduced me, via this episode of The Rich Roll Podcast, to Transcendental Meditation.

At that time, I had been using the Headspace App for six or seven months, and while I was enjoying that immensely, I was open to something more, and Roth’s reasons for meditating, as well as the incredible results of practicing Transcendental Meditation (particularly in inner-city schools) struck a chord with me.

I went on to train with a Transcendental Meditation teacher named Cheryl in Fort Collins, Colorado, who has since passed over, and followed the twice a day practice religiously for over two years.

While I have since introduced some variation into my afternoon meditation, the T.M. practice remains my morning foundation. It is worth noting that the practice is very similar to the method taught by Light Watkins; as I understand it, both have roots in the Vedic tradition, and are “restful/recharging/easy” meditations as opposed to some “focused” meditations, which are more like mental exercises than this practice.

You can learn more about Bob Roth at MeditationBob.com!

Bob Roth

Author of a terrific daily newsletter, Light’s Daily Dose, Light Watkins is a meditation teacher and a wonderful voice for some of the deeper benefits that meditation has to offer, including the ability to distinguish your “heart voice” from all the noise out there.

If you are looking for a great book to get into a daily mediation practice, Light’s book Bliss More is a great option, and he also does a terrific job of explaining the practice in his many podcast appearances, including on this episode of Dr. Rangan Chaterjee’s Feel Better, Live More: Episode #23, The Truth About Meditation with Light Watkins.

Light has written several other books, including one that I recently enjoyed, Travel Light, about his experience shifting to a “digital nomadic” lifestyle.

Light Watkins

As I looked to continue learning more about meditation, I came across Emily Fletcher of Ziva Meditation on Shawn Stevenson’s The Model Health Show #469: Adaptation Energy & Meditation for Better Performance. I found myself fascinated by her story and lit up by the passion she brought to the discussion.

As Emily and Shawn discuss in this podcast, children can learn to meditate and derive the same benefits as anyone else - and Emily has tailored educational videos to their age group to make it more fun!

Of course, her knowledge of meditation is useful for adults as well, and offers another great way to get into the practice!

Emily Fletcher

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