Meditation

Meditation can be difficult. How can I possibly clear my mind? Every time I meditate, the things on my to-do list pop into my head. Should I pause a meditation and write them down so I can get back to meditating and won’t forget? Or should I push them out of my mind and force myself back to a meditative state. I enjoyed the visualization that one yoga teacher provided when she said that we are laying in a field and our thoughts are the clouds over our heads. Let the thoughts and the clouds pass by, acknowledge them, and then let them go. That feels peaceful and realistic to me instead of pretending the thoughts aren’t there or shove them down and tell myself I shouldn’t be thinking them.

I used the Meditation app by Muse to start learning about meditation. It has courses or tracks of meditation audio files that guide you in different forms of meditation, teach you about meditation, and work you up from just a few minutes to more than 10 minutes. Eventually I stopped using the app and tried to practice on my own. In 2024, I joined a 40-day meditation challenge where each week we added a minute to our meditation time. This caused me to time my meditations to ensure that they were long enough. I was surprised to find out what six minutes felt like, what seven minutes felt like, etc. I thought I was meditating for much longer than I actually was. This was a helpful exercise for me, but I don’t plan on timing myself always, just sometimes.

Meditation is said to help with emotional regulation, depression, anxiety, and increases activity in your pre-frontal cortex. The pre-frontal cortex is the portion of the brain in charge of executive function. Executive function helps you make good long-term decisions that are in line with your values and solve complex problems. We all need more energy in this portion of the brain, or I know I do! Meditation may also increase grey matter and the size of your brain.

If meditation is simply not for you, consider other forms of meditation that are not sitting cross-legged in the quiet. Is your walk a meditation as you notice the grasses, the leaves, the animals in your neighborhood. Is doing some chore or creative project a meditation as you are able to focus, clear your mind, and connect with yourself?

This graphic was made with AI.

Sources

https://sites.bu.edu/ombs/2014/02/08/the-power-of-meditation/#:~:text=Usually%20signals%20from%20bodily%20sensations,forming%20memories%2C%20and%20improving%20attention.

https://www.mindful.org/how-the-brain-changes-when-you-meditate/#:~:text=Diminished%20or%20enhanced%20functionality%20in,%2C%20concentration%2C%20etc.).