In an average week, I write one to three blogs on sleep health, research, copy edit, or translate for a client or two, spend about 20 hours driving my daughter to and from school and her dance studio, hike 3 miles, walk 8 to 10,000 steps a day, clean, cook (okay, nuking stuff in the microwave over does not really count as cooking), and get together with friends for drinks or a yoga class at least once.
That may sound like a lot but it’s no more than what you, your best friend, neighbor or significant other do every day. With our smart phones, laptops and home offices, we work more hours than ever before.
According to the BLS time use surveys, in the US, full-time employed females work an average of 8.33 hours, while full-time employed males work an average of 9.09 hours per day. Aside from the fact that these stats are categorized by gender (and that in itself makes me cringe) child-rearing, housework and the myriad of other household-related tasks such as running errands, driving to and from activities and cooking and cleaning aren’t factored into those numbers. I don’t know about you, but it all feels like work to me.
In fact, most adults, men and women alike, spend another 6 hours a day on everything from running errands, caring for others, doing chores, to eating, studying, exercising and answering e-mail. Coupled with your “official” work hours, that’s 15 hours of the day gone and you haven’t spent any quality time with friends and family or had any real down time yet. It’s no wonder so many people are sleep deprived.
“How do you do it?” a friend recently asked me. “I drink,” I said, then laughed. “Seriously? I meditate.” Full disclosure, I also have a terrific husband who doesn’t mind vacuuming and is an ace at whipping up a meal in under 20 minutes flat.
Meditating does not make any of my responsibilities go away, or add extra time to my busy schedule but it does take away that nervous, edgy feeling I get when I feel overwhelmed because my to-do list seems impossibly long and that the time I have to get everything done seems impossibly short. And with as little as 5 minutes of meditation a day, I’ve found I can tackle my to-do list more efficiently and feel a hell of a lot more Zen doing it.
Now, I’m guessing that whether you’re reading this at the bar at the end of a busy week, or in a grocery store check-out line while managing your kid’s “pleeeeeeading” requests for candy and your “emotional support” dog’s fear of grocery carts, reading “I meditate” has triggered some very interesting reactions. Interested, amused or barely containing a smirk and an eye roll?
Common Myths About Meditation
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Myth #1 – Only hippies, yogis and the rich and famous meditate
Although meditation gained much of its initial popularity in the US during the 1960s and 1970s because of famous gurus like the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and practitioners like The Beatles, these days people from all walks of life meditate.
And while Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Deepak and Oprah meditate to carve out me time during their busy days (Perry), help them see in moments of madness (McCartney) or get in tune with their authentic selves (Oprah), for the employees of successful companies such as Google, Sony and Facebook meditation inspires a happy and healthy workplace. For parents and caregivers, meditation helps cope with caregiver strain. And as more and more schools now include mindfulness practices, such as meditation as part of their curriculum, “students become more focused, calm, quiet, settled and rested – (Meditation) providing them an opportunity to learn to relax and reflect.”
According to the CDC, as of 2017, over 14% of Americans had meditated at least once. And although at first glance, 14% may not seem like a lot, that’s over 35 million people! And those numbers could be significantly higher. A Pew Research Center report estimates the percentage of people who meditate could be as high as 40% of Americans. Globally, between 200 and 500 million people meditate.
Myth #2 – You need to be in a quiet place with no interruptions to meditate
The truth is that although being alone in a quiet place makes it easier to meditate, you can do it anywhere. Stuck in the longest checkout line at the grocery store? Take those 5 minutes to focus on your breathing. Need to take the dog out to do their business three to four times a day? Take advantage of that time to slow down and really look at your surroundings. You might be surprised to notice your neighborhood’s jacarandas are in bloom or that the alley behind your building is decorated with a fresh coat of very creative, and thought-provoking graffiti.
Myth #3 – You have to be sitting down with your eyes closed to meditate
In fact, you can meditate anytime, anywhere. The key is to give the chatterbox part of your mind, your “monkey mind” something to focus on. The easiest way to do that is to direct your attention to your breathing. Breathe in, breathe out. Repeat. Your thoughts will stray and that’s okay. Notice what keeps stealing your attention, with no judgement, then move your attention back to your breath.
Myth #4 – Meditation is time-consuming
An old Zen proverb suggests, “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes every day — unless you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” Wait, what? Kidding! That saying implies we could all use more stillness, introspection and calm and that once you start reaping the benefits of meditation you’ll want to do it more. All kidding aside, start with just a few minutes of meditation a day and work your way up from there – should you chose to.
In his book, Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics: A 10% Happier How-to Book, author Dan Harris claims that one minute of meditation every day can be beneficial. He should know. The ABC News correspondent and Good Morning America co-anchor used to think that meditation was for people “who collect crystals, play Ultimate Frisbee, and use the word namaste” without irony. After he had a panic attack on live television caused by extreme anxiety, he went on a cross-country quest that ultimately led him to start meditating.
Since then he’s become one of meditation’s most vocal public proponents. The practice has changed his personal life and led him to build a new business. When asked about the ideal amount of time one should meditate, the author of 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works–A True Story told Forbes that although he’d rather see people meditating 5 to 10 minutes a day, one minute is enough. In fact, he likes to use the two following slogans: “one minute counts” and “daily-ish.” If you can set a loose goal and have a sense of experimentation and humor about your own failings as you establish a habit, I think it’s possible,” says Harris.
Myth #5 – There’s no proof meditating really works
A 2017 study, published by the National Library of Medicine, found that non-transcendental meditation may be a “promising alternative approach” for lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while a 2019 review, by the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, found that mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol in employees participating in workplace mindfulness programs.
It’s also been shown to enhance focus and mood, and reduce aggression while also encouraging positive coping strategies in times of stress.
And if that’s not enough to convince you, a 2018 Science Direct review suggests that meditation training can improve telomere regulation, which may ultimately contribute to healthy aging. (Telomere are biological markers of aging.)
Top 6 Benefits of Meditation
- Meditation can be helpful for anxiety and depression
- Meditation helps manage chronic pain
- Meditation REDUCES INSOMNIA and IMPROVES SLEEP QUALITY
- Meditation can help people recover from substance use disorders
- Meditation can help you lose weight and manage eating behaviors
- Meditation can help prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
So what are you waiting for?
Most Popular Types of Meditation
Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a form of silent mantra meditation created by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India in the mid-1950s. During TM, a silent word or sentence (mantra) is repeated for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day. TM is one of the most well-known forms of meditation and is the one practiced by celebrities such as Katy Perry, Oprah and Paul McCartney, mentioned above. The technique promotes a state of relaxed awareness, stress relief, and with time and practice, gives practitioners access to a higher state of consciousness.
Resources to get you started:
Adults : Meditations and Affirmations: 64 Cards to Awaken Your Spirit
Kids : Just Breathe: Meditation, Mindfulness, Meditation and More
Movement Meditation
According to Yogapedia, a moving meditation is a meditative state achieved while doing simple movements. It’s a way of calming the mind and creating awareness. Although meditation is typically associated with stillness, lying or sitting in a comfortable posture with the focus on the breath, it can be achieved with flowing movements during yoga as its practitioners move from one yoga asana to another, or with martial arts like qigong, tai chi and aikido. Even dance movements can form the foundation for moving meditation.
Books I like:
Adults: Sojourn the Inner Heaven: Movement Meditations for Awakening
Progressive Meditation (also known as Body Scan Meditation)
A progressive meditation, or body scan meditation, is a meditative practice that involves mindfully scanning your body for sensations of pain, tension, or anything out of the ordinary. Body scan meditations help reduce anxiety, improve sleep, decreased pain, hone focusing skills, and promote greater self-awareness. Body scan meditations work well for inducing sleep and can be found in most sleep and meditation apps. They are especially effective for quieting your mind and work well with children.
Sleep Apps and a book:
Adults: Top 3 Sleep Apps That Actually Work
Kids : Check out Top 3 Sleep Apps for Kids and the book What’s in Your Mind Today?
Mantra Meditation
A mantra, is a syllable, word, or phrase that is repeated during meditation. The Sanskrit word – mantra – is derived from the root man – “to think”. The words repeated help you concentrate and get into the right frame of mind. Mantras can be spoken, chanted, whispered, or repeated in the mind. Most mantra meditation techniques have two essential components: mindfulness meditation and mantra recitation or chanting.
Mantra Meditation doesn’t even have to be that complicated. Daily Rituals: Positive Affirmations to Attract Love, Happiness and Peace by Phoebe Garnsworthy, suggests opening your Daily Rituals book at random every morning when you wake up or choosing a word from the table of contents that you’re drawn to. Read the positive affirmation and give yourself a few minutes to let it sink in. Then do the exercise beneath. Repeating and reflecting on positive affirmations regularly trains your mind to think positive thoughts from the moment you wake up to the second you fall asleep, which in turn attracts positive energy, health, happiness, love and peace.
Mantra meditations for kids: Mindful Affirmations and Activities: A Kid’s guide with 50 Positive Mantras and Activities to Manage Emotions, Grow Mindful, Strong and Confident
Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM)
While most kinds of mindfulness meditation encourage a nonjudgmental awareness of experiences in the present moment, during LKM you focus compassionate and loving energy toward yourself and others. This form of meditation takes practice. The average person isn’t used to this level of giving and receiving love so it can be difficult at first. Especially if you were raised with a “healthy” dose of guilt. Many adults, myself included, have trouble forgiving ourselves when we do something wrong. In comes LKM. The meditation technique can be useful in the management of social anxiety, marital conflict, anger, and coping with the strains of long-term caregiving.
LKM for adults: Loving Kindness in Plain English
LKM for kids: I Am Love
Visualization Meditation
In a visualization meditation, your mind pictures positive images, ideas, symbols to help calm itself while your body is in a relaxed state. You can do a visualization meditation to help ease pain, send love to people near and far, or help you manifest your goals. Athletes often use visualization as a performance-enhancing technique. Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, used visualization as part of his mental training. His coach, Bob Bowman, told Peaksports.com that he advised Phelps to visualize every aspect of swimming a successful race starting from the blocks and culminating in a celebration after the race was won.
I like Sweet Dreams: Bedtime Visualizations for Kids and Creative Visualization: Use the Power of Your Imagination to Create What You Want in Your Life for adults.
Focused Meditation
Unlike classic meditation, where you focus on staying in the present and emptying your mind, with focused meditation, you still remain in the present, but focus on a single object. This object can be something tangible, such as a candle flame, abstract, such as a mantra (a repeated word or phrase) or a sound like singing bowls.
I like Lumina candles. Focusing on the flame helps me quiet my mind and their fragrances bathe me in pleasant forest and flora smells. They come in a variety of fragrances ranging from eucalyptus to rose jasmine. My personal favorite is the Palo Santo Candle which is a mix of Frankincense, Myrrh, and Copal. In Spanish, the name means “Holy Wood”.
Spiritual Meditation
Spiritual meditation is essentially a way of connecting with a higher power. Many religions and spiritual practice incorporate some kind of spiritual meditation. Hindu japa mala and mantra meditation, Jewish kabbalistic practices, loving-kindness meditation in Buddhism, Zazen meditation in Zen Buddhism, trance states in Shamanistic traditions and Christian contemplative prayer are all forms of spiritual meditation. With most kinds of meditation you connect with yourself, while with spiritual meditation you appeal to external deities or spirit guides. And in case you’re wondering, nothing about TM, focused, LKM or any of the above types of meditation, is anti-Christian, anti-Judaism or anti-monotheism. So if adhere to a particular set of spiritual or religious beliefs, it’s okay. You can also meditate.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation isn’t about trying to empty your mind, or about letting mind wander, either. Instead, the practice involves paying close attention to the present moment — especially our own thoughts, emotions and sensations. You can practice mindful meditation on your own anywhere anytime by listening to a guided meditation or by simply paying attention to the present moment without judgement. Apps like Headspace, Calm and Breethe offer a variety of guided meditations.
How to Get Started with Meditation
Still think you’re too busy to make room for meditation? Most apps offer free trial periods so you can try a variety of guided meditations and see how you feel before committing to anything. And other option is to simply try mindfulness meditation for as little as one minute a day and try to stick with it for 30 days straight. Then, if you find it’s helping, gradually increase the time to 5 minutes. Five minutes. That’s it. That’s all you need to feel infinitely better and more grounded.
And the next time someone asks you, “How do you do it?” Proudly say, “I meditate” and see what happens. You may very well find yourself discussing the merits of moving meditations over those of transcendental and mindfulness practices.
Tried meditating? What kind of meditation did you try? How did it make you feel? Drop me a line, I’d love to know.
You may also like: Top 3 Sleep Apps That Actually Work
Great post!! I try to meditate every day for 10 minutes. My husband is on year three of daily meditation and finds it really helps him to focus and control his moods.
Thanks, Steph! What kind of meditation do you practice? Have you found it makes you more creative? I love the direction your work has taken on lately, btw. Your paintings are beautiful!