A nonbeliever's encounter with meditation: a simple, powerful practice that transcends religion and gets results.

I’m an agnostic, and I meditate every day. You should too, regardless of your beliefs.

I find a lot of people are turned off by the idea of meditation because it's too closely associated with religion or the supernatural. Well, I was too, once, but I learned that by sticking too stubbornly to your assumptions, you can sometimes miss out on something truly beneficial.

The story of a skeptic

As I mentioned, I'm an agnostic. What this means for me is that, while I accept the possibility of a God, I don't necessarily believe that such a thing exists either. I'm a skeptic and a rationalist by nature - I prefer to rely on empirical evidence to support my beliefs, but I also realize that there are many things out there that we just can't (or at least, don't yet) understand. If anything, I believe that what others call ‘God’ simply represents the energy in all things, and that the ‘soul’ can just as easily be described as the individual consciousness that each of us possesses. In short, it’s all open to interpretation.

I wasn't always as balanced in my beliefs, though. I used to lean much more towards atheism, having had the Christ beaten out of me at an early age through an overdose of indoctrination at an all-boys Christian school. As a result, I actively avoided anything even remotely associated with religion for a long time.

The Unicorn

Of course, it was my interest in a girl (whom I shall henceforth refer to as The Unicorn) that eventually persuaded me to relax my self-imposed restrictions a bit. I was in my early 20s and she was a beautiful, open-minded, enigmatic creature with a penchant for what I can only describe as 'hippie spirituality' (think crystals, drum circles, and the occasional magic mushroom).

We had a good time, that unicorn and I. Although I would usually scoff whenever she would try to talk about anything spiritual and quickly change the subject, she was...persuasive enough (I'll leave the details of this persuasion to your imagination) to convince me to go with her for a meditation course one weekend. I, of course, told her I found the whole thing a bit ridiculous, and she told me I wouldn't be able to sit still and be quiet for long enough anyway. A cheap tactic, but an effective one - I agreed to the challenge.

A tentative introduction

On day one I showed up dressed in the closest thing I could get to yoga attire, which I think was jeans and a t-shirt. I had wanted to wear my Slayer shirt (my idea of a joke), but as this nearly caused The Unicorn to fly into a chakra-induced rage, I relented and went for a more restrained option.

We were greeted by an overly smiley middle-aged woman who insisted on hugging me on arrival (my absolute worst), and was directed to my yoga mat, which was surrounded by several sanctimonious-looking people doing yoga poses or sitting serenely with eyes closed. Inwardly, I gave a resounding sigh and resigned myself to my fate.

After some light yoga, during which I'm pretty sure my awkward posing elicited a few muffled giggles from The Unicorn, who had strategically positioned herself where she could get a good view, we settled in for the first meditation session. The instructor talked a bit about what meditation was all about and what to expect. Then we closed our eyes, and got started.

Turn on, tune in, drop out

To be perfectly honest, I don't remember much of the actual meditation experience after the first few minutes. It was as if my overactive thinking mind fell away completely, leaving only my awareness. I was still somehow able to follow the guidance of the instructor as she gently told us how to direct our attention, but without any connected thoughts or distractions. I’d used plenty of chemicals to induce altered states of consciousness over the years, from adrenalin to acid, but this was definitely a state of mind I hadn’t experienced before.

What I do know is that when I opened my eyes, I felt as though I was using them for the first time. Everything seemed clearer, more sharply defined - and my mind did as well. I felt like I had just woken up fresher than ever from hours of sleep. I was amazed when we were told that the entire meditation, which had actually felt about ten minutes long, had really been closer to forty!

A lasting change of mind

To cut a long story short, I was hooked. I still didn't buy much into the spiritual side of meditation, but the tangible effect it had (and still has) on my mind was undeniable, and, ever the pragmatist, I resolved to find out just how beneficial it could be for me by practicing it regularly. Sadly, my relationship with The Unicorn didn't last, but my relationship with meditation has, and I'll always be grateful to her for introducing me to this wonderful practice.

I began to meditate often - at first, once a week, then a few times, then I made it a daily practice. I was amazed and motivated by the positive effects I noticed it having on my mind, my body, and other aspects of my life (more on that later). It's definitely done more for me than any other change I've ever made in my life, from exercise routines to moving to a new city.

I've since explored many different methods of meditation from various schools, including mindfulness, transcendental, sudarshan kriya, and others. I meditate for at least an hour every day (sometimes broken up into morning and/or evening sessions). It's gone from being something I would never even have thought about trying out to something I can't live without - and I certainly haven't been converted to a religious fanatic in the process!

It's difficult to explain the benefits of meditation to a skeptic (and believe me, I would know). I think this is mainly because it's such an experiential thing - you really have to feel its effects to understand them. All I can say is that the more I meditate, the more I become aware of the real, tangible short- and long-term effects it’s having on many aspects of my life, from my professional and creative interests to my relationships and even my finances!

And if you don't believe me, just ask many of the world's most successful public figures, like Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and even Katy Perry, all of whom have spoken about the positive effects meditation has had on their lives and careers.

To go with this post, I’ve followed up with another where I talk about the effects of meditation that you can really feel. I also plan to write another about its scientifically proven benefits, as well as outlining a very simple meditation practice that anyone can do wherever you are, and whatever you believe in. So stay tuned!

I invite and encourage everyone on Steemit - especially those who are as reluctant to try meditation as I was - to join me in exploring this amazing, effortless way of improving your life by calming and sharpening the mind!