Meditate or at least Unplug
I woke up this Sunday morning and by default almost turned on Netflix to watch a new episode of Altered Carbon while eating breakfast. Then I stopped myself and decided to eat at the table in quiet. While doing so the plans I have been pondering for writing an article on meditation started to come into focus. This whole article unfolded in my mind. I vowed that when I finished breakfast I would write it.
I turn on my computer, open up Evernote to start writing and decide to check my four different email accounts to see if there’s anything urgent and login to minds.com to gain the 50 points for logging in for the hour. 20 more minutes slip away while surfing minds.com and gritting teeth about work emails that should really be ignored until Monday. Then I start writing yet my mindset and plans are off-rail now.
At Least Unplug
We all lose so much productivity because of our addiction to being plugged in all the time. Must check email, must have video playing in the background, must check status on our posts and send replies, must check news about latest disaster. We think we are being more productive because we are multi-tasking and since we are both checking emails and watching a video we surely are getting the most value and productivity of the available moments. This simply is not true. Do one thing and give it 100% of your focus. The result will be far superior.
Next time you are planning on turning on a video (Netflix, YouTube, Kodi, or whatever), ask yourself “why?”. Why not instead sit in silence for 10 minutes. Can you? When was the last time you did? What excuses suddenly come to mind as to why this is a bad idea? It’s only 10 minutes and you waste that amount of time off-and-on during the day… all the time. Yet when you plan on sitting quietly and just thinking for 10 minutes, often the mind comes up with reasons and excuses why you just can’t sit still and quietly think right now.
It would be better if you could meditate but if that is too much for you then just unplug for a while. We are surrounded by an endless supply of stimuli and (mis)information that it is easy to spend 100% of your time distracted. If you cannot unplug, that’s OK. Just admit you are one of the sheeple controlled by media and outside influences. If that makes you mad… then unplug and figure out why. Don’t prove me wrong because I don’t care if you are sheeple. Prove to yourself that you are not sheeple. Think for yourself, don’t just look at memes and give a thumbs up or down. That’s not thinking if you don’t stop and actually ponder and maybe even submit a comment or bit of insight. Can you think for yourself or is it too scary and you just want to turn on the next video?
Meditate
Meditation has been around for thousands of years. Yogis, gurus, shamans, and monks all did it. If you read the biographies of famous brilliant men like Nikola Tesla and Albert Einstein they describe the process they would use to get their greatest intellectual inspirations and those processes are very similar to meditation!
Nowadays everyone is recommending meditation. From gurus to celebrities to David Wilcock to the common man on the street. You want to awaken, then meditate. You want to cure PTSD, then meditate. You want to sleep better, then meditate. You want to be a better person, then meditate. Meditation actually and truly alters the electrical activity of your brain. This is not just a spiritual experience but an electromagnetic change within your body that permanently modifies and enhances the tissues within the brain.
I started meditating 15 months ago. At first it was difficult because I let the hundreds of excuses win. I’m a technology geek so I bought a Muse neurofeedback headset and used that to set up a regular routine. It gamifies and quantifies meditation which worked for me and now I meditate 5 days per week and only use it a third of the time. People who have known me for years say I’ve become a different person. More calm, less stressed, hate humanity less, more patient, productive and insightful.
Meditation Advice
First recommendation - try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you want to better yourself then why not try it? If you want to better the world, start by bettering yourself plus you may find clarity in how to better the world while meditating. Side note: if you are not interested in bettering yourself nor interested in bettering the world you are kind of a worthless piece of crap. Don’t think that because I meditate I am now all lovey-dovey and think everyone is great. Those that do not want to at least better themselves are in a way saying either they think they are already perfect or at least think that the ones they are close to are not deserving of being with someone that is continually improving themselves. If you do not want to meditate, ask yourself “Am I a piece of crap or am I scared?” If you cannot find the time to answer that question then examine that because therein lies your root problem.
Tip 1
When you start meditating if your mind is too chaotic to handle long sessions it is OK to start with short meditation sessions and slowly ramp up. Go for 5 minutes. Do that a couple times a day for a few days. Then increase to 10 minutes and do that for a few days. Then increase again and soon you will find that you can meditate for 20 minutes easily. Ramp up at whatever speed is comfortable for you but don’t let your ego eternally make excuses and hold you back.
Tip 2
Use a blindfold. This makes a huge difference and is much better than just closing your eyes. Ear plugs may also help if you are in a noisy household. However the blindfold is what is really important because being in complete darkness triggers the pineal gland. This is not a full “pineal gland activation” but it does put you into an altered mental state. That usually happens after 20 minutes so it is really, really important that you meditate 25 or 30 minutes to really have the best experience. The first time this happens it might surprise you. Relax and let it happen.
You can use anything as a blindfold. I purchased something similar to these and they work great: Amazon Blind Folds
Tip 3
Set a regular schedule like you do for all things you want to become a habit. It doesn’t matter when, but set which days and approximately what time of day you are going to set aside for meditation. Leave your phone in the other room with the ringer turned off. Tell those around you not to interrupt you during this time.
Technology can Help… kinda
Once you have been doing meditation for a while you really won’t need any “tools”. However when you are first starting tools sometimes help. Of course you do not ever really need tools and you can succeed at meditation without them, but if you are having troubles then using one or all of the below can help speed up reaching a successful meditation practice.
For me the Muse worked well in combination with guided meditations and binaural beats. There are now other meditation headbands available but I have not tried them. If anyone has tried one of the other brands, please leave your review below in the comments.
There are many YouTube videos with guided meditations. Pick one that has a voice you like. At first the visuals may help but eventually those will be a distraction and using the blindfold is better. For me those guided meditations helped at the beginning but later even the voice and tempo was not conducive so I stopped using them completely.
Binaural beats are another great technology with lots of hard science behind it. For deep meditation you want to reach a Theta brain wave state. With binaural beats you must use headphones because in one ear they will put a specific hertz (Hz) and in the other ear a slightly different hertz and the brain will automatically try to even them out by moving into the hertz that is in-between. This method is very effective for training your brain to enter the Theta wave state. I recommend first try meditation without binaural beats but if that is not successful then try with binaural beats and headphones. You may want to use this at the beginning but once you become proficient in meditation you won’t need it any longer. There are numerous YouTube videos on binaural beat options but this site has the best that I have found: Binaural Brainwave Generator
Summary
Try meditation and you may find it really helps you. Whether you have problems sleeping or you just want to expand your mind and be a better person, give it a try.
If meditating is too big of a commitment or outside your comfort zone, see if you can at least unplug and just sit in quiet for 10 minutes. Let your mind wander. Think about anything besides work and your job. You can contemplate that later if you want, but for your “unplugged time” exclude work thoughts. See where your mind wanders and you may come up with solutions to life issues that have been bothering you for months.
Next time you are about to turn on a video as a default of “something to do”, instead unplug and for 10 minutes (or more) sit quietly and think. If letting your mind wander on your own is too vague for you, then contemplate something like “what is the nicest surprise I could give someone I care about?"
For additional information here is an article which does an excellent job of explaining the different types of brain waves, different biological sections of the brain and the university studies that prove meditation has a quantifiable impact on these: