{"id":1266,"date":"2014-08-24T21:15:53","date_gmt":"2014-08-25T01:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/?p=1266"},"modified":"2015-02-07T13:44:31","modified_gmt":"2015-02-07T18:44:31","slug":"meditation-its-not-just-for-hippies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/meditation-its-not-just-for-hippies\/","title":{"rendered":"Meditation- It\u2019s Not Just for Hippies"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR ABC NEWS STORY
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

For the last 20 years, I have had the great joy of walking alongside of people beginning their journey toward greater relaxation, self-awareness, clarity, and overall peace and well-being. While each individual\u2019s process was beautiful to witness, it was often not without some struggle. Sure, I\u2019d find that individuals would melt into a blob of what seemed like tension-free bliss in my office recliner, reporting that their mind was free as a bird, or clear as the sky on a sunny day. However, upon return, it seemed this same sky turned stormy. People would often recount the numerous barriers that kept them from being as relaxed at home or even attempting it. They would explain that the previous week was too stressful for them to try to relax, or paradoxically already fine so they didn’t think they needed it. I heard everything from \u201cI was too stressed to relax,\u201d to \u201cthe cat running up the drapes made too much noise.\u201d Mostly, I heard some version of \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019m doing it right, I have a lot of other things I should be doing, or I don\u2019t think I can do this like those other people can.\u201d<\/p>\n

After witnessing countless individuals trying to relax, adding meditation to the instruction was a natural evolution. What I learned from the feedback that people were giving me is that our minds are always processing. Sometimes, for no good reason at all, our thoughts are racing a mile a minute. In fact, you can test this out by simply pausing while reading this article. Take a minute. What did you notice? You may have found yourself wondering what this has to do with anything. Maybe you were thinking how wonderful it would be to be serene, like sailing effortlessly across the ocean in a state of bliss rather than whatever state you find yourself in now.<\/p>\n

Chances are you were engaging in ongoing evaluation of whether meditation is for you or not. This appraising is something we often do, and for good reason. It is adaptive for us to assess our circumstances in order to make good choices for the future, for the purpose of staying out of harm\u2019s way. However, this tendency has evolved to us constantly thinking and planning, often to gain some improved acceptance, prosperity, notoriety or overall happiness. Think about it for a moment\u2026why were you thinking what you are thinking? You\u2019ll probably find that at the root of the thought is the desire to seek improvement in one of these areas. That, in itself, is not all that bad. It is actually pretty human. However, studies in the area of happiness tell us otherwise. It seems that it is actually when we are more fully engaged in the present moment, no matter how difficult that moment is, that we are happier.<\/p>\n

So, what can we do about the frequently thinking, rarely resting, and sometimes runaway train of a mind we have? The key is to start to catch this thinking when it goes on automatic pilot. Meditation is one way to do this. It can be thought of as a training system to assist us in becoming more familiar with the mind, with our thoughts, and ultimately our reactions to life events. With practice, it can help us make choices about our thoughts and reactions to situations so that we can be less upset, less stressed, less reactive and, thereby, more content in our everyday moments, even the difficult ones.<\/p>\n

As mindfulness meditation has made its way into the mainstream, it\u2019s become harder to extrapolate information needed to begin and succeed in the practice, from the vast enticing promises suggested in media coverage. Images tend to depict people in what appear to be peaceful states. However, there is more to that peaceful expression than meets the eye. There is much below the surface and it can be tumultuous at times. The positive effects of meditation may seem unreachable to someone who has tried to relax in some form and failed. Rest assured, studies have shown that people from all walks of life, in very diverse circumstances, and various settings benefit from meditation, as noted in the news story above. For further information on some of the research behind meditation read about Structural Changes in The Brain.<\/p>\n

Meditation is not a passive technique, but rather an intentional act of mind training. So, for anyone embarking on this journey, I would like to share some observations of how this process typically unfolds in hopes that you may benefit from others\u2019 collective experiences.<\/p>\n

I will start by saying that it is most recommended to acquire a teacher as you are beginning a meditation practice and for ongoing coaching. In the least, it\u2019s helpful to have initial sessions guided through audio exercises. Most people find themselves becoming quickly uncertain of what to do with their mind in total silence. A common first response to listening to the exercises is a sense of relaxation or peace. This may be experienced as heaviness, lightness, or even sleepiness if you are not used to being at rest. Occasionally, people feel an increase in restlessness or frustration. At this point, creating a regular practice of the exercise will be most important, and possibly most challenging.
\nAfter the initial period of time, people may forget or intentionally skip the exercises on occasions that they are busy, distressed, or even feel good and think they do not need it. It is at this juncture that establishing a routine practice, independent of emotional state and external circumstances, becomes essential. Commitment at this level leads to a more rapid relaxation response, with some ability to maintain this state as you transition back to activity.<\/p>\n

Over time, you will begin to enjoy the benefits of inner stability well beyond the guided exercises. For example, you may suddenly realize that you are not as frazzled by the reactions of others, or you return more quickly to balance after triggers to your nervous system, such as near-collisions while driving. This is the point at which you know that true and longstanding change has begun. I call this the extended release of Mindfulness Based Biofeedback.<\/p>\n

Regardless of your personal goal for considering meditation, I invite you to practice and share your experiences with this forum! I am delighted to be a part of your journey. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Dr. Urszula Klich
\nLicensed Clinical Psychologist<\/p>\n

PS. To receive additional helpful health hints, \u201clike\u201d MyMindfulWayofLife on Facebook and follow @UrszulaKlich on Twitter. If you have been practicing the meditation CD, I invite you check out our harmonious visualization CD and post a review at http:\/\/www.cdbaby.com\/Artist\/DrUrszulaKlich<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR ABC NEWS STORY For the last 20 years, I have had the great joy of walking alongside of people beginning their journey toward greater relaxation, self-awareness, clarity, and overall peace and well-being. While each individual\u2019s process was beautiful to witness, it was often not without some struggle. Sure, I\u2019d find […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,39,60],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-meditation","category-mindfulness-2","category-students"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YyuX-kq","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1266"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1277,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1266\/revisions\/1277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/mymindfulwayoflife.com\/blog4\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}