I was reading an article (I forget which one unfortunately though) recently on good habits and the author had suggested meditation every morning. He recommended an app called Headspace that helped you get started on meditation. He said it really helped him.
I'd heard a lot about meditation and its benefits. I had even tried it a few times but found it incredibly boring and difficult to do. To me it was only about focussing on the breath for long periods of time and I just couldn't do it.
I decided to give Headspace a try though. The trial was free! So I got the app and started doing it after my morning Darjeeling tea ritual.
The good thing is you can do it for ten minutes only. You don't have to sit on the floor or pose like the guy in the picture above. You can sit comfortably in a chair. There is a guy who guides you through the routine. It has different things to do and it is not only about focussing on the breath so it is not boring. It worked for me like a charm!
To summarize the routine, meditation according to Headspace is about being 'aware'. My mind is like a monkey. It keeps jumping from one thing to another. When I'm swimming, I'm thinking about work. When I'm having breakfast, I'm thinking about lunch. When I'm in a meeting, I want to finish it quickly because I want to get to something else. I'm never living in the current moment. My mind is always wandering to the next thing. My mind is always wandering to something else.
Meditation teaches you to live in the present moment. To experience every single moment completely. There is one small exercise that Andy (the guy who hosts the app) asked to do - simply be aware of when you are sitting down or standing up and count the number of times I did that. You might wonder what that means! A simple thing like sitting or standing happens without us realising or consciously doing that. Andy said if you can count five times in the day you did that, it was great. I could count only two times!
I have started focussing on swimming while swimming for a start. That's when the exercise is fresh in my mind. I experience the water more fully. I look at the water when I am underwater. I see the small waves, the ripples and enjoy the beauty of it all. Even when I am having my tea I focus on the taste more completely.
I have completed the 'Foundation Pack' - thirty days of ten minutes each and I really look forward to the exercises each morning these days. After the foundation pack, you can pick things specific to your needs.
Hopefully, I will learn to live a life more aware, live in each moment completely. I am sure life will be more enriching and fulfilling this way.
You should try it too!
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