If you’re a Modern Ninja, which means you’re on a path of self mastery in your chosen areas of interest, then you definitely should incorporate meditation into your life. Being of ‘stable mind’ is the most important concept in martial arts because it allows the warrior to have a clear mind from which to come up with solutions and anticipate the next best course of action. It allows the ninja to have laser focus on his environment and any enemies which will increase the chances of a successful outcome. We may not be Japanese assassins with enemies to watch out for, but we are Modern Ninjas and the benefits of being of ‘stable mind’ are just as relevant to us.
Real freedom starts with having control over your own mind because it really is the only place you truly are able to have total control.
If you’re mind is rife with negative self-talk you do not have a stable mind. If you engage in sabotaging thoughts you do not have a stable mind. If you’re always longing for the past or worrying about the future you do not have a stable mind. If you’re reactive and easily upset you don’t have a stable mind. It’s important to have control over your inner world because left unchecked a negative mind will start to manifest in your outer world. It might show up as ailments in your body, it may cause you to miss out on a great opportunity in life, it may even cause depression or anxiety. Mind, body and soul are so deeply connected that taking care of one means you’re also taking care of the others indirectly. Even if you feel you’re generally a positive person, if your mental environment is predominantly full of thoughts that don’t serve you or your goals then you’re still missing out on all the ways being in control of your mind can improve your life.
Meditation is the cheapest and one of the most effective ways to improve your quality of life. No pill can deliver the benefits that meditation does. If you aren’t sure whether mediating is something that’s right for you then take a look at this list of how it can benefit you in no particular order:
1. Controls anxiety
2. Promotes emotional well being
3. Improves self esteem
4. Reduces negative self talk
5. Improves focus and concentration
6. Can help fight addiction
7. Improves will power
8. Improves problem solving ability
9. Improves ability to deal with stress
10. Deepens your spirituality
11. Increases creativity
12. Improves ability to tolerate physical pain
13. Naturally makes you a more compassionate person
14. Can improve physical health
16. Can boost productivity
So why aren’t more people meditating with a list of benefits this impressive? Because like anything else it takes patience and practice. The single two elements that cause people to give up on things most often. Here are some of the most common objections to meditation I hear:
- It’s boring– I feel your pain, who knew doing nothing could be so hard right? Well thinking meditation was doing nothing was probably my first mistake. It’s called a meditation ‘practice’ for a reason. You’re actively practicing to control your mind’s focus. We’re so accustomed to our senses being constantly stimulated that any lapse in that stimulation will cause us to feel dissatisfied, restless, unsure of what to do next, stressed out, lonely etc. Then we react by finding a distraction. This might look like: going to see a friend, or to a party, scrolling social media, indulging in food, partaking in drugs, impulse shopping, over sleeping or having sex. When you need to react because your mind has told you it’s bored, especially to do something that does not serve your greater goals, this is not being of ‘stable mind’. Being able to feel content in the present moment is a virtue and will leave you feeling generally more relaxed an and in control of yourself and your life.
Meditation Tip: Don’t try starting your meditation practice with hour long sessions right off the bat or else you may feel overwhelmed with boredom or restlessness after a few weeks or even a few days and end up giving up altogether. Start with 5 minutes in the morning and night and increase the time gradually. - I’m too busy– I recommend meditation to everyone when they ask me for de-stressing tips to improve the overall quality of their lives. And I often get clients who tell me they’re too busy. I remember my cousin telling me she didn’t even have 5 minutes a day to spare for meditation because of the responsibilities of caring for 4 small children and a full time job. I get it, there have been countless times where I skipped meditating because “I had no time” that day. But now I see that it wasn’t really a question of having time, rather it was a question of making time. If we eliminate pointless distractions in our day I’m sure we could all find an extra 5 minutes. Meditation Tip: Set your alarm 5 minutes earlier in the morning and meditate then. Get it out of the way first thing, that way you don’t have to “find the time” later in the day. It’s worth it.
- It’s so frustrating because I can’t clear my mind -The goal of meditating is not clear your mind, the goal is to PRACTICE focusing your attention. I beat myself up over this in the beginning, I was disappointed with my progress when I didn’t go from monkey mind to Dalai Lama within a week. Once I let go of having expectations attached to my practice and what I thought it should be the frustration went away. Just practice. Practice without judgement of yourself, always be patient, gentle and kind with yourself. Meditation Tip: Start with guided meditations, listening to the soothing voice of someone else to guide your attention and keep negative thoughts at bay may help alleviate your frustrations of trying to stay focused. Try again on your own as you become more accustomed to meditating. You can find tons on Youtube, here’s one that I love!
It’s really simple to get started with a meditation practice. Don’t leave it up to chance because that’s when you’ll find yourself not ‘having enough time.’ So decide when and where you will do your meditation and try to stick to that time everyday. First thing in the morning works best for most people, that’s when I do mine. Although right before bed may be a more convenient and relaxing time for you (or by all means do am and pm if you’d like). Find a distraction free place to sit or lie down comfortably. If you choose to lay down I suggest that you bend your legs and place your feet on the floor to help prevent you from falling asleep….because sleeping is NOT meditating. If you choose to sit keep your spine erect but not rigid. There are several hand placements to choose from but here is a blog post showing you 3 of the most popular. I like to place my thumb over my index finger to form a circle and then I place my hands with palms facing up, on my knees.
Start a timer for the desired time. Take several deep breaths to relax yourself. Observe any thoughts that may be floating around without any judgement. You’re just observing, getting to know your own mind. That’s all. After the deep breathing I like to do a body scan. To check in with how I’m feeling and also to practice focusing my mind. I start by bringing my attention to the top of my head, I try to hold my attention there for a couple of breaths and then I relax the top of my head, then I scan down to my forehead, again I hold my attention there for a couple of breaths, noticing any tight areas or head ache, then I relax my forehead. I repeat the scanning process until I reach my toes. Once the scan is complete I bring my attention to my breath. I try to have a laser focus on every aspect of my breath; the rise and fall of my chest, the expansion of my belly as I inhale, the coolness of the air in my nostrils on the inhalation, the little pause at the top and bottom of each breath, how my body shakes ever so slightly (undetectable under normal circumstances) at the bottom of every exhale. Really focus, but without thoughts and words, just observe with attention. When your mind wanders, and it will, gently bring your attention back to your breath. If you’re having a hard time focusing on your breath for even a second then you may want to count your breaths in your head. 1 as you inhale, 2 as you exhale, 3 as you inhale and so on. When you get to ten start over at 1. Do this for as long as you need to, but every so often try to focus without the counting. Conclude the meditation with a smile and thank yourself for taking part in that simple act of self-care.
Just a few weeks ago I was walking down a maple tree lined street on a gorgeous sunny day when my mind began to chatter, and without any effort on my part at all my mind automatically took the focus away from the thoughts and placed it on my breath. All of a sudden the quality of the day around me changed. It was as if the green on the trees, the blue of the sky and the rays of sun became crisper, sharper, more vibrant. I also felt more connected to my environment and had a sense of peace come over me. It was what being in the present moment felt like. With my mind awaiting instruction in silence as a faithful servant should. That’s a stable mind. The alternative is a compulsive mind, rambling like a lunatic and calling the shots by way of you emotionally reacting, or having to use distractions like social media just to shut your mind up. Not being in the present moment dulls the beauty that’s all around you and decreases the quality of whatever task you’re trying to perform.
That beautiful day I described above I achieved a quiet mind spontaneously only for about 2 minutes before my mind started to wander again. But those two minutes were glorious and I’m starting to have spontaneous two minutes like that in my day more and more often and it feels very fascinating for me to be the observer of this change in the pattern of my mind. It really motivated me to want to keep meditating. The more I practice the more automatic pulling my mind away from pointless mind chatter will become. The more I practice the less mind chatter I will have in the first place. The more I practice the longer those moments of silence will last.
If you’re going to try it, I suggest trying for at least 8 weeks and be consistent! Meditation is a practice meant to be undertaken for life. In the past I used meditation like medicine rather than making it a part of my life. Once I started to feel great I stopped doing it. Of course it wasn’t a conscious decision. It starts with sleeping in one morning and having no time for the morning session, then your day ends up being so hectic that you just forgot and crashed as soon as you got home. But no big deal you’ll make it up tomorrow. But tomorrow you’re going to your friend’s for the weekend and you’ve been feeling SO AWESOME lately (thanks meditation) that it won’t hurt to take a couple of days off and start fresh on Monday. and you already missed that one yesterday so you’ll just start back on Monday. Next thing you know two years has passed and your back at square one struggling to get through a 10 minute session all over again. This time I will stay on the path.
“The mind is a wonderful servant and a terrible master”
Robin Sharma
