Meditation

[Jcrew3082]

The other day, I was watching something on CNN about meditation, transcendental meditation specifically. Unfortunately, I cannot find the transcript anywhere. I am very curious about this. I think it can be really beneficial, especially for an anxious person like me.

Does anyone here meditate? Have you read books on it? Do you do it at home or go somewhere that teaches it?

 

[endorphin_junkie]

Hi Gina, yes I do meditate. I was introduced to meditation through yoga and readily admit that it took me a long time to embrace it and learn to sit, just simply sit. There are great misconceptions about meditation, the stereotypical idea of emptying the mind is virtually impossible for most. I use various mantras that constantly change depending on what fits that day. Some are derived from Sanskrit and some stem from my Catholic upbringing. Meditation is training the mind and quieting the constant and often judgmental mental dialogue (monkey mind). One thing I read that helped me understand it's purpose was likening the quiet mind to a jewel tossed in the water. If you jump in scrambling for the jewel you disturb silt and all sorts lying beneath the surface, if you calmly wait for the water to settle the jewel reveals itself. I want to write more but have to take my daughter to meet her friends. Feel free to PM if you want to chat more about this. Meditation helps me enormously to quell the anxiety that seems to bubble up without warning.

Take Care
Laurie