health
Life Skills
Meditation
Mental Health
Mindfulness
How Do You Look After Your Mind?
22.1.16
"The mind is a wonderful slave and a terrible master". Does yours need to change roles? Resting the mind is crucial for it to be effective. Having a sharp mind means knowing when to use it and when to stop. The mind is like an intangible muscle. It is effective when it is responsive, strong and flexible. To achieve these healthy traits requires training. This training is of two kinds - working out and resting.
How do you rest your mind? Many would say "sleep". Sleep and meditation are related, but different. The brain is more awake during meditation than during sleep. Despite heightened alertness, it is reported that short periods of meditation can produce the same restful feeling as having a good nights' sleep. Regular meditation also improves quality of sleep. However, you cannot choose to sleep without first feeling sleepy, while meditation can be done practically anytime, anywhere.
Paradoxically, meditation is also a mental workout. Learning to control and discipline your mind, to create a single-pointed focus or to empty it of irrelevant thoughts can be hard work! But the countless physical, psychological and social benefits of meditation makes regular training necessary and rewarding.
I recently started guiding group meditations. Some members of the group are completely new to it; others have dabbled, whilst others have attended intensive retreats such as Vipassana. Through sharing our experiences, I have learned that, for many of us, meditation is confusing and often difficult. It seems easy (so easy you could do it with your eyes closed), yet putting it into practice is tricky. As I have learned from the wonderful Bo and Shirley Srey, guided meditation in a group environment is helpful when you're starting out.
Whatever you choose - whether alone or in a group, with a guide, an app or self-guided - the only way to learn to meditate is to sit with it.
Curious about meditation? Let's talk about it here this week
Want to dig deeper?
- Headspace is a fantastic resource for all things meditation
- Smiling Mind is a free meditation app
1 comments
Hello Shay, This is some of the most profound writing I have ever read. It is amazing, and shows your kindness, human beliefs and simply makes me really think thoughts I ave not previously considered.
ReplyDeleteYou have a wonderful philosophy of life. Best Wishes Laurence (Laurie) S.
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