I’ve always been curious about mediation as a way to alleviate stress, but I never actually followed through with my desire to practice it regularly. I recently purchased Sit Like a Buddha: A Pocket Guide to Meditation by Lodro Rinzler because I thought if I bought a book about mediation, I would actually follow through with it. You can guess how that turned out. However, when I stumbled upon Nayyirah Waheed’s poem (see above) last week, my views on mediation began to change. That is, I want to integrate it into my daily routine, and not just for the sake of stress relief.
In an age when screens have reigned supreme in capturing our undivided attention, vowing to disconnect ourselves from technology is easier said than done. As someone who is working towards a career in social media, I am almost never not on my phone or computer. I am constantly devouring the news, keeping up with the lives of my family and friends, and online shopping (virtual window shopping on most occasions). Otherwise, you can catch me watching TV or Netflix when I want to liberate my mind from reality.
Although Waheed’s words are concise, they have had a profound impact on how I want to live my life going forward. Instead of letting my thoughts and emotions run rampant until I self-combust, I plan on meditating every day, morning and night. It’s time to move on from the temporarily cathartic release that technology provides.
Today, I opened Rinzler’s book, and in his first chapter, he prompts his readers to ask themselves why they want to meditate. Initially, my only reason was stress management. As I kept on reading, I began to ponder his question even further. For one thing, by eliminating bad stress from my life, I can focus on getting in touch with my mind, body, and spirit on a significantly deeper level. Through meditation, I want to become more self-aware and confident so that when the going gets tough, I can channel that negative energy into positivity and become a person I am proud of. Through meditation, I want to love harder and open my heart to new people and fresh opportunities.
By beginning and ending my days with a search for serenity and clarity, I have high hopes that I can apply what I learn in meditation to other aspects of my life, and, maybe, even help others in the process. Starting now, I plan on chronicling my journey through meditation in my blog, and I hope you follow along with me.
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