You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes everyday – unless you’re too busy, then you should sit for an hour.
Sukhraj Dhillon
As I wrote in the “Morning Ritual“, I start my day with a 15-minutes meditation. First thing in the morning, right in bed, I just sit, cross my legs (optional), put headphones on, and play a guided meditation. I do it everyday, just before life takes in and my mind gets crazy and occupied by thoughts, plans, and ideas.
I do it for clarity in my mind.
I do it to practice and strengthen self-awareness.
Some days I do it to calm down, to give myself a solid ground, a headspace.
Meditation has nothing to do with a religion. It’s a very practical skill.
Meditating for me is not about fighting with thoughts, or trying to have an “empty mind” for some time. On opposite, it’s about watching with your inner eye what’s happening inside, in your head, in your body. Not to interfere, not to get attached to some pleasant emotions, or to ignore and push away some negative thoughts. Just watch and let it pass.
“This is not about being superhuman – this is about realizing that being human is super!”
Sadhguru
Meditation helps me in life, during the day, and even helps me when I play capoeira. In any moment of my day, I can look inside myself and see which emotion is leading me right now. I will ask myself often:
- Do I do it just automatically and habitually?
- Is this the really thing I should be doing right now?
- Do I take this junk food mindlessly, while scrolling and consuming informational bullshit on my phone?
- Do I play this capoeira game just to show off or to assert myself, instead of creating something beautiful with my partner?
And then I have a choice. Accept this situation, or do something about it. But I win anyway, because even by accepting this, I do it mindfully now, not just habitually, or by being reactive.
For years I lived under the impression that I was the master of my life, and the CEO of my own personal brand. But a few hours of meditation were enough to show me that I hardly had any control of myself. I was not the CEO – I was barely the gatekeeper.
Yuval Noah Harari
I’m not a yogi, not a guru, not a mindfulness coach. So if you’d like to learn more about it, there are a couple good books I could recommend:
- Mindfulness in plain English, by Henepola Gunaratana
- The Headspace Guide to Mindfulness & Meditation, by Andi Puddicombe
Don’t wait until you finish that book. Find a guided meditation on Youtube or Spotify. Close your eyes, sit, and follow the instructions for 10 minutes.
There are also good apps, like “Calm” or “Headspace”. Personally now I do “Isha Kriya“, same 15-minutes meditation every day. But you have to find something that works just for you.
Make it simple. Start now. Then try things out.
Updates & follow-ups
- I’ve started practicing Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep) for 10 minutes as an alternative to my 20-minute daytime power nap.