Meditation

I started meditating on July 28, 2014. I wanted to better understand myself, reduce stress, and be able to handle situations with more mental clarity.

In true information-gatherer fashion, I scoured the internet for how to guides. It seemed so simple, but when I did it, it proved to be extremely difficult. Luckily, I found a guide by fellow tech nerd Dan Benjamin. He helped me establish a practice and create a general foundation for what my next six years of meditation would look like.

Meditating in the morning has been the best way for me to stay consistent with my practice. I like to workout first to wake up and then sit for typically about 10 minutes. The best is when I practice yoga and then ease into meditation since it helps prepare my body to sit in stillness. I use the app Insight Timer to track my practices. It is simple, free, and provides the bells (literally) that I like to hear before, during, and after my practice. It also track my meditation times to quantify them.

It is hard to describe exactly what meditation does for me. It isn’t an instant fix or something that is even that tangible over time. Instead, it is a subtle calmness that covers my overall being. It is the difference between getting frustrated over something silly or even if there is frustration, letting it go more quickly. It allows me to think creatively by freeing my mind of the day-to-day junk. It allows me to be more present with family and friends.

Bottom line, Bill Murray sums it up best.