Any progress in meditation practice? / Prophylactic self-isolation series. Day 299th.

Logic and time counting do not work when talking about meditation

I cannot deny, before starting to arrange my first cookbook Festive, Sugar-Free Recipes for Almost Vegans for publishing in November 2020, I was already a successful beginner in meditation practice.

But then I thought I need “more time” for writing the book and lastly I found myself in all the unfinished day activities, tired and irritated. Oppositely, while meditating almost for an hour, I had energy and good mood to do much more during the day!

So, in fact I fooled myself because the things do not work logically and according to mathematics if talking about investment into yourself, because when I spend one hour for meditation – I can do more with ease, but while taking that hour for doing other things – I loose on productivity and good mood.  

Meditation withstands a prayer (?)

Meditation is an ancient practice that is believed to originate in India several thousand years BCE. Throughout early history, the practice was adopted by neighboring countries, such as China and Japan, and formed a part of many religions throughout the world. In Western countries, the ancient teachings of meditation began to become more popular in the 18^th century (1).

Nowadays, in our almost globalized cultures around the world, meditation withstands a prayer for those who take a new way in discovering their inner world, or the higher power. Both meditation and prayer contribute positively to our mental sanity by reducing depression, anxiety, and stress. While prayer usually connects the person to the particular religion, meditation gives a freedom to be whatever and just to build an improved connection between your inner world and the life around.

As it was once said by American singer Chris Cornell (1964-2017) – the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave: “I don’t follow any particular one (religion). … Ultimately I think I’m sort of a freethinker and kind of open. … So many bad things – as well as good things – have happened based on people just sort of blindly following religion that I kind of feel like I want to stay away from any type of specific denomination or any religion period (2).

The tendency is obvious: some of those who abandoned a prayer (or never practiced it because were never taught to do so in their families), now find the other way – meditation. One may promote meditation as a part of trendy business, or to be famous on social media, or following those who are famous, or simply to regain mental and physical well-being.

Why practicing meditation seems so hard?

As I already wrote in my articles Why nowadays’ sushi is not sushi? and Three common plants which may contribute to infertility in women, our globalized mind grabs only the tops of any foreign tradition without looking for a root.

The Western cultures do their best to adopt all the world (mainly for business) and obviously bring lots of positive things to people. However, superficiality was never a good sign in a long term.

I have read and listened so many benefits about meditation. However, while practicing it, I got stuck in its performance for a few months if not a half a year and barely reached claimed benefits.

The online guides were talking about music meditation, affirmational meditation, aroma meditation; mindfulness, spiritual, focused, movement, mantra, transcendental, progressive, loving-kindness meditations; Yoga Nidra, Vipassana, Zen, Kundalini Yoga meditations; breath awareness and body scan or progressive relaxation meditations, the list is endless.

It is way too easy to get lost in types of meditations, so I just was sitting and waiting for the phone alarm to ring after 5-15-20 minutes. Long-lasting and never-ending meditating for 20 minutes was a highest level which was possible for me to imagine until…

until I read about a meditation practice in Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book “Becoming Supernatural” (3).

Things have changed once I got a clear instruction for the basics of meditation

If not to mention that reading the book “Becoming Supernatural” is a kind of great experience itself, once I read how to break the bonds and go deep into myself on page 56 – I entered a new world.

Now my meditations are as long as 30-40-50 minutes without the feeling to wait for its end, but oppositely, I grab the opportunity to meditate any time possible. Surely, meditation raises the level of dopamine – a hormone of happiness.

In these two articles I write about the specific food and urban factors which contribute to dopamine jump artificially as an external stimulus. Here just to mention that external, artificial stimulus if exposed too much or for too long may transform easily to a trigger and cause reward-dependent behavior.

How fascinating it might be, that without any external stimulus like triggering food or network (trap?) of social media one could expose him/her-self to the state of great pleasure, peace and inner balance!

Some tips for meditation practice

Some tips which I found work for me better:

• meditation early in the morning before sunrise
  • darkness in the air and even birds do not disturb me
• fresh air (always on a balcony)
  • any weather in fact is good for meditation, and I remember my first 50-min practice took place during the strong wind, the second – during the rain
• wrap the body
  • if the weather is cold outside – wrap yourself into warm clothes because you will need just to sit and feel comfortable. Wrap yourself into wool covers, with gloves and warm socks on and sit on a yoga mat, putting another warm cover on it
• incense and meditative music
  • with my new technique I do not absolutely nothing external, nor aromas, nor music, it should be just a very early morning where the surrounding is quite and dark naturally, so that any urban activity or even early bird would still be asleep
• my legs go numb
  • then I just straight them one by one, without opening the eyes and let them relax. When ok – sit back to the half lotus pose
• the phone
  • the phone is far away, in another room so I meditate now without any alarm which also disturbs just by being somewhere around

References

1. Meditation History by By Susan Chow, Ph.D, online: https://www.news-medical.net/health/Meditation-History.aspx
2. Interview with Chris Cornell in Mar 30, 2008 on youtube:

3. Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza, 2017

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You may wish to read the book by Dr. Joe Dispenza Becoming Supernatural as I do, then follow the link: Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza

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Dr. Alisa Palatronis is an independent expert and researcher in the fields of urban chemistry, nutrition, psychology and Nature pollution. Find more info about Dr. Alisa Palatronis on About page. All the suggested products in her articles are not sponsored and are recommended for the reader as were personally found to bring positive impact/having great quality.