Silent Participation

Despite my lack of posting this month, I have been following our idea for Meditation March. I have continued to read my book and/or meditate on a close to daily basis. Sometimes my shifts at work go from 9a-11p or 10a-11p, and on these days, I find it very difficult to stay awake at night to meditate or read. However, otherwise, I have made a conscious effort to follow through.

I think I am motivated because I have read a multitude of scientific studies that show that meditation is beneficial to one's health and well-being, and I know I can only benefit if I put in the time and effort. For example, there is this article from USA Today which highlights the benefits: Mindfulness Meditation Being Used in Hospitals and Schools. And there is this article from UCLA: Mindfuless Reduces Stress, Promotes Resilience. Additionally, the book I have came with a CD, which has guided practices, so I do not feel totally lost. I have downloaded the tracks to my iPod, which provides flexibility.

At work I deal with girls who have some really troubling mental health challenges. So often I think to myself how great it would be if they were able to slow themselves down before they acted on their thoughts or feelings, and although I try so hard not to bring work feelings home with me, it's much easier said than done some days. I usually do not get home until 11:30 pm or later, and sometimes I find it tough to wind down after a crazy night. Meditation can be helpful to gather my thoughts and settle for bed, because usually I do not get to sleep until after 1 am on nights I have worked. Getting to bed later means I wake up later, and I hate to waste the next day! Mindfulness meditation is a practice which can enable individuals to strengthen their minds and bodies against mental illness, so I see this month as a preventable practice as well.

I have not been blogging about my experiences, in part because I feel like it is difficult to put mindfulness meditation and practice into words. I definitely do not feel "enlightened" or anything along those lines, but I believe that meditation could be beneficial with consistent and structured practice. It's worth a shot, if nothing else.

Something I have found useful is to think about the five senses. I randomly ask myself what do I see, hear, smell, taste and touch in a given moment. It's pretty crazy how much we just go about our daily lives and never stop to appreciate how amazing our bodies and minds can be. I think it is incredible that we are living beings with so much talent and intelligence, but we rarely take the time to consider these attributes. Maybe meditation can put us into greater sync with our mind as to how the world actually works and not how we perceive things to be? I'm not sure, but I will continue trying with this meditation gig.

I recently re-discovered StumbleUpon. It is such a genius invention. I found these useful websites in relation to meditation: Free Audio Meditations and Sounds to Promote Sleep and Relaxation