Meditation: Can Manic Minds Meditate? Yes, and I will show you how
A Beginners Guide to Meditation
“Within you there is a stillness and sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.”
-Hermann Hesse, Poet
One of the first practices I took on, on my reclamation journey, was meditation. For me, it surprisingly was not the fact that it was gaining traction in popularity (truth be told, I am a sucker for a good fad), I organically felt drawn to it and was interested in exploring it further (Spiritual Tip - If a thought pops into your head on multiple occasions, something that feels light and optimistic, it is an intuitive based thought. It is a gentle nudge from the Universe, your Guides, to try something out that will be for your best and highest good. More on how you can enhance connection with your intuition in a following post.).
Upon doing some initial research, I came across this definition from Google Dictionary “the action or practice of meditating”. Hmm, OK. Also, another popular question regarding meditation is “Did Jesus meditate?” haha I am sure he did, and I am positive he was / is darn good at it. Also known as… Prayer!
Let’s dig a little deeper…
My good ol’ reliable friend, Merriam’s (that is, Merriam-Webster) definition resonated with me the most: “to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness.” Along with that, I noticed an article from Healthline.com that stated the core benefits of meditating as follows:
1. Reduces Stress
2. Controls Anxiety
3. Promotes Emotional Health (positive thinking & optimism)
4. Enhances Self-Awareness (increases problem-solving skills)
5. Lengthens Attention Span
6. May Reduce Age-Related Memory Loss
7. Can Generate Kindness (when one finds it difficult to bestow)
8. May Fight Addictions (Includes FOOD addiction, reduces emotional binge eating(!))
9. Improves Sleep (if practiced before bed)
10. Helps Control Pain (greater ability to cope with pain)
Alright, now we are talking! Or not, because you can’t talk while meditating, right? Or even think at that? What do I do and where do I begin?
I embarked on my meditation education journey in two ways
1.) By attending an in-person guided meditation at a local NYC studio called MNDFL to obtain the basics of meditation and coupled that with 2.) downloading the Calm App to keep me honest on a daily basis.
The Meditation Kickstarter Kit
MNDFL is a meditation studio in New York City that offers guided meditations from Teachers in increments of 30, 45 or 60-minute classes (start at $15 / class). Within its sleek space, you slip off your shoes, grab a tea from their kitchen and sip it while on your assigned seat cushion, waiting for class to begin.
During my first class I was nervous. My internal chatter was racing from previous and future activities of the day, “OK, this class ends at 6:30pm, which means I can still sneak to Trader Joe’s and buy the baked brie for Rebecca’s Party tomorrow night, which will save me time tomorrow and I can secure a bike at Soul Cycle and will have about 20 minutes to shower after, then can heat up the brie and bring it to Rebecca’s…I hope Bike 40 is available, I want to be in the back, dark corner of Soul, not feeling the first row ready right now.” (Yup, that is exactly how my mind operates, yikes! I am sure many of you are nodding your head in agreement right now, too!)
In addition to these thoughts, I found myself slowly creeping into the questioning phase of any true activity that will bring me self-development, “Can I really do this? Can I calm my manic mind enough to stay present and reap the benefits of meditation?” The bell chimed, and I knew it signaled that I didn’t have a choice. Let’s do this.
The teacher introduced themselves, the theme of the class being Heart-Centered which “encompasses loving kindness practices and ways to become more compassionate and empathetic toward others” and spoke to meditation being the practice of letting go of one’s thoughts and focusing on the breath to bring yourself back from an exhaustive day and reconnect with your body, consciousness and soul. He instructed us to sit tall (I’ve always had a problem with posture but decided to give it the ol’ etiquette try), cross legged, close our eyes and take a few deep breaths to center ourselves. Gentle nature melodies ensued, and I began to feel myself slowly letting my internal stream of thoughts subside with each deep breath. By the last ten minutes of class, he softly spoke about acting compassionate towards oneself and towards others, and by the time the bell chimed, I could not believe how quickly those 30 minutes passed and how incredibly recharged and well-rested I felt. It was as if my brain was taken out of my body, hooked to a recharging station somewhere in the sky and gently passed back to me when all was done. It was surreal.
My initial thought post-class was “Damn, this shit actually works!” My second was, “I don’t have to rush over to Trader Joe’s, I am going to ride this spiritual wave out and continue to calm my mind at home. Rebecca’s baked brie can wait.”
For when you don’t have time to attend local classes regularly…
I was also receiving ads for the app, Calm (Yes! Our phones are listening to us, all. of. the. time.) This was when they were running their video clip on Instagram of the forest leaves during a rainstorm and all you heard was rain gently hitting the leaves. Dang, that always got me, it was so peaceful. Good content and engagement strategy, Calm! I decided to test out their 7-day trial and got hooked immediately, converting to their annual subscription of $69.99 and 427 sessions later, it’s worth EVERY cent.
How does it work?
Calm provides you with daily meditations called the “Daily Calm” that focuses on a theme of the day. These typically last anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes and start off by guiding you through breathing exercises, pausing, and then speaking to the theme of that day’s meditation.
They also have a library of hundreds of types of meditations depending on your current mood, experiences, mindset troubles or amount of time you have and include series like 7 Days of Managing Stress. Having a tough time mending a relationship? There is one on Forgiveness. Also, they even have a Mindful Eating series. The themes are limitless.
What I absolutely love, is you can choose the background nature melody or music of your meditation. I switch these up depending on the current season or whichever I am feeling most connected with, and it really helps me to picture myself sitting in whatever surrounding my melody is playing in. For example, during a rainstorm, I am sitting in a rocking chair in the screened-in back porch of my nonexistent beautiful, white home with light green plantation shutters, copper gas lamps, gently rocking myself and listening to the rain. This helps and will help you to manage your internal chatter too! You can join me in the rocking chair next to me, or within your own dream setting.
I meditate one or more times of the day, depending on how much my soul craves it or how much a day has royally kicked my ass:
- First thing in the morning
- Directly after a workout (Game changer for those who have a heightened manic mind. When your body is ready to calm down, your mind is too, and this results in the ability to stay present and focused more readily on your breath)
- Right before bed (before you shut off your phone for the night)
- On public transportation (no, I do not recommend meditating and driving at the same time, only if you are the passenger and need a pick-me-up) it’s also been beneficial in calming anxiety due to travel
I purchased a thick foam mat, similar to the one here, and sit cross-legged in a room that best encompasses peace and quiet. Don’t have that? I also have noise canceling headphones that do the trick, beautifully.
I have been practicing meditation for three years now and found it has become my go-to comfort blanket for across the spectrum emotions, life happenings or relaxation techniques. There are days where I wake up in the worst of worst moods (thank you, hormones) and drag my butt to my mat to meditate because I KNOW it will benefit me, and it most certainly ends up uplifting my spirits and turning my day around for the better. It has put me to sleep, helped me to become consciously aware of my breath throughout the day, especially when experiencing tricky circumstances, has connected me to my intuition, bringing me creative thoughts that led me to this blog and heightened my time with God through prayer.
Yes, I have moments where I am just not there and either don’t attempt to meditate at all or quit halfway through, allow yourself to be human and give yourself permission to do what you feel is best in any moment.
But at large, amongst a busy day, it is my recharging station, my sacred time to reconnect with what truly matters, to rest and regain energy. I know that if my New York minute mind can be trained to connect to the breath and cease the chatter, that yours can too.
I hope this is one of your callings from the Universe to take meditation into consideration and opens you up to another tool to bring you joy throughout each (busy) day.
Spiritual Spark Notes to Meditation
What is it? What physical exercise is to the body, meditation is to the mind. It allows you to train your mind to induce a mode of consciousness in order for you to obtain a benefit. For instance, “I am feeling anxious right now.” Benefits occur as a result of deep breathing techniques that lesson the blow of the stress hormone, cortisol, being released in your body allowing you to feel centered and more relaxed.
Preparation Wear comfortable clothes so you don’t think about the fact that you are uncomfortable the entire session. Sit either on the floor on a yoga mat, a seat cushion (or use a decorative pillow), with your legs crossed and a straight back. Take a couple of deep breaths to center yourself and close your eyes, begin your meditation practice (you can attend a local class to get started, practice solo, listen to a meditation app like Calm, or try a few out on YouTube).
Tip for the Manic Minds I find that I am most present either first thing in the morning or directly after a workout (if you don’t mind being a bit sweaty, think of it as your post-workout mind stretch). My mind is the quietest either as a result of me freshly waking up and not embarking on a string of thoughts ahead of my day or when I’ve exhausted most of my energy and am ready to wind down and relax after a workout. Both have benefited me greatly.
Find yourself still battling inner chatter? Don’t be hard on yourself when your mind wanders. Allow those thoughts to arrive and pass without judgement of why you keep having to dodge them in the first place. I find it is useful to envision myself in areas of nature to keep myself centered: whether that is next to a lake in a forest, sitting on the beach at sunrise, in an open meadow, on a porch during a thunderstorm, this brings me to my special place signaling to my brain that it is time to disengage from the world and engage with myself again.
Similar in length to the weeks it has taken to train and workout your body to look fan-freaking-tastic for an upcoming trip to the Bahamas, meditation takes time to train your mind and embrace the practice wholeheartedly. Do what you can, when you can and practice self-compassion. You will have days where your mind unwinds as easy as casting a fishing rod or as difficult as removing those damn bar code stickies from the back of your new stemware, roll with the tide and ease up, then you will ease in.
Session Length Depends on you! I practice anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes daily and focus on what I really need at the height of each day. Maybe I need to set my day up for success ahead of a big presentation. I sit for ten minutes and find a guided meditation on my Calm app that helps me to mentally prepare. Or maybe once the excitement of the presentation has concluded, and I find myself at home with my thoughts racing, I plug in a guided meditation that allows me to prepare for rest. Listen to your body, what you need and when you need it, and do not force it. If you force it, you will resent it and most likely quit it. Only take up this practice if it benefits you.
Costs Dependent on local class offerings. MNDFL starts at $15 / class and Calm App is $12.99 / month or $60 / year. Whereas YouTube is an amazing outlet for free meditation videos or simply sit in the quite of your home, turn on nature melodies and begin your practice.
“Meditation is like giving a hug to ourselves, getting in touch with that awesome reality in us. While meditating we feel a deep sense of intimacy with God, a love that is inexplicable.”