Todd Perelmuter's Blog, page 40

Trouble Sleeping? Here’s How to Use Meditation to Sleep Fast

Toss the pills and hit the pillows with meditation. New research is shining light on the fact that pills, which only sedate us, do not give us the benefits of deep, rejuvenating, restful sleep.

On the other hand, meditation can help us calm the mind, relax the body, and help us drift off peacefully and easily into the best sleep we’ve ever had.

Here, I’ll talk about the things that prevent us from getting a good night’s sleep, what we can do to sleep great every night, and the latest science behind how and why it works.

 

Why Can’t I Sleep?!

In these modern times of great scientific and pharmacological advancements, with countless sleep aids and sleep specialists, you’d think people would be sleeping more and better than ever. But if you take a closer look, sleep disorders have reached all time highs.

According to the American Sleep Association, nearly 70 million people in the United States, or 1 in 5, have at least one sleep disorder. 

Trouble sleeping leads to numerous problems in our personal lives, from weight gain to strained relationships.

In our professional lives, sleep disorders can cause costly mistakes due to memory problems and it leads to a poorer job performance overall.

But worst of all, poor sleep accounts for over 1,500 deaths from car accidents every year and more than 40,000 injuries.

This map illustrates the prevalence of adults who get less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep per night.

There are many causes for sleeplessness, but they all stem from the same problem: a restless mind and body.

In today’s fast-paced world, we’re all becoming used to being highly distracted, over stressed, always entertained, constantly engaged in some sort of task, continuously having multiple digital interactions at once, perpetually caffeinated, and hardly having a moment of down time until we hit the pillow and try to go to sleep.

Today, in our world of blue-lit screens, it’s more of a miracle that anyone can get any sleep at all.

 

Sleep and Sedation Are Not the Same Thing

Many people in recent years have been turning to sleep medicines to aid them in their sleep.

However, new science is showing that this sedation does not lead to the same detoxifying, healing and restorative benefits of deep sleep.

Quite the contrary. Whether it’s pharmaceutical medications, over the counter sleep aids, alcohol or marijuana, they all prevent the body from getting to the deepest levels of both REM and non-REM sleep cycles.

For many people, pharmaceutical sleep aids have shown to be addictive, cause hallucinations, and have side effects like sleep walking, sleep driving, sleep eating, depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, memory loss, and even insomnia!

Even natural sleep aids like melatonin supplements have been shown to decrease the body’s own ability to produce melatonin and can make sleeplessness worse.

All of these treatments suffer from the same logical fallacy: they treat the symptom, not the person.

 How Meditation Can Help

Luckily, there is an incredibly powerful and simple way to cure sleeplessness and insomnia naturally and permanently with no harmful side effects. You’ve probably guessed, but I’ll tell you anyway. It’s meditation!

Studies have shown that meditation increases melatonin and serotonin in the brain (the sleep chemicals), lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and lights up the parts of the brain that activate sleep.

In fact, meditating puts the body into the same physical and mental state as when we first begin to doze off. Meditation also quiets the mind, relaxes our muscles, and sets us up for a deep and restful sleep.

Compared with other sleep therapies, meditation for sleeping had better results, leading to fewer symptoms of insomnia and more energy during the day.

 

How to Meditate for Sleep

For best results, meditate twice a day, once in the morning and once right before you go to sleep. However, you can also get great results simply by meditating at night as a way to fall asleep.

Step 1: Lie down in bed on your back as if you were going to bed and put your electronics far away.

Step 2: Relax your whole body. Start by bringing your awareness to your forehead and just relax your muscles. Work your way down to your toes until you’ve released all the tension in your body.

Step 3: With your eyes closed, jaw loose and slightly separated, and your lips closed (if your nose isn’t clogged), begin to gently focus on your breathing.

Feel it come in the nostrils, down the back of your throat, feel it expand your belly, and then observe your breath as it comes out again. Repeat.

Step 4: Whenever you notice thoughts arise, gently bring your awareness back to your breath. Keep doing this until you fall asleep.

Don’t force the sleep, don’t be hard on yourself for thinking. Just relax, and bring your focus back to your breath.

The reason that we usually meditate sitting up is so we don’t fall asleep, so doing it lying down at night is a great way to fall asleep quickly and to sleep better and more restfully. As is using meditation for sleep.

If your mind is too chaotic to focus on your breath, focusing on one word or sound can be helpful, such as “Om.” Repeating “Om” in your mind until you can focus on your breath, or until you fall asleep, also works very well.

 

Other Tricks for Sleeping Better

Try turning off any blue and white lights for an hour or more before you go to bed. This means any kind of digital screen or light bulb that is not yellow.

Nowadays, there are many yellow lights that are environmentally friendly, so you don’t have to get the old inefficient light bulbs for yellow light anymore.

Candles also create a very calming and soothing environment in the evening, just be sure to blow them out before you go to sleep.

Not drinking caffeine after noon can help your circadian rhythm stay on track. Also drinking chamomile tea in the evening has been shown to have calming properties.

Creating a nightly sleep ritual has also been shown to help with sleep. This could be taking a bath, reading a good book, playing some relaxing music, lighting incense or using an essential oil diffuser, can all let the body know it’s time to wind down and get ready for sleep.

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Morning Meditation vs Evening / Night Meditation: Which One is Better?

A lot of people have both asked and answered the question, “When is the best time to meditate?” Is morning meditation better than in the evening or night? Until now, there has not really been a clear answer.

Most answers come from the perspective of, “Well, because my guru told me so.” Or, “Because that’s the way it’s always been done.”

In this post, I’ll go through all the theories, what they’re based on, what I’ve noticed in my own personal experience meditating, and which times of day have the most benefits and scientific evidence to back it up.

 

Morning Meditation Just After You Wake Up

In the argument of morning vs evening / night meditation, Some people believe if we do a morning meditation first thing after we wake up, our brain’s pineal gland, which many people believe to be our third eye, will still be producing melatonin. 

The theory goes, your brain is still in this in-between sleep and awake state so that we are best primed to have a deep and successful meditation.

While there is some truth to that, morning meditation does bring with it all sorts of other benefits. In the morning before our day has begun, we are less likely to become side-tracked or interrupted. The day becomes so full of unexpected surprises, but before all that happens we can set aside time for a morning meditation every single day.

In addition, a morning meditation first thing in the day is a phenomenal way to start your day off right. It’s the best way to set your day up for mental, physical, and spiritual success. How you start the day has a tremendous impact on how the rest of your day goes. 

Some days, I wake up and I don’t feel that pop-right-up-and-take-on-the-day-with-a-smile attitude. Sometimes I’m still sleepy and mopey when I first wake up. But right after my morning meditation, I’m always right as rain.

 

Morning Meditation At 4 AM

This is an answer that has been given by many spiritual teachers I’ve met because as they say, the energy of the earth is still mostly undisturbed at this time. 

While I am able to meditate at 8 am completely undisturbed, a morning meditation at 4 am may have its advantages. After all, the discipline acquired from meditating this early will certainly spill over into all aspects of your life. 

Also, who doesn’t feel great waking up at 4 am and getting a jumpstart on the day? Well, truth be told, I don’t, so 4 am is not the time for me. But if you’re a morning person, your schedule allows and you love the idea of this particular challenge, you’ll surely find 4 am to be a very productive and advantageous time for morning meditation. This should definitely clear things up between morning vs evening meditation.

 

Evening / Night Meditation Just Before Dinner

Some gurus tell their followers to meditate in the evening before dinner. While they don’t usually explain a reason, it does have its advantages.

The end of a stressful day can be resolved with a relaxing meditation. It helps separate work and home life and allows us to be more present at home.

For many people, especially those who cook dinner, meditation before dinner is not really possible. And that’s ok too. 

Just as a morning meditation sets us up for the next several hours, an early evening meditation can do the same for our evenings. If your schedule allows, it’s a great way to bring peace throughout your whole day and night.

 

Evening / Night Meditation Right Before Bed

This one is a bit of a controversy. Some people say this confuses sleep with meditation. Not only this, but they say that rather than becoming more fully alert and aware in meditation, they become sleepy and doze off.

Certainly, as stated in the previous section, meditating earlier in the evening gives you a chance to experience more of the benefits of meditation.

However, from my experience, meditating before bed has its advantages too. For one, when I meditate in the evening / night with the intention to fall asleep, I usually fall asleep in under two minutes. The quieting of the mind sets me up for a quick, deep and peaceful sleep.

Second, when I meditate before bed but I need to make sure I don’t doze off because I didn’t have a chance to do my second meditation of the day yet, I make sure to do it either sitting up or with some pillows under me to prop my head up. This way I avoid falling asleep.

For an excellent night’s sleep or for help with getting to sleep, I highly recommend meditating every night when you lie down to go to sleep.

 

The Real Answer For When Is The Best Time To Meditate

You guessed it: anytime is the best time to meditate. Morning vs evening / night meditation doesn’t matter, you can meditate on your lunch break, coffee break, bathroom break, before or after breakfast, before or after the gym, with or without the kids, etc… 

Meditate when you’re stressed or calm, happy or sad, excited or worried. If you get stressed at work, you can just take a minute to pay attention to your breathing. You’re always breathing so you can always be meditating. You don’t have to close your eyes and sit in the lotus position to meditate. 

As for carving out a time to sit down and close your eyes, picking a regular time and never missing a day is the absolute best way to make any new habit stick, and that is what this is all about—developing a daily practice.

With consistency, every day your peace and happiness will just grow and grow. Set a time that fits into your schedule and do your best to never miss a day.

I like to do a morning meditation first thing when I wake up before any of life’s surprises can occur, and last thing at night because that’s when my schedule allows.

These times provide me with inner peace and joy, health and happiness, discipline and focus that I need to live my best life. 

 

When Not To Meditate

Perhaps the only bad time to meditate is when you’re driving or operating heavy machinery. Although, even those activities can be turned into spiritual practices. Do you know how? By bringing your full awareness to what you’re doing. Maintain peace and patience, and observe your observations without labeling. Just don’t close your eyes

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s best to meditate with open eyes or closed eyes, here is a perfect podcast for you.

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Meditation for Mental Health? Read This First

Most people think dealing with mental health issues has only two options: medication and talk therapy. What people often don’t realize though is that there are now stacks of literature proving that meditation can help with mental health. Everything from depression to anxiety, bipolar to BPD, addiction to OCD and more.

In this article, I will share some of the literature and studies on how meditation can help with mental health for things like depression, anxiety, BPD, ADD/ADHD, and even schizophrenia. Secondly, I’ll talk about personal stories from my life and others’. And thirdly, I’ll give practical tips on how to use meditation to address mental health.

I do want to mention that I am not a doctor. Furthermore, I am not advising anyone to stop taking medication or to quit their therapy treatment.

However, what I do hope is that I can inspire people struggling with mental health to give meditation a try. I hope one day they can become completely cured of their mental struggles. And hopefully, medical treatment will no longer be needed, as I have experienced firsthand.

I share this information because I don’t want to see one more person suffer or commit suicide. Everyone deserves to know about meditation. And we can all benefit from this incredibly transformative practice.

We are all miraculous manifestations of the infinite universe. When we forget that truth, suffering takes place.

 

Why Meditation Can Help with Mental Health

Mental health issues stem from a misconception that we are our mind. We identify with our thoughts and when thoughts are negative, our mental health suffers.

When we watch a dramatic movie, we recognize the drama is not happening to us and so we don’t suffer. But life is a movie. It is a very realistic movie and because we can’t turn around and see the projector and projectionist, we believe it is real.

But in reality, life is a story created by our mind. When we meditate, we take a moment to look at our mind, to look at the projector. We peek behind the curtain and notice the light of awareness shining onto whatever we are looking at. The mind is like the movie projector, but our conscious awareness is the lightbulb in the projector that shines through the film making the whole illusion of the movie possible.

Meditation helps us expand our awareness beyond just the thoughts in our mind. Mindfulness isn’t about an empty mind. It is about filling our mind with deeper truths and reality, such as becoming aware of our breath, our conscious awareness, our bodily sensations, and our surroundings.

Meditation helps us get out of our head and into the now. It’s how we become more aware. The more we see and the more we identify with our light of consciousness and less with our thoughts, the less power our thoughts have over us. The more we meditate, the more our thoughts just become quiet, subtle, faint background noise.

 

Meditation is About Becoming Our Own Mental Health Therapist

Nobody chooses to struggle with mental health. It happens completely unconsciously. Unconscious mental patterns, mindsets, habits, snap judgements and reactions create neural pathways in our brain. These pathways become automatic thoughts and behaviors we do unconsciously.

Meditation gives us the chance without distraction to observe the nature of our mind. The more we observe, the wiser we become to how it works. The more conscious we become of our own mind, the less we unconsciously generate mental turmoil and suffering.

For example, you could think of these neural pathways like a snow-covered hill. If you slide down on a sled, the first time you could take any of an infinite number of possible paths. But, the more you go, grooves start to form and you begin to take the same paths over and over again. Each time, the grooves get deeper and deeper. Meditation is like giving your mind a fresh snowfall as you bring consciousness to your unconscious thoughts and behaviors.

Observation is at the root of all scientific inquiry. Therefore, the more we observe and study our own mind, the more of an expert we become. Meditation simply gives us the chance to look and observe, inquire and examine without distraction.

No therapist can peer into our own mind like we can. We just have to take the time to look. Scientists can build incredible telescopes to see distant galaxies or microscopes to see tiny microbial organisms. But we have to build our own inward facing telescopes to look into our own mind. No one else can do it for us. Meditation is the building of that telescope.

 

What Meditation Has Done For My Own Mental Health

I would love to say that I was born meditating straight out of the womb and have lived my entire life as an enlightened being of pure love. But that is not the case.

I was diagnosed at a very early age of having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and was prescribed a heavy dose of medication. From there, I would go on to have food addiction, alcohol addiction, marijuana and tobacco addiction. I was essentially self-medicating for depression and anxiety.

It was during my first meditation retreat that I realized I always needed to be on something. It really didn’t matter what it was. I would do more and more of everything because it was the only thing that would bring me some temporary relief.

 

How Meditation Changed My Life

It was only in meditation that I discovered something that wasn’t immediately pleasurable, but the more I did, the happier I became after the experience was over. Normally, I would do a drug, feel good, then I’d feel terrible again. Meditation was the opposite. Instead of brief pleasure followed by more suffering, meditation was a brief activity that brought me lasting joy and peace.

I was hooked on meditation. The practice of concentrating and focusing on my breath helped me with my ADD as well. I lost 60 pounds, I easily quit alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. In addition, I was cured of my ADD/ADHD, depression and anxiety.

I felt like I had my life back. The simple practice of meditating every single day gave me confidence and discipline that spilled over to every aspect of my life. I could do anything I set my mind to.

Addiction is about looking for peace and joy in all the wrong places. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues stem from being consumed by the unconscious thinking going on in our head. ADD/ADHD stems from the fact that we live chaotic, busy lives with zero time set aside to just sit with no distractions. We never practice focusing.

Meditation more than anything else changed my life for the better in ways I never thought possible.

 

How Meditation Has Helped Others

A friend of mine has schizophrenia. He suffered for a long time. He tried every combination of drugs possible to find what worked best for him. However, they had terrible side effects and nothing worked 100%.

I told him about a meditation that I had learned from a Buddhist monastery in Thailand. Buddhism is really just a several thousand year-old science of the mind. They study the mind, they debate what they learn, they revise their hypotheses, they test out various practices and theories, and they constantly refine their methods.

He took to the meditation so much that he decided to go to Thailand and stay there! He spent a few months there and came back. A couple years later, he still takes meds, although much fewer, but he no longer struggles and he’s never been happier.

I know a lot of people who think people with extreme trauma or depression or anxiety or ADD/ADHD can’t meditate, but take it from me, my friend, and many other people who I’ve worked with, everyone can meditate.

We can all put aside our distractions for a brief amount of time, sit still, and focus on our breath or a mantra. We may not be able to stay focused for very long. It may be tough at first. But being perfect is not the point. The point is consistent practice and progress. The harder it is, the more necessary it is and the more beneficial it will be.

 How Meditation in Schools Helps with Mental Health

Meditation isn’t just a great treatment for mental health, it’s also great for prevention too. The sooner we start, the better. It’s never too early or late to start. Everyone’s mental health can benefit from meditation.

Across the U.S., schools have begun implementing mindfulness and meditation classes for kids as young as 6 years old. Let’s face it, school can be tough and kids suffer from anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, and more.

These early meditation programs have shown us that meditation sets kids up for a lifetime of success. From emotional intelligence to positive coping skills, and greater joy in their lives.

When these programs have been rolled out, amazing results have followed. Depression is decreases, anxiety decreases, ADD/ADHD decreases, behavioral problems disappear, and grades go up!

Mental health issues among young kids and teens have been skyrocketing for years. These programs show us that reversing this trend is possible.

See this article on explaining mindfulness to children.

 

What the Science Has to Say About How Meditation Helps with Mental Health

Long time meditators have recently become the focus of studies on how meditation can affect the brain.

It turns out, meditation literally changes our brains and our brain chemistry in positive ways. When we meditate, the part of our brain that regulates our mood actually gets bigger. Our grey matter all over increases too! This implies a decrease in the likelihood of future dementia. Also, remarkably the fear center of the brain gets smaller in meditators!

Meditation floods the brain with what we call the happiness chemicals (serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins…) more than any drug on the market. And, as shown in brain scans, meditation stimulates mental activity in the entire brain allowing different regions to communicate. This allows the brain to rewire itself, think in new ways, and create new neural pathways.

 

How to Get Started Using Meditation to Improve Your Own Mental Health

Getting started meditating is very easy. First, find a comfortable, quiet place to sit. I recommend starting everyday with a meditation first thing in the morning to make it a habit. Try to work your way up to 20 minutes twice a day but go slow and listen to your gut about how much you can do.

Most importantly, let go of all expectations and desired outcomes. Let just sitting still with your eyes closed and trying be the goal. It’s all about this moment, not the future.

Then, close your eyes, sit still as best you can, and just breath for 1 minute. After that, start repeating the mantra “om” in your mind. If you get distracted, just observe your thoughts and bring your attention back to your mantra. Do this for up to 20 minutes. End your meditation with 2 to 3 minutes of just breathing again.

Mantra meditation is best for beginners. Over time you may wish to move on to breath awareness meditation.

 

Tips for People New to Meditation

At first, it may be difficult. Negative thoughts and emotions may come up. That’s ok. Feel them, observe them. Don’t avoid them or force them away. They exist for a reason. Hug them and forgive them.

Accept whatever experience happens. Don’t judge it, resist it, or get mad at what comes up. It’s all part of the healing process and it’s all good. Crying and shaking is ok too. This is what happens when we have repressed years and decades of pain.

Afterwards, see how you feel. Are you more relaxed, rested. See if you notice any difference in your day or in your life. It may take months before we really notice all the changes and benefits. Everyone is different and we all go at different paces. It’s not a competition and it isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. Be patient, be gentle, be loving.

 

Ask Yourself if Meditation is Right for You

In addition to your current treatment for mental health, adding meditation may be the key to helping you naturally cure yourself from mental health struggles.

There is nothing wrong with the mainstream medical treatments for mental health. They can be remarkable, life-saving tools in our darkest moments. However, we know that medication can have severe side effects, including depression and suicide.

While we tend to think of doctors and medicine for treating mental health, a daily meditation practice may be just the cure you’ve been looking for. Side effects include joy, happiness, peace, clarity, focus, and an endless sense of love and gratitude.

Go here for more resources about getting started with meditation and mindfulness.

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Can Meditation Help with Organization & Decluttering?

Ever feel like your desk, your office, your room, your apartment or house are too disorganized. Or that your schedule, your sleep schedule, your goals and priorities are getting away from you? We’ve all been there. Luckily, meditation isn’t just for sitting good. Meditation can also help with organization. Here’s how.

 

Meditation Helps Organize the Clutter in Your Mind and Your Life

When your mind is racing a mile a minute, it’s difficult to bring order to your life. If your mind is clogged with all sorts of repetitive, negative thoughts, our surroundings will reflect that.

Meditation is an incredible opportunity to rest, relax, and bring some calm and peace into our mind. A decluttered mind always spills out into the rest of our lives.

Simply sit down, put away the distractions, close your eyes and focus on your breath or repeat a mantra silently. Use a mantra such as “Om” or anything else you like. Do this for a few minutes and just observe the way your mind wanders off. When it does, gently and without judgement bring your attention back to your breath or mantra.

The more you meditate, the more organized your thoughts become. This is because you’ve given yourself time to look inward and clear out some of the incessant, needless clutter.

 

Meditation is Time to Help Organize Your Day, Your Priorities, and Make a Plan

Obviously in meditation we try to focus on our breath or a mantra. But, unless you’re a hermit monk living in a cave for 30 years, lots of thoughts will come and go. That’s ok. That’s actually vitally important for processing what happened yesterday and for making plans for today and tomorrow.

During your meditation, notice how your mind wanders. Be conscious of what it wanders to and if there is something of particular importance you need to work on. Let your mind wander there and focus on what can be done about it.

Oscillate between clearing your mind by focusing on your breath or mantra, and between focusing on whatever needs to get done. This will help you think more effectively and with more clarity and calm than you would get from normal efforts of problem solving.

Start with a few minutes of meditation, and then as your mind wanders, guide your focus to your schedule for the day. Really think about what needs to get done. Rank your priorities and visualize yourself getting all the most important stuff done. Then, finish off with a few more minutes of meditation. This will help you organize your surroundings as well as your days and weeks ahead.

 

A Chaotic Mind Leads to a Chaotic Life – Meditation Can Help Organize Both

When we can’t focus, our lives feel out of control. Disorganization is one manifestation of that. Don’t worry though, it’s not your fault. None of us were ever taught how to focus in school. This is also where meditation can come in for helping us become more organized.

When we don’t focus, we don’t pay attention to where things go or putting them back in an orderly way that will help us save time in the future.

By constantly focusing on our breath or mantra, and when our mind wanders, repeatedly bringing our attention back to our breath or mantra, we train the muscles of focus in our mind. Soon, our focus will be unshakable and we will be able to use that focus to bring order and organization into our lives.

 

Meditation is a Chance to Reexamine and Reorganize Our Life

By examining our thoughts, we examine each one of our preconceived notions and if they serve us, we keep them. If they don’t, we get rid of them.

It’s like cleaning out your room. If you just keep accumulating stuff, the clutter will pile up so much that there’ll be no more room for you. So what you need to do is take everything out of it. Then, look at each item carefully and say to yourself, “does this add beauty, meaning, usefulness in my life?” If it does, move it on back inside. If it doesn’t add to your life, toss it out.

Meditation helps us with organization because it gives us the time we need to look inward and reevaluate what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.

 

Meditation is Time to Set Intentions and Start Living More Deliberately

The end of your meditation can be a wonderful time to set intentions and bring some of that calm peaceful energy into the rest of our lives.

After your meditation is over, but before you open your eyes, spend a few minutes setting your intentions for the day and weeks ahead. Think about goals and how best to achieve them.’

In this relaxed state of mind, during this transition period from meditation to normal mind, there is a powerful window of time. It’s here when we are able to consciously tap into our subconscious mind and rewire it however we choose.

Don’t just run on autopilot a slave to the subconscious. Take this time to really think about what you want out of life and what needs to be done today to get it.

 

Meditation is Time to Get Clarity

Some might say meditation is the only way to truly be organized. True organization comes from a deep understanding of who we are, what we want, and where we want to go.

Only in meditation do we really take the time to get to know ourselves without any distractions. This understanding of ourselves and who we are allows us to craft our lives in the way that aligns with our deepest self.

Let meditation be that time to really get to know yourself without any outside influence. For so many of us, 100% of our waking lives is spent being influenced by something: entertainment, work, friends, family, etc…

Use this time to focus on you without distraction. Ask yourself, “What do I want? Who am I? What do I need? How can I get it? What is standing in my way?”

Meditate on these questions to further help you really narrow your focus, which will help you organize your life. When we try to do too much, disorganization usually follows. Meditate to help narrow down what’s really important so you can be more organized.

 

Disorganization is a Symptom, Not the Cause

If we have an unorganized desk or room and decide to clean it up, that’s great. But, we still have not addressed the root cause of this disorganization.

The room or desk will just become disorganized again later, or the disorganization in our mind will manifest in some other way. It may manifest as a feeling of chaos in our lives, lack of discipline, uncontrollable eating, addictive tendencies, an irregular sleeping schedule, not getting anything done, or something else entirely.

We must always address the cause of any problem in our lives. If we don’t, that unaddressed cause will keep manifesting in new and different ways. Because every choice, action and habit stems from our mind, that is where we must look first. This is the practice of meditation and this is why meditation is the best tool for helping with organization.

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How Can I Be a Mindful Mother?

Being a mother is the hardest, most challenging, and most rewarding job on the planet. It can too often be thankless, the pay is lousy, but it is also the most important thing we as humans can do. It can range from stressful and chaotic to boring and lonely. But it’s one of the things nearly all women were born to do. It’s in the genes, and no, I’m not talking about mom jeans.

From single mothers to married moms, from working mammas to stay-at-home mums, from step-moms to half-moms, the role of the mother comes in all shapes and sizes. But at the end of the day, it’s always about love and devotion to her family.

While being a mom can sometimes feel like a chicken running around with its head cut off, there are simple steps to becoming more mindful, more present, more loving, less stressed, less overwhelmed, and less hectic. Here are those steps.

 

Morning Meditation

There is no better way to start the day than with a mindful meditation for moms first thing in the morning. I recommend 20 minutes minimum but you can work your way up to that as well. 

I know what you’re thinking: What kind of a mom has 20 minutes of time to herself to meditate (I edited out the swear words)?! I’ve heard it all. But, I know single working moms of three who make the time to meditate. 

The secret: Don’t find the time, make the time. Commit to yourself to wake up 20 minutes earlier if you have to. Many moms tell me that they have more energy by meditating for 20 minutes than they do sleeping an extra 20 minutes. 

So find a peaceful place, tell your older family members not to bother you during your morning “mommy” time, and do your best not to miss a day. 

Don’t feel bad about taking a little time for yourself. It’s like the old airplane line, “put your mask on before assisting others.” We’re of little use to anyone if we don’t take care of ourselves first.

This short amount of time can refocus you, ground you, recenter you, calm and relax you so that you are able to be the best mom you can be without burnout.

 

How to Meditate?

Sit in a comfortable place or lie down with your head propped up by a couple of pillows. Make sure the lights in the room are not too bright. Set a timer or check the clock before you begin. 

Then close your eyes and relax every muscle in your body. Breathe slowly and deeply, but not forced or overly exerted, just as you would normally when you’re very calm and relaxed. Pay attention to all the little sensations of your breath. Really observe the subtleties. 

As your mind wanders, which it will probably do a lot at first, just gently and kindly bring your attention back to your breath. Do this over and over again. What you are doing is training your mind to be more present, calm, and less identified with thoughts, judgments, the past, and the future. 

Mindful Meditation for moms is a skill. Nobody is great at it right away, just like any other skill we learn. It takes practice and patience. 

 

Conscious Breathing

Being present isn’t just for our morning meditation. The purpose of mindfulness meditation for moms is to become more present throughout the rest of our day. Breathing consciously means becoming completely present as we observe the sensations of a complete inhale and exhale.

As many times a day as possible, take a conscious breath. Feel free to even take two or three in a row. Make it a habit to take them at certain times throughout the day, like before you brush your teeth, before you put on your seatbelt in the car, before eating, before doing the dishes, before going to bed, before looking at social media, etc…

The more you make it a habit, the more present you will be in your life, the more peaceful and mindful you will be. Feel free to set reminders on your phone, put a post-it note on your computer or bathroom mirror, or however else you want to remember. 

 Stop Waiting and Start Meditating

Moms make the world go around. From picking up the kids to running errands, moms are go go go. But, there’s also a lot of waiting that goes with being a mom. Waiting in the carpool line, waiting in checkout lines, waiting at red lights, and so on.

While some moms see frustrating waits, mindful moms see golden opportunities to turn this free time into a powerful meditative practice. After all, it’s not waiting if you’re using your time wisely. 

Instead of waiting, observe closely all the sensations that are happening within you and around you. Notice the light reflecting off the surfaces. Really notice the complexity of the sounds you’re hearing. Feel the floor beneath you and your breath filling your lungs. Observe your thoughts instead of just thinking your thoughts. 

The more aware and present we become, the more joyful we become. It’s a practice, so be patient. Try to resist the urge to bring your phone out every time there is a moment of waiting. Maybe instead, you’ll even strike up a meaningful conversation with someone in line next to you. You won’t notice these opportunities though if you’re not present.

 Practice Washing Up, Dressing, Cooking, Cleaning, Eating, Walking and Driving Mindfully

Sitting meditation isn’t the only kind of meditation there is. Buddhists also practice walking meditation, eating meditation, and even sleeping meditation. 

The beauty of meditation is that your whole life can be a meditation! Did you know that in MRI scans, the brain of an expert meditator while they’re not meditating looks the same as a novice meditator when they are meditating? 

You too can live in a mindful, meditative state, fully at peace and happy no matter what kind of child-rearing chaos is happening around you. 

In mindful meditation for moms, we practice observing the nature of our mind, the nature of reality, the cause of suffering, and the way out of suffering. The more we observe, the wiser we become. Eventually, we realize that getting upset, focusing on negative thoughts or emotions, and living lost in our head is not doing us any good.

We understand the habitual thinking patterns that we’ve been doing unconsciously by becoming conscious of them, and we are then able to turn our attention instead towards positive thoughts and emotions, the present moment, and we are able to stay calm and grounded. This makes us better parents, spouses, friends, neighbors, workers, and people.

 

Practice Gratitude

Sometimes it’s easy to forget our many blessings when we’ve been up for three nights in a row with two sick kids. That’s why practicing gratitude is the best way to stay positive and feeling blessed.

You can’t feel worried while being grateful. And there’s never ever something not to be grateful for. If you’re having trouble thinking of something, just think harder. The act of looking for something to be grateful for is a great way to shift habitual thinking that tends to look for things to be worried about. 

Every day, as many times as you can, think of the many things there are to be grateful for. You can write them down in a journal, share them with your friends and family (everyone loves a friend who is always a positive ray of sunshine).

Here are a few things to be grateful for if you need some thought starters:

FamilyFriendsGod or the universeThe miracle of lifeThe power of loveBeautyNature Create Space for You and Your Child to Share

So, we’ve talked about easy ways to feel less rushed and more peaceful when you’re alone, but what about when you’re with your kids? Luckily, the same rules apply. 

Oftentimes, busy moms try to make busy kids, filling up every single minute of their days. Sometimes, we’re so busy doing things that we forget to just be with our kids. This makes for impatient, anxious parents and kids.

The best use of our time with kids can be just to be with them. Sit with them. Look at them. Listen to them. Don’t try to immediately think of what else you can be doing together. Don’t start playing a game or turning on the TV or iPad. Just allow for spaciousness between you. 

This space where you’re both just being together, fully experiencing the other person, is an incredibly sacred space. At first, there may be some resistance.

Modern technology has given children and adults alike at least a little ADD or ADHD. But that is why this is so important. It helps kids and parents slow down, relax and become calm. It creates a healing and peaceful atmosphere that benefits the whole family.

 

Set Down Your Mental Baggage That’s Weighing You Down

Nearly every single human being carries the weight of their entire past on their shoulders at all times. In addition, nearly every mom carries their worries for their children on their shoulders at all times. 

This enormous weight leads to all sorts of problems like back pain, joint pain, high blood pressure, digestive issues, trouble sleeping, and more. 

You don’t need the baggage. And you definitely don’t need to carry it all the time. You can still try your hardest to get your kids into the best schools, but carrying the thought of rejection won’t make you more successful. In fact, the stress makes you more likely to make mistakes, drains your energy, and makes you less productive.

Set down the baggage with mindful meditation for moms. I promise it will always be there if you ever want to pick it back up. But once you set it down, you’ll realize you never needed it in the first place. 

 

What To Do When You Worry?

Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future or reliving the past, just bring your attention to your senses. What are you seeing, hearing, thinking, and feeling? Tune in to what you’re perceiving and you immediately stop identifying with the negative thoughts you were having. You become the witness, not the thoughts. 

By identifying as the witness and not your mind, it’s like the difference between being lost in the drama of a movie vs. watching a behind-the-scenes documentary of the movie. When you see the crew and the camera and the lights, when you see the director yells cut and the actors go back to their trailer, what was happening during the filming suddenly doesn’t seem so serious. 

We all carry with us mental constructs of who we are, who we want our kids to be, our past experiences, and our future ambitions. But I promise you will still be a complete and functioning human if you put all that down, become fully present, and let the universe unfold without any resistance. With mindful meditation for moms, you will act with greater intention and awareness, your thoughts and words will be more mindful and deliberate, and the success of you and your family will come easier and be greater.

 

Thank you, moms

You sacrifice so much. You give and give to little humans too small to be able to say thank you. No one would be here without their mom’s love and care. You dedicate your lives to your children just so they can grow up and move away. All because you only want the best for us.

Thank you, Moms. 

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6 Ways to Use Mindfulness for Managing Emotions at Work

Sure, mindfulness is easy in meditation, but how can we use mindfulness for managing emotions at work?! 

I get it. We’ve all been there. The boss isn’t pleased with your work. Or maybe a coworker is trying to pass their work off onto you. Or maybe you just see someone wearing the same outfit as the one you just bought yesterday.

Suddenly, our heart rates go up. Muscles tense up. Body temperature rises. Blood pressure increases. Our breath becomes shallow, quick, irregular, or we hold our breath entirely. Emotions swell up and our mind can’t stop raging silently to ourselves.

So, what’s a person to do? Bingo, mindfulness. You can’t force thoughts to stop or try to ignore them. They will still be there and they will be screaming louder and louder until you finally pay attention to them again.

But, here are 5 ways you can use mindfulness in managing emotions at work:

 

Managing Emotions at Work by Mindfully Expanding Your Awareness Beyond the Thing That is Enraging You

Don’t just pay attention to what is bothering you. Pay attention to what the other person may be thinking that is making them say or do the thing that is bothering you. Ask yourself where it’s coming from, why they’re doing it, and what their intention is. Enraging you is almost never the reason. And if it is, then you just know you’re dealing with a very disturbed person and there is no point in putting too much value into what they’re saying or doing.

 

Managing Emotions at Work with Mindfulness: Focus on What is Actually Happening Rather Than Your Mind’s Story About What is Happening

When we get upset, we can’t stop thinking and we get completely absorbed and lost in our thoughts. It’s important to step back and observe what is happening clearly and soberly.

Notice the actions of the others and notice your response. Simply by noticing more, we realize our response is usually an overreaction. We can see that anger and negative emotions are both not helpful nor pleasurable.

Once we become consciously aware of our unconscious negative reactions, they lose their grip on us. This is because consciously we would never react in a way that doesn’t serve us.

 

Managing Emotions at Work with Mindfulness of Your Desires for Things to be a Certain Way and Accept the Way They Actually Are

Most of our unhappiness stems from an expectation of things to be a certain way. But unless you’re dictator of the universe, things will never always go the way we want them to.

Accepting what is is the greatest, most powerful, most profound thing we can do. In any situation it helps us not just control our emotions, but to love life, as it is, on its terms.

This doesn’t mean not trying to change things. Rather, it means changing them with wisdom, sophistication, foresight, peace, clarity, and joy.

 

Ask Yourself, “What is the best way for me to respond – with anger and jealousy, or kindness and patience?”

By simply asking questions rather than jumping to conclusions, anger recedes. You cannot be both curious and angry at the same time. Anger is a reaction based on our prejudices. Curiosity is the practice of humility. In curiosity, we acknowledge that everyone has something to teach us. We recognize that we are not perfect, that we do not have all the answers, and that we are willing to learn. Simply by being curious we go from anger and hurt to humble and calm. It is a powerful tool for managing emotions.

Explore the situation more deeply rather than obsess over a tiny detail. Look for the good and explore that. Just as we can look back on something terrible and laugh, with mindfulness we can have that bigger perspective the moment it happens.

 

Observe the Ego Within You That is Feeling Hurt Simply Because of Some Temporary Sound Waves (hurtful words) or Arrangement of Atoms (an Outfit)

Unless we are being physically attacked, it is only our ego that is being hurt when our emotions run hot at the office or anywhere else. In mindlessness, our pride feels stabbed by a thousand daggers. In mindfulness, we recognize our ego, we recognize the pain it feels, and instead of lashing out in its defense, we soothe it simply by giving it our attention.

We let it be, we let it cry and kick and scream if it likes, but we notice it for what it is and we notice that it is not who we are. Just as we don’t get mad at our hand for being a hand (because we know we are not our hand), we don’t react in anger because we realize our ego is just being an ego. 

The ego was a great evolutionary advantage for perceiving immediate threats when humans lived in the wild. However, most modern offices are relatively safe and we no longer need to let our egos dictate our lives.

 

Managing Emotions at Work by Using Mindfulness to See the Big Picture

When we become so fixated on a perceived slight, we become the opposite of mindful, we become mindless. Rather than see the big picture, all we can see is our tiny perception of the situation. We become unable to see things from other people’s perspective. Rather than become inquisitive, we feel hurt and we are more likely to lash out and not think clearly.

When we become inquisitive, miscommunications can be cleared up, mutually beneficial solutions can be uncovered, and common ground can be found. All without anger, jealousy or hatred.

Luckily, practicing mindfulness at work right at the moment we need it most is not so hard. And the more we practice, the better we get at managing our emotions.

 

6 Ways to Remind Yourself to Be Mindful When Things Get Heated:

1. Know what situations trigger your emotions to run hot. Take a moment to be aware of your breath, body and thoughts before going into that situation.

2. Regularly check your body and thoughts everyday to make a habit of checking for any of those physical reactions to stress mentioned above.

3. When those physical manifestations occur, such as increased heart rate, take deep, slow, conscious breaths. Breathe all the way into your belly to slow down and calm your body and mind. The sooner you catch it happening, the easier it is to manage your emotions. Over time, you will know yourself so well that you can catch yourself even before you get stressed and prevent it!

4. Write a post-it note on your computer that reminds you to stay mindful and present, such as “Now,” or it could be the word “Breathe” backwards so only you know what it means.

5. Maybe there’s a reminder to be present you could keep in your pocket or on your desk, like a rock, crystal, or Buddha statue.

6. Or you can simply put your hand into a subtle meditation hand position by tapping the tip of your thumb to the tip of your forefinger. This is not only a great reminder. It will also physically put you in a calmer state as you shift your focus out of your head and into your fingertips.

All of these reminders are great ways to use mindfulness for managing emotions at work. 

 

How Mindfulness Benefits Companies in Addition to Managing Emotions at Work

As you can see, a little mindfulness in the office can go a long way in managing emotions at work. It can even improve relationships, communication and the overall atmosphere of a company. Not to mention increase productivity, profits, creativity, focus, and quality of work.

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Why Meditation for Executives? De-stress for Success

Meditation For Executives: Step Up The Leadership Zen

 

Is Meditating Limited To Monks?

The long and short of it is no. This is a common stereotype amongst a lot of people that meditation is only for monks. Moreover, people are also of the belief that you have to leave your comforts and luxuries when you venture into the world of meditation and spirituality. 

However, that is not true. Meditation isn’t just for hippies and monks anymore. Today, many of the world’s billionaires are into meditation. From celebrities, CEOs, entrepreneurs, executives, and investors are all experiencing the numerous benefits that come from meditation. Not only this, Many are even crediting meditation for their success.

 

Some Recognizable Names Tapping Into Their Subconscious

From Paul McCartney to Arianna Huffington, Jerry Seinfeld to Ray Dalio (investor), Russell Simmons to Joe Rogan, Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO) to Jack Dorsey (Twitter CEO), Katy Perry to Jennifer Lopez, Phil Jackson to Michael Jordan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger to George Lucas, rich and famous people from all over the world and all walks of life are discovering this age-old technique for giving them more joy, more peace, more emotional control, and less stress out of life.

 

What is Stress Doing to You And How are You Handling It?

While there are many ways to deal with stress, there are only a few ways to relieve and release stress. Sure, a night out at the bars will temporarily distract us from the stresses of work, but all that physical stress that alcohol puts on the body will only create more problems down the road. Plus, alcohol doesn’t really deal with stress, it just covers up the stress temporarily.

Truly relieving and releasing stress requires transforming stressful thoughts and emotions into peace, calm, and serenity. Working out is very effective at temporarily doing this as it helps the body produce endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin which all help the body be less stressed. Talk therapy is beneficial for changing the way we view stressful circumstances.

Moreover, yoga is also beneficial at calming the body through controlled movement. However, not only does meditation have all of these benefits, meditation is the only practice that actually trains our brain to experience stress differently in the future so that as stressful events happen, we remain calm, peaceful, and with a greater sense of clarity and focus. 

 

How Meditation Will Help the Executive World And Beyond?

When we meditate, we are literally training our mind to see the world more clearly, without the clouded fog of thoughts and judgments laid over our perception of the world. By being present, we make better decisions based on reality, not on fear or stress, or doubt. When we panic we make mistakes, but when we stay calm and present, we see what we need to do and we do it with our full attention.

The more we meditate, the more we control our thoughts, and the less our thoughts control us. We learn to focus our minds on what needs to be done.

Meditation is not about the time we spend in meditation, it is about how it affects the rest of our day that matters.

The more we practice, the more calm and peaceful we become and the more focus and clarity we have. Just as we train our muscles at the gym, meditation is training for the mind—the most important tool we have that affects everything else.

In meditation, no matter what’s on your mind, no matter what’s bothering you or what’s distracting you, you learn to simply return your focus to the present moment. When we’re lost in thought, we’re not aware of what is happening right in front of us. We don’t see clearly.

Most people spend nearly all of their lives lost in thought, asleep at the wheel, living in a dream world. As we make meditation a daily part of our lives, being present becomes second nature and we live more fully, with more joy, more fulfillment, more peace, more aware of the beauty all around us, and our lives become richer than ever before. 

 

How are Successful People Becoming More Inclined Towards Meditation And Spirituality?

Every day, successful people are finding out that all their money is worthless if they don’t have their mental peace and physical health. What good is money if you’re unhappy and unhealthy? They say money can’t buy love, but it also can’t buy your health and happiness.

Sure, it can buy you a jetski and jetskis bring temporary happiness. But as with what happens when chasing any fleeting pleasure, you build it up in your mind as the thing to bring you happiness, you finally buy it and you get that rush of dopamine, then soon after you get bored of it and you’re more miserable than before and already searching for that next hit of dopamine. It’s the eternal pleasure/pain rollercoaster.

Whether it’s buying some material item to fill your spiritual hole, using drugs or alcohol for that quick boost, or even just flipping through social media to get that quick hit of dopamine, it’s always followed by a crash and more searching and chasing for that next hit.

Before you know it, our happiness chemicals (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins) become depleted and our body’s ability to produce them becomes diminished.

Antidepressants can help for a little while. However, they stop working once your body has built up a tolerance to them. The truth is though, we’re not searching for that next temporary hit of dopamine.

We’re really searching for lasting, permanent happiness. We just can’t find it because our mind is too clouded by short-sighted, habitual thoughts. Meditation helps us break those habits and free us from the delusion.

 

Are You Jumping Off the Plane or Are You Learning to Fly?

While most things we do when we feel stressed cause a dopamine spike followed by a crash and resulting in damage to our dopamine receptors, meditation does the exact opposite. Meditation actually increases our body’s ability to produce those happiness chemicals. It’s the difference between jumping out of a plane and learning to fly.

Jumping from a plane is easy. It will give you the feeling of flying for a moment, but eventually, you’ll come crashing down to the ground and it is going to hurt, bad.

However,  if you practice learning to fly every single day, eventually you’ll be flying around like Superman and for the rest of your life.

(Disclaimer: Meditation will not make you fly like Superman, this is just a metaphor. Please be wary of any meditation center which claims you will actually be able to fly.)

 

Stress is a Demon, One That You Won’t See

Stress is the great silent killer in our society. Nearly all preventable deaths in the world can be tied back to stress. Heart disease and lung cancer are the obvious ones, but chronic stress leads to so much more than that.

Chronic stress prevents the body from being able to heal. It creates inflammation in the body. This can lead to various diseases. 

Moreover, it’s also a cause of all types of cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, obesity, asthma, and Alzheimer’s disease, headaches, muscle pain and tension, sleep problems, exhaustion, chest pain, sexual problems, and digestive issues.

It makes us more anxious, restless, sad and depressed, irritable, angry, unmotivated, and overwhelmed. Stress commonly leads to various other issues.

For instance, over or undereating, being less active, withdrawing from social activities, outbursts of anger; and more drug, alcohol, and tobacco use.

So, With all of these harmful effects of stress, it’s easy to see how important it is for anyone in high-stress jobs, executives or entrepreneurs, to not just temporarily distract from their stress, but to release it. 

 

What Happens When We Meditate?

When we meditate properly, almost immediately our brain starts emitting different brainwave frequencies than when they’re stressed or constantly thinking. The brain waves when we meditate, as measured by EEG machines (ElectroEncephaloGram), go through three phases.

First, our brainwaves enter the state where we become mentally and physically relaxed. As we go deeper, our brain waves become identical to when we are dreaming. In this mental state, the creative centers of our brain responsible for insights are activated.

As we go deeper into meditation, our brain waves resemble that of deep sleep even though we’re fully awake. At this stage, healing in the body and mind occurs. This means, the damage is repaired, detoxification takes place, and we become deeply restful as our body becomes re-energized.

It’s like a power nap on steroids. Also at this level, we’re able to rewire our brain as we become able to subdue the thinking mind, bring awareness to our subconscious mind in this awakened sleep state, and thus more fully align our thoughts, intentions, and actions. 

 

Mastering the Art of Balancing Money and Meditation

Let’s face it, we live in a high-stress world. The better a person can handle stress, the more successful they can become, both in their professional and personal life.

There are many different ways to deal with stress. However,  meditation is the best and only way to relieve it and release it. Not only that, it will help you learn to view stressful events in a more positive way.

So, there can be many things going on in your life all at once. Whether things are going great or going south, meditation can give you an inner calm and peace, a lasting joy, and true health and happiness.

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How Can Meditation Benefit You? 8 Powerful Reasons

Have you ever noticed how in life, all pleasurable experiences are temporary? Have you ever noticed the futile effort we make to prolong happy experiences, and yet they are always followed by more longing and craving for those same good times? This may be why meditation is making a comeback. So just what are the benefits to meditation?

It seems we spend our whole lives seeking pleasure and avoiding pain as best we can. But, no matter how hard we try, the pleasures are fleeting and the pains are inescapable. This is because happiness is not the same as joy, and pain is not the same as suffering. Joy is how much we enjoy our lives.

Happiness is how much pleasure we derive from a brief experience. Pain is a chemical reaction in our brain telling us something is not right, i.e. move your hand away from the fire. Suffering is the voice in our head saying that the pain is unbearable. 

 

Meditation Benefit #1: More Peace and Joy

In meditation, we practice raising our level of joy in life and diminishing our suffering. As experienced meditators, we can experience both pain and pleasure as life’s beautiful dance unfolding.

We do not get attached to each passing moment, we do not identify with anger or fear, and we instead live in a constant state of gratitude, love, compassion, and wisdom.

We understand the nature of suffering and we understand that true happiness is everlasting and comes from within. 

 Meditation Benefit #2: Become the Master of Your Life

How does meditation benefit you? To understand the true nature of the mind and reality, one must both learn about it and then one must put it into practice. Like becoming a doctor, we have to have good teachers, and then we must practice what we’ve learned.

When it comes to being more joyful, more mindful, more focused, more patient, and more loving, the process is the same. It takes a good teacher, and meditation is that daily practice. Together, they will lead to true transformation. 

 Meditation Benefit #3: Less Negativity, Anger, Addiction, Stress

How does meditation benefit you with anxiety and negativity? Through meditation, we can unlearn negative habits, become free from addiction and anger, we can de-stress our minds and bodies, we can heal from the many chronic physical and mental conditions that stress creates, and we can lead more content and fulfilled lives. How does meditation benefit?

 

Meditation Benefit #4: Better Sleep

Hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies have proven once and for all what every meditator already knew: meditation is amazing for sleep! Not only does meditation lead to more sleep, but it even leads to a night of deeper and more restful sleep.

By calming the racing mind and by calming a restless body, a meditation class or course taught by an expert can result in falling asleep quickly, staying asleep the whole night, and waking up super refreshed.

 

Meditation Benefit #5: Better Relationships

How does meditation benefit your relations? Relationships are all about being present with other people. When our mind is elsewhere, when we’re impatient, when our attention is distracted or on our phone, we can’t be the best possible friend or partner that we can be. As recent neuroimaging has shown, meditation literally changes our brain. It makes the part of the brain known for empathy visibly larger.

This is because as we practice mindfulness, we strengthen that part of our brain. We also decrease in size the part of the brain responsible for fear. The more we meditate, the more compassionate, more present, and more patient we become in our relationships.

 

Meditation Benefit #6: More Energy

All-day long, our mind is racing from one thought to the next. Even if we take a break, it never takes a break. That’s what makes the meditation you’ll learn in our classes the ultimate brain break. A lot of things, like watching movies or smoking or eating food, or getting on social media, temporarily distract our minds.

But only meditation lets it rest and trains the mind to be naturally calmer and more restful throughout the day. Taking just a brief meditation break leads to greater energy so that we never feel run down or exhausted. 

 Meditation Benefit #7: More Focus and Concentration

How does meditation benefit your mind? If you can learn to pay attention to your breath with the same level of focus and concentration as you have when you’re watching your favorite movie, you’ll be able to pay attention to anything. Even if you don’t have ADD or ADHD, society as a whole is losing its attention span.

 

Meditation Benefit #8: More Success

With more energy, more clarity, more focus, and better concentration, also comes more success in our professional lives. Hundreds of today’s most successful and richest business people, entrepreneurs, and celebrities credit their success to meditation.

As we let our thinking mind take a back seat to our observing mind, we see more. We understand more. Furthermore, we are able to see through the fog of our thoughts and judgments and opinions. Thanks to having more clarity and less stress, we make fewer mistakes. We arrange our day more thoughtfully and mindfully. Additionally, we see exactly what we need to do, when we need to do it, and we do it.

 

Why Not?

The real question is, “Why shouldn’t I meditate?” Who among us couldn’t use more joy, better sleep, less stress, more patience and concentration, greater awareness, and a greater understanding of ourselves and others?

In today’s high-tech light-speed world, full of industries trying to grab our attention, setting aside just 20 minutes a day for yourself to unwind and recenter can be the greatest gift anyone can give themselves. The peace of mind you gain will even be a gift to those around you.

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What’s the Deal With Humming Meditation?

Lately, it seems about a million new types of meditations have been invented and popularized. I get asked about a lot of them and while I don’t address every single one, Humming Meditation is one that seems to come up time and time again.

Unlike a lot of other new-age types of meditation, using the voice in various ways — such as chanting, singing, or saying a mantra — has been around for thousands of years. And it’s not too hard to make the connection between saying Ommmmmmmmmmmm and humming Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here I’ll talk about the pros and the cons of Humming Meditation.

 

What Exactly is Humming Meditation?!

Humming meditation isn’t just walking down the street humming along to your favorite song. While that may be meditative, relaxing, and enjoyable, it is not meditation. 

Meditation is about retraining your mind to be more aware, conscious, peaceful, and joyful. It’s about transforming the way you experience the world long after the meditation is over.

To practice Humming Meditation, begin as you would any other meditation:

Close your eyesSit upright in a chair or on the floorTake a few deep breaths into your bellyAfter your third or fourth inhale, exhale out a long slow hum. Some people like to put their thumbs over their ears and their fingers on their forehead for extra vibrational sensations.Continue humming with each exhale for five minutesThen, sit for two to three minutes just observing on your breathSlowly open your eyes Pros Of Humming Meditation

Unfortunately, there is very little scientific evidence as to the benefits of humming meditation. However, there are a few indications of its benefits. 

For one, many people have tried and found it to be very easy and relaxing.

While there are no studies yet on Humming Meditation, there is quite a large body of research as to the benefits of repeating “Om,” as well as religious chanting.

Several studies show that repeating “Ommmmm” can stimulate the vagus nerve — a nerve in the back of our throat connected to many important organs such as our lungs, heart, and gut. The vagus nerve is responsible for our body’s resting, digesting, and healing from stress.

“Om” meditation shows promising results for helping our bodies heal, reduce stress, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and sleep better. 

Moreover, in one study, repeating “Om” was shown to decrease activity in the brain’s limbic system which is responsible for stress and depression. 

Not only this, but, religious chanting has similarly been proven to lower stress, stabilize cardiovascular function, and activate frequencies in the brain associated with transcendental bliss and selflessness. 

In the little bit of research, we do have on humming, it shows to improve sinus health. 

While the science is still out on pros and cons of humming meditation, what we do know is that the vibrations from repeating “Om” have a positive effect on the brain and body. The vagus nerve is very important to our overall health and humming may be a great way to stimulate it.

Other methods for stimulating the vagus nerve include:

Deep, full, belly breathingConnecting with othersCold exposureSinging or garglingProbioticsOmega 3’sMindfulness and Loving-Kindness MeditationYoga“Om” Meditation The Cons Of Humming Meditation

While studies exist that show Mindfulness and Loving-Kindness Meditation activate the vagus nerve, there is just not as much data on Humming Meditation. 

In addition to this, Mindfulness Meditation comes with all the benefits that Humming Meditation claims, plus the added benefits of greater awareness and focus, more presence and peace, more patience and gratitude.

While “Om” Chanting and Mindfulness Meditation require no set belief system, the couple who popularized Humming Meditation often speak of things that do require a leap of faith, such as chakras, heart activation, energy fields, the Gaian matrix, and planetary healing. 

The fact that Humming Meditation cannot be easily done in public, the fact that it doesn’t raise our level of awareness or focus, and the fact that there is nobody of evidence confirming its efficacy, I personally have to recommend “Om” Chanting as the best way to stimulate the vagus nerve through vibrational humming.

Although Humming Meditation may in fact have some important benefits and would be a great addition to someone’s daily practice, it’s no substitute for meditations like mindfulness, vipassana, mantra, breath awareness, body awareness, or even “Om” chanting. 

When we say “Om,” the “o” sound really forces our vocal cords to open so that when we move on to the “m” sound, our voice can produce a much greater vibrational force. 

So, go on and give Om a try and let me know what you think. If you absolutely love your Humming Meditation, keep it up. Loving what you do is the name of the game.

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Is Mindfulness Meditation Right for Your Kids?

Mindfulness meditation for kids is important as today, kids (as well as parents) have shorter attention spans than ever before. Things that were once commonplace like watching sunsets or staring at the stars are now deemed too boring. This age has become more of an age of Instagramming.

When I was younger, I knew people who didn’t have the attention span to watch a full-length movie. Today, many kids can’t do that. They can’t even sit through a TV show without needing to multitask and multi-watch 10-second videos on TikTok.

Our microscopic attention spans, our constant entertainment and distraction, our highly crafted public personas, and our hyper-connected but increasingly isolated existence are all causing record levels of anxiety, stress, sadness, depression, ADD/ADHD, bullying, underdeveloped social skills, unhappiness, and loneliness.

These things are affecting everyone but no one more so than kids. For that, the best and the only antidote to modern technology and modern society is mindfulness meditation.

These days the world is pulling you in a million directions constantly. So, what is the best thing any child or adult can do?

It is to sit down, put everything else away, clear the mind, become centered, relax, and just breathe.

Kids today are blasted by more advertising, more media, more messaging, and more influences than ever before. Today, kids’ lives are moving in hyperdrive compared to 20 years ago.

It might have a positive side by having access to information. However, it is often at the detriment of their mental health and well-being.

From FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) to feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. These are caused by kids comparing themselves to the prettiest, smartest, most talented, most attention-grabbing, and richest people on the planet. Hence, it’s no wonder that behavioral disorders and even suicide are at all-time highs.

 

How COVID is Making Mindfulness More Important Than Ever?

Like with everything else going on, COVID is the great accelerator. We now spend even more time on our screens. Not only this, we spend more time alone. This way, we’re asking for even more from our kids.

But asking students with already fragmented attention spans works? More often than not it doesn’t.  The idea of paying attention to virtual learning is causing many wonderful students to fall behind.

What your kid needs are attention and guidance. However, some are not getting it. What is the reason you ask? It happens when the parents have to go off to work, and kids are left at home to their own devices.

Kids who lack mindfulness tend to have more impulsivity and behavioral issues. This is because they aren’t aware of their actions and consequences.

They don’t weigh their choices because they lack patience. They can’t pay attention because they are unable to focus.

And they express greater stress, anxiety, and depression because they become consumed by their thoughts and emotions.

 

How Mindfulness Can Help Children?

Luckily, there is a solution that can benefit almost every single child. They can become calmer, patient, focused, and conscientious. Not only this, but they will also become more thoughtful, compassionate, present, and more joyful.

That solution is mindfulness meditation for kids. Schools around the country have started introducing mindfulness meditation into their curriculum—oftentimes at the schools with the highest levels of disciplinary problems.

The results were overwhelming. What were once overcrowded detentions were suddenly empty.

For entire schools, disciplinary problems decreased, and grades went up. However, most importantly, students had a new and powerful tool in their toolbelt to deal with their emotions and thoughts in order to live a happier and more fulfilled life.

 

What Mindfulness Teaches Children?

Mindfulness is just about being more mindful of our surroundings. It’s about being mindful of our emotions, thoughts, words, and actions too.

The more aware we become, the wiser we become. Not only this, the more present we are, the better our interactions and our social skills become. The more clearly we can see the world around us and within us, the less we become lost in our thoughts and emotions.

We still have thoughts and emotions, but we don’t get consumed by them. What we do is we merely observe them come and go. We don’t have to act on each thought and impulse, nor do we have to react unconsciously to whatever we’re observing.

Mindfulness, which is the act of focusing on and observing more closely whatever is happening, helps us learn to focus, expand our attention and awareness.

Mindfulness meditation for kids can be the practice of observing our breath, it can be observing our sensory experiences, or it can be observing an activity while remaining present such as walking, eating or yoga.

We all know that when we’re stressed, anxious, or too in our head, we don’t make as good decisions or think as clearly as when we are calm and relaxed. For this reason, mindfulness meditation can help children study and perform better in school. The more we practice mindfulness, the greater our empathy becomes.

As students become more compassionate and better able to regulate their emotions, mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce both the occurrence and effects of bullying in schools.

 

How Mindfulness Meditation Makes This Possible?

By observing without judging or identifying with our thoughts and opinions, we create distance between ourselves and what we are observing. This distance creates less emotional distress and a greater sense of peace and calm.

When we meditate, we observe thoughts, emotions and sensations arise and then fall away. We repeatedly practice letting go of whatever comes up without resistance.

This letting go in meditation is a habit that will help children not act impulsively on a sudden desire, and will help them remember that whatever they are feeling or thinking is only temporary and will soon pass.

Most importantly for kids and parents alike during COVID while we’re socially distancing, seeing the extra time spent at home as an amazing gift and opportunity to become happier and more peaceful is a wonderful perspective to have.

Children and adults are usually kept incredibly busy and this newfound free time on our hands presents endless opportunities to learn that it’s perfectly ok to sit with yourself, to become more peaceful, to grow emotionally, get wiser and become happier.

 

What Age is the Right Age to Learn Mindfulness Meditation For Kids

There’s no time like the present to learn mindfulness meditation. Often when we start meditating as adults. This can be more difficult to undo the decades of conditioning our minds have gone through. One that has learned to only be happy when our minds are hyperstimulated.

This is why it is important to teach mindfulness to our children. Once they understand what it is, it will be easier for them to be mindful throughout their lives.

For toddlers, mindfulness meditation will look very different than what it will look like for teenagers. Teenagers are more susceptible to a different kind and intensity of stress.

A young child can grasp things easily. This will help them make mindfulness meditation a lifestyle. Moreover, mindfulness will look like games and exercises that will help take their attention into the present moment.

As kids grow older and become more self-aware, short guided meditations can be introduced. As kids become teenagers, it’s a good time for them to learn how to sit and reflect with soothing music.

No matter the age, every child deserves the best chance at having a life. This life should be filled with joy and love, health, and happiness. Study after study has shown that mindfulness meditation can do exactly that.

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