MEDITATION: CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

"What is it with people who meditate? They always speak like they're trying to initiate you into a sect." I said once. And I'm still thinking about it.

I've always had mixed feelings about meditation, never quite found my way around it until pretty recently. It made me feel uncomfortable; like it was a way to "avoid your problems" instead of fixing them.

I had tried meditation a few times in different environments, but it never quite seemed to have any effects on me.

To top it all, when struggling most with mental issues I had always been told to "just do yoga" or "meditate" instead of receiving help when my life was completely falling apart.

I was watching some videos about David Lynch's perspective on meditation the other day -he practices transcendental meditation-, I believe it was the one with Russell Brand but I'm not sure about that, and so David said he had gone to all kinds of places teaching and introducing people to transcendental meditation, even war zones, and that the effect it had had on these people's lives had been astronomical.

And it really got me thinking about all the things I've heard in these past couple of years and the way I've decided to shape my vision on this topic, so I decided to write this post.

I think I've made it pretty clear why I didn't like meditation, so I want to focus for a moment on what has changed in the past couple of years and how it has shaped the way I view it now, maybe in an attempt to help you view it under a different perspective too. (God, am I trying to initiate you now into the sect?)

As I've said I've been struggling with mental health for many years, so I want to make clear that if you're struggling with anxiety or depression or any other mental disorders what you should do is find a therapist that can help you. 

Still, and far from wanting to be the person who tells you meditation is the way to "cure" your disorder or solve all your problems, I want to encourage you to use meditation as a complementary resource to manage more easily whatever situation you're currently going through.

You'll have to do your part, you'll have to explore many paths in order to find yours, and that I can't do for you. But there is one lesson I've learned that I thought was worth sharing: There is not just one right way to meditate. That's it, that simple.

People will always want to share with you what has worked for them, and that's awesome, but that doesn't mean it has to work for you.

Guided Meditation works better if you connect with the person that leads it, mantras work better if you connect with them at a personal level, even breathing exercises can variate from person to person. At the end of the day, it's about you feeling comfortable with your practice.

Thanks to meditation I've found new ways to ground myself and I've practiced gratitude not only as a way to be more grateful but as a way to acknowledge all the good in my life, even the good that came within me. And I bet there are many benefits I have yet to discover.

Meditation won't immediately fix what you're going through but it will help you be in the state of mind you need in order to get through it, or help you love yourself more or manifest and envision what you want for your future. It's about feeling more equilibrated and well-rested in order to do what you now feel too exhausted to attempt. Or at least that's my perception.

To end this entry I'd like to leave you a few links that I think might help you learn more about these practices:

- An article about different types of meditation.

- An article on different breathing techniques.

- The link to Alanis Morissette's song That I Would Be Good.  (Just as a reminder)

And I also recommend checking the Headspace series that's now on Netflix.

Now it is your turn to explore your path and find your own way.