I don’t meditate on a regular basis, but invariably feel that time spent meditating is time well spent.
My practice follows the typical format used in the Headspace app (pasted below). As such, it is quite simple and unattached to any particular belief system.
The primary reason I value meditation is because it helps to quieten the noise created by external stimuli.
If you will allow me to generalise: through the internet, each of us has endless information at the tips of our fingers, colleagues, family, friends, and adverts compete for our attention, and we live in a world that idolises busyness.
This adds up to a lot of noise, which clouds our ability to think clearly.
I have found that meditation quietens the noise such that, in the immediate aftermath, I’m able to think more deeply and with greater clarity than usual. Personally, this often provides a platform for prayer – usually offering thanks to God for people, things, or experiences that I’m grateful for.
So, if you haven’t tried meditation before, then I would posit that quietening the noise is a good reason to give it a go.
Steps (borrowed from Headspace):
– sit down on a chair
– take some deep breaths
– close your eyes
– listen to the sounds around you
– feel the weight of your body, and points of connection with chair and the floor
– scan down from head to toe, becoming aware of how different parts of the body are feeling
– focus on your breath, counting from one to 10, then starting again at one
– return your attention to the breath if and when you notice that your mind has started to wander
– after some time, stop focusing on the breath and listen again to the sounds around you
– open your eyes
– pause, then get up
For musings on mental clarity, I recommend watching videos created by Nathaniel Drew. I admire his intensity, open-mindedness, and attention to detail, and feel that he strives for high quality story and production quality in each film he creates.