Have you ever thought about meditation? There are many different ideas out there on what it is exactly and what it’s good for. I wouldn’t be a human being if I didn’t have an opinion on the topic myself. This blogpost gives you one of many views, but a view from someone with personal experience.
My particular flavor of meditation is Zazen meditation. A form of meditation that in it’s essence is “just sitting”, with everything else omitted. Okay, and you need to breathe, obviously. But that’s it really.
The basics
In a nutshell, you sit on a pillow and for twenty-five (yes 25) minutes you count your breaths. As soon as you reach ten, you start over. If for any reason you are not just sitting and counting but doing something else you start over.
That’s it really. Anyone can do it.
Why would you do it?
Obviously there is a reason to this madness. People in their right minds actually meditate like this, twice a day even. You can even join meditation groups that meditate like this for four consecutive sittings with a short walking meditation in between.
If people spend this much time doing it, there must be something to be had.
A quick list of benefits:
- You’ll need less sleep
- Your focus becomes better
- Your pain threshold increases
- Your endorphin levels rise
- You’ll automate happiness
- Your overall quality of life increases
In short: It will make you feel awesome.
Do you want to feel awesome? Meditation is an easy way to accomplish it. And all it will cost you is time. You don’t need any props, special clothing or materials.
Won’t this “just sitting” be painful? I would imagine my back would start hurting when I sit for minutes in the same posture.
Well, it’s not completely the same position as your body is always moving slightly. But yes it can hurt. Paying attention to the pain however is not paying attention to your breath so… as soon as you find yourself focusing on the pain, bring the focus back to your breath.
It’s a stylized form of self-torture at times, and because you know it will end and the outcome will be good (let’s hope so) your body will release endorphins that will start taking the edge of the pain after a few minutes.
Hi Chris!
First of all, awesome blog! I’ve been wanting to devote some time to meditation for a long time but after some Google searches I feel a bit overwhelmed by the information.
I’ve been putting it off for a while now but reading this article inspired me to take action, I’ll keep you posted :)
Just love this blog; it’s so different from others on the same subject. I love to meditate, both sitting and walking. As I’m partially deaf it’s sort or easy, but I’ve found that I prefer to do it alone; the presence of others make me nervous. I wonder if that’s good or not; I’ve heard that zen meditation is best in groups.