Key to Health: MEDITATION

One of my New Year’s commitments for 2012 was to cultivate a simple meditation practice for myself. I have read, heard, and known of the powers of meditation for several years… dabbling in it here, trying it out there-with absolutely no regularity, of course! Is this an American dilemma or just a human one: Knowing what we should do, but not doing it? I also hear this every week from patients. “I KNOW what I need to do. I just haven’t been doing it!” Follow through is my weakness. That is actually one of the reasons behind why I wanted to get serious about meditation this year. Meditation can help you focus your mind, increase mental clarity & mindfulness, calm the nervous system, replenish lost energy, reduce pain, open up your heart, reduce self-judgement. Perhaps, I continue to think, these benefits will help me have better follow through in other aspects of my life in turn. Research shows it also may just be the single most important self-healing technique available to us. 

I mostly meditate in the afternoons, between clients. Facing our picture window or even outside when it’s not too hot. We have an enchanting backyard - birds sing, a heron builds its nest, flowers bloom, and butterflies swirl around. I can see my acupuncture studio which makes me happy. It’s a good place for finding peace and also allows for curious exploration of nature and myself. I encourage you to find such a place in your life where you can use 5 minutes to your advantage and meditate. I have posted a good audio/video tool above to give you a simple way to get started. If you need more guidance, search YouTube for more meditation videos that don’t make you laugh or roll your eyes, or try a local resource in Austin: http://www.austin.shambhala.org/.