My 365 days of Meditation

in #meditation7 years ago (edited)

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Wakeena Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, spring 2017

After 20+ years of a sometimes consistent but a mostly spotty meditation practice, last year I decided to see if meditating every day made a difference.

The short answer is an unequivocal yes. For me daily meditation was and is well worth the 30 minutes a day I give to it both in the short term and the long term and I found that the results compounded quickly.

My first test was for 30 days and honestly, I didn’t begin with any lofty goals. My only reason was to see if it made a difference for me which would help me know whether I should drop it or make room for it.

Those initial 30 days last December yielded much more than I expected and I wrote about it in this post. After that, I just simply kept going. It was a small decision but a very good one and here I am a year later having only missed a handful of days.

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view of Mt. Jefferson as seen from 7000 ft. up on Mt Hood, Oregon autumn 2017

The first few months produced the most pronounced results but in retrospect I see that the improvements within myself and my life kept expanding all year but I didn’t notice them as much.

I heard Josh Radnor (from How I Met Your Mother) on the 10% Happier podcast awhile back and his teacher captured this well. He said that the results that are happening with you may not be obvious day to day but if you could compare side by side your mind and consciousness now with that of a year ago, the difference would be incredibly obvious and furthermore it would be absolutely intolerable for you as you are now to inhabit your former state! My experience has been true to this.

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creek along Wakeena Trail, Columbia River Gorge, spring 2017

So what does “make a difference” mean for me? What were my results?

  • A feeling that I’m not sure how else to describe except to say that life feels more buffered and supported, I trust the process of life a bit more.

  • More present and feel more pluck for life, quicker to smile from a genuine place (although this could be as much from Steemit as from anything else ;-).

  • Increased focus and mental clarity - this is a BIG one
    As Eckhart Tolle has said many times and in many ways, the power of focus should not be underestimated. Good focus solves a whole host of seemingly unrelated challenges. My mind clutters less quickly and I’m not as overwhelmed. Overwhelm has always been a huge problem for me because my life is extremely full yet I engage in everything I do deeply so I can’t handle lots of different things at once. Overwhelm has swallowed far too much of my time and energy and diminishing its frequency makes a big difference. It still happens but less often and I can bounce back more quickly.

  • More emotional resilience and increased capacity to adapt to the demands of life. I take things less personally and I feel less like a puppet with someone else pulling the strings. For the last 4 years or so I’d been feeling a sort of powerlessness about the course of my life and lived with a low grade despair as a consequence. Thankfully this seems to have lifted and I feel empowered in planning and decision-making and a general excitement about life. (Steemit has something to do with this too).

  • Have more of an objective perspective in difficult situations that would have previously caused me to react in anger or defense. Yes I still have these extreme feelings but I seem to have a few moments to notice these feelings before responding rather than just to have a knee-jerk reaction. I feel my anger, sadness, love, excitement deeply as always, but also now know how to let it move through me and I don’t hang on to it.

  • Quality of my sleep is better and I sleep through the night
    All my adult life I have been a nervous sleeper and have gone through months of 4-5 hour nights. When traveling or any new factors entered in my life, my sleep would go into a tailspin. At some point in the last year I tried to remember the last time I had trouble sleeping through the night I realized it was before I began my 30 day meditation test. As you can imagine, sustained good sleep is amazing and I have found that over time I now need about an hour less sleep each night. I should also note that eating less sugar and more healthy fat for the previous 6 months had already lessened my sleeping troubles by about half.

On this note, I want to acknowledge that over the course of a year, I always grow and expand. There are always many factors that play into this growth but the improvements I’ve listed are at least in part a direct result of my meditation practice. They are also be supported by diet, Qi Gong and other ways I work towards self-mastery too, but my experience gives me clear feedback about the important role meditation has played.

Although I do not believe that meditation affects everyone the same way nor is it the magic bullet for everyone, it certainly has done a lot for me. If you’re at all interested, I would recommend at least giving it a try to see how if it’s something that works well for you!

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Arcadia Beach, Oregon spring 2016

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Hey natureofbeing! I really enjoyed that post ;) Such clarity, such simplicity. Meditation can help us to enjoy life, just this moment as it is. BTW I love the gif @stellabelle created for you, captures you perfectly!

Incredible post, Ruth! I’m so glad you stuck with it and experienced so many benefits! I’ve been meditating regularly for 23 years now and it just keeps getting better and better.

Omg 23 years..! ... your consistency is remarkable ...

that really is something isn't it?!!

Time flies when you find something so undeniably therapeutic to this earthly existence.

Peace.

Yah, it's really a process one must get use too by trying it at least once in a while.

It really helps.

thanks Eric, 23 years is a long time and I can imagine that the benefits are exponential as time goes on! I wish I had stuck with it way back when I learned, but I'm sure it helped even if sporadic - meditation is good for me and I have a special love for it these days, it's such an island.

Great post, and I'm happy to read how this has improved your everyday. After meditating the last four years I recognize your experience. :) Thanks for sharing!

Thanks so much @level.north and it's great to hear that you're 4 years in!

I absolutely love this post! I have had a very spotty meditation record as well, but recently began doing mindfulness excercises! Your post has inspired me to try and fet back into practice! You seem like a very genuine and thoughtful person :) thank you for sharing your experience! I also live in Portland, so all of your pictures are beautiful and very relatable!

@nickh725, I'm so glad that my post is inspiring you to get back into practice!
And you live in Portland??? I think you are the first other Portland steemian I've met, do you know others? I've been wanting to do a NW meet-up thinking that there are more steemians in Seattle, but if we can get a few here to meet that would be so great.

You are also the first person I have met on here from Portland! There are probably more out there, but I have not found them yet! I would love to do a meet up! I think it would be really fun to see what the community is like and what interests we all share! :)

there have to be more of us Portlanders here on Steemit! And who knows, probably even a few more in this region. Maybe it's a good idea to put out a post at some point in hopes of finding others. I've messaged you on steemitchat so we can talk meetup. Happy new year!

Yeah! I think that's a great idea! I'll check out your message :) Happy new year to you too!

I met some portlanders on here! But now i cant remember where. I am from montana and there is a ton of flight-to-portland, so I know a lot of people in portland... do i count? Cuz i think there are like 3 montanans on here :)

And now I properly read it!
We've talked about meditation before so you know how I feel about it and I totally agree with everything.
30' is a lot for me, but I'm trying to not lose my morning and evening meditation 5-10' each at least.
And yes - it takes time to see a difference. But I did from almost the start. Maybe I was very dedicated! :)
I wanna be more consistent this new year, and not skip practices at all. I'm convinced that it'll help!
I noticed better focus indeed. Never had a problem with sleep anyway - stress is after me always though...but doesn't mess with my sleep much, thank God! :)

I think 5-10 is great and twice a day is even better, good for you for keeping this up! Great to hear that you've had and continue to have good results. My practice is supposed to be twice a day and maybe one day I'll do that but for now I am doing what is realistic for me instead of ideal because I want to stick with it.

It's a great blessing not to have problems with sleep, I envy that! My sleep problems were from childhood traumas and finally they seem to be gone. The two changes of diet and meditation provided the magic cocktail and I'm SO glad to be sleeping well these days, it makes all the difference. (of course I still lose far too much sleep reading and writing on steemit, but that's by choice :-)

I am inspired. I have been dancing around the notion of starting a meditation practice for a couple of years now without actually committing. The rewards and benefits you’ve found are compelling. The benefit of better sleep is not one I had heard before. That alone.....! Thank you for sharing your experience. If you have any advice for beginners, about fitting that half hour into a full life, or about anything you deem helpful, I am interested. Thanks again.

Hello @ducksaplenty, So glad this is useful for you! I do have a few thoughts to offer -
firstly, for beginners support can be important so finding a teacher or a class can be ideal, OR simply using an app is great too. There are so many different types of apps that offer guided meditations, or mindfulness guidance that you can then use on your own. I've heard good things about the 10%happier app and headspace too.

the second thing is how to find the time in an already full life. I feel like everyday I need an extra 3 hours so I completely understand! And I know that all of these great benefits are hard to remember when carving out the time. I remind myself that 20 minutes of meditation is worth 3x the same amount of sleep so I tell myself that I can go to bed later if I need that time. I also allow myself to only do 10 minutes if in a real pinch or even to do it at another time of day (as long as I actually show up for this self-promise) so as not to miss it entirely. I've found that for me the everyday consistency is more important than the actual amount of time meditating.

I hope that helps @ducksaplenty!

Hi @natureofbeing! Yes, your comments were very helpful. Especially the notion that some is better than none in your daily practice. Gentleness with oneself is a good idea in so many areas.

I did try headspace during one of my forays into meditation, and I liked some things about it. One thing I liked was the attempt to make the concepts more accessible. Ultimately though, an app wasn't a fit for me.

I'm an audiophile though and like to listen to Pema Chodron and use her meditation techniques. If you are in Oregon as your pictures seem to indicate, say hello to that lovely place. I am an Oregonian transplanted to the Midwest. Thanks for the response.

Awesome post Ruth. Love how it's so well laid out with great formatting. Something Michael @sndbox is advising me on. But the content is key. I used to meditate for years. It really gave me all those benefits too that you mention. I mean all of them. Somehow I got distracted and fell out of the practice. It's now been years later and I have not picked it back up again.

After reading this post, I feel really inspired to get back into. I'm sure I could use all that centered peace and balance as well as better restful sleep as well. So thank you for sharing this valuable information. I'm so happy that you've been able to stick with it and enjoy all the benefits meditation offers.

On another note. I just crossed over 750 followers and have committed to going full time steemit travel blogger. I wrote a post about my experience thus far and gave a huge thank you should out to those who've befriended me and have supported me along the way. I have a very nice paragraph about you in there...of course! Hope you have time to check it out.

Great post! and Happy New Year. -Dan

Hi Dan, so glad this post nudged you a little to remember your previous experience with meditation! I can imagine that as a traveler having a life where everyday is so different, a consistent daily practice can offer you an internal stability anytime anywhere.

Congratulations on the 750 followers AND the decision to go full time as a travel blogger, that's really amazing!! I'll definitely take a look at your post. Also, thanks for all of the kind mentions, it always feels so good to know that I've helped.

Also on another note - as you travel, how do you access the currency you earn here on steemit? Is it transferred to a bank acct or a credit card or how does it work for you?
I've closed my accts with bank of america in favor of a really great credit union but unfortunately I can't transfer btc from coinbase to them so I am looking for another way and am curious how others manage it.

It's funny, I was more stressed out when living in my house in Florida for a year trying to sell it, or 10 months then again in Ecuador in an apartment. People would think my travel life is stressful always changing locations, but how I see it is that I simplified my life all the way down to what I can fit in a backpack. I'm so free and so not tied to anything, I really very little stress in my life.

I have no travel schedule, and I have no place to be on a certain date or time ever. If I want to stay here in Guayaquil in this hotel for the next 10 years I certainly could, or I can leave tomorrow to China. For me this is peace of mind. Knowing that I'm not anchored to anything and I have the freedom to do anything.

But it's not for everyone. Many people need anchors as stability. I'm so used to it and comfortable living this way....it's now the opposite that give me stress. Hard to imagine. lol But that is when I was meditating everyday, when I was not traveling and I was living like a regular person with the stresses of regular people living regular lives. Car payments, insurance, mortgage, tenants, electric bills, cell phone bills, money in money out and so on. Right now I literally do no have one single bill. Not one! In fact the banks here in Ecuador are paying me! Paying me 9% too!

But regardless stress or no stress meditation is a great practice and I'm going to make a conscious effort to start up again tomorrow morning with you in mind. Actually. If I promise you in this letter I will have to do it being a man of my word. So I promise I'm going to meditate tomorrow for twenty minutes, in lotus pose, with my back straight and staring deep into my third eye! With relaxing meditaiton music on the floor of my hotel room first thing in the morning. I'll let you know how it goes!

Now I'm I'm excited to share this other great info with you. Thank you so much for asking. I have two ways of getting steem into any currency around the world. The best way I've learned is to open up an xcoins account, at xcoins.com they connect people who have bitcoin with individuals who want to buy bitcoin. The buyer sends USD into your paypal account and the bitcoin is automatically sent to the buyer out of your xcoins wallet and into theirs. Not only do you sell the buyer your bitcoin for dollars that go right into your paypal account, you sell it at 15-30% mark up. It's quite fantastic.

So more specifically, you go from steem or SBD ------>bittrex exchange, change your steem/sbd into bitcoin there --------->excoins--------->paypal. Once you have your USD in paypal I use my paypal debit card at any ATM around the world or can transfer the cash into my bank account and use that card. This is the best way by far that I figured out on my own, as you earn 15-30% on the entire transaction, where normally you're paying to transact. This is really something and I'm so happy to share it with you.

The other method is Bitpay. I have a bitpay debit card. So far I can't use it ATMs I thought I could. I need to call them and see what is up. But I've been able to use it with 100% success when purchasing anything anywhere. It has the Visa logo on it too. I've bought plane tickets with it online as well. And many places especially in lesser developed countries will swipe the card like (not atm) as if you are purchasing something, and give you cash minus a few dollars of commission. That is how I turned steem into Lao Kip for my first steemit transaction several months ago in Laos! Anway Ruth. I really meant every word that I wrote in my big 750 follower post today. You've really helped me along the way and I'm really appreciative. You have a very good day and I'll be in-touch! -Dan

Dan, this answer is worth its weight in gold or ...maybe in btc!! THANK YOU!!! Best advice I've received thus far. I recommend making a post about your money methods while traveling - you've got some very valuable information that could be very helpful!

Also, it's so interesting to hear about how travel and the freedom it offers gives you so much stability. It is definitely counterintuitive in a way, yet it also makes sense the way you describe it. I truly feel burdened by the endless bills and responsibilities weigh on me so heavily and really rob me of a lot of energy and joy so I can relate a little bit. I suppose if I felt physically safer traveling it would be easier for me to enjoy it which would probably mean traveling with a male. In the past I've had some very close calls traveling alone. In any case, my mind is opening while reading about your experiences.

And how did the meditation go? btw, sitting in lotus with a straight back is great if it's comfortable for you, but don't feel that somehow your experience is less if you sit in a chair or as I do on a blanket on the floor in a loose crosslegged position against a wall. This way I'm working towards a lotus a little at a time but have the wall to support me. Discomfort can be used as a focal point for meditation but it's not for everyone. Anyway, whatever works for you is grand and I look forward to hearing about it! Have an awesome New year celebration!

I'm up way past my bedtime but wanted to get back to you before I shut my computer down for the night. Yes the meditation was awesome. Just how I remember years ago. What a sense of calm, and it carried me well into the afternoon. Going to start back up every morning. Thank you so much for inspiration. This is a big deal, if you didn't post that I wouldn't have been motivated to make this major life practicing change. Again I promise you I'll keep up with that. This was I certainly will. I have a hard time promising myself anything and keeping that. So I'll promise it to you! :) as long as you don't mind...lol

As far a posture goes, like most people I have a tendency to slouch, so I like to bring good posture into my mediation, stengthening my back muscles and keeping me mindful of my posture through out the day. When I was meditating regularly years ago, I had great posture, now I have lazy posture. So lotus pose with my back straight works really well for me.

That's a great Idea regarding the post about steem to cash around the world, I'll have to do that. Xcoins really blew my mind. It's was so simple and suddenly there's cash in my paypal account plus 15%! Just amazing.

I totally get how hard it may be for some people to understand that traveling and living out of a backpack can actually bring anyone stability. But it makes me feel real good to know that you understand me. I totally know what you mean; being a single woman with limited travel experience is a much more riskier proposition.

I wasn't always so comfortable as I am now, but after over 11 years of living this way I've turned full "Travel Pro!" I'm totally fearless, but not in a reckless dumb way. I just have the experience and confidence to keep out of harms way, make good decisions, and and go with my intuition if need be. I don't partake in risky behavior like drinking and being out late. That's when 90% crimes occur. Depending on the area, culture, and country I'm usually in my hotel before dark.

As far as living in the states like I have in the past; needing to produce 50k a year to have a decent life in America is what troubles me. Along with the culture of being judged by what you "have" whether is the latest I phone or nike sneakers, I find it all very stressful and unappealing.

I have very little material possession, non of which are very valuable. I keep my wealth in banks in Ecuador earning 9% and gold and silver, and now crypto. I feel like I live like a king on about 1000 dollars a month (basically my interest). I was getting a massage three times a week in Thailand for 4 months, I have a maid clean my room everyday, eat out all the time, never do my own laundry. Never worry about electric, cable, wifi, or cell phone bills. And get to explore the world which I love to do. So to go back to living in Orlando Florida where I owned my own house at 22, that scares me!

In fact when I was that age and had the financial success to buy my own house so young, I thought I was living the American dream. I had a swimming pool, bar, pool table, two car garage, saab convertible, 5 bedroom house, big screen TVs in each room, italian leather couch, even a girlfriend with fake breast. I was a young dumb material whore....and it was the most stressful miserable time of my life. Being American, I was taught that bigger is better, more is better! Fortunately I was able to learn from this experience combined with witnessing people from developing countries with no material wealth that happiness comes from within; not from money, and things you can buy with it.

Anyway, so glad we've connected on here. You certainly are a class act Ruth. No need to write a long reply or a reply at all I can imagine how busy you must be. So happy you understand me and respect me for who/how I am. Have a very Happy New Year! -Dan

Encouraging post, I now feels a need to meditate on a regular basis. I have, during the past ten years or so been in and out in meditation. But I haven't practiced this regularly. And in busy times like it often is I tend to "forget" to meditate. Stupid, when I need it the most, which I can tell from how you think meditation makes a difference in your life. I clearly see the value in meditating regularly, if not every day, at least specific days every week.

Thanks for this inspiring post my friend💜

I understand so well what you describe here - "forgetting" to meditate and when we need it most! For 20+ years it's been that way for me and yes it's much better than nothing, but the yields are only as powerful as the practice. Funnily enough, these days when I think I don't have time, I remind myself that 20 minutes of meditation is 3 x more restful than that same amount of sleep, so better to lose the sleep. I also should mention that when really pressed for time, I sometimes only do 10 minutes. The consistency for me is more important than the amount of time, so 10 minutes is much better than nothing.

I really appreciate your support and always thoughtful comments, thanks so much!

Okay, the Universe must be giving me a message, because this is the second post in a row I've seen about meditation! It's something I keep meaning to do, because I know so many people who have gotten so much out of it (much like you), but it falls out of my brain about two seconds after I consider it. Okay, Universe - message received! LOL!

And thanks for the heads-up about the 10% Happier podcast- I'm going to check that out now too.

Bright blessings to you!

Lol :-)
Bright blessings to you too!

I tried for two whole seconds this morning, but...

😀😀😀

LoL!!! The key is to let them happen, don't try to control your thoughts (like trying to tame the sea0 but simply take your attention and put it back on your mantra or breath or whatever you are using. No one can control her/his mind, it's fruitless but it turns out to be very powerful to take one's attention away from the thoughts over and over again.

I am house sitting and there is this great book here called Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris, and it talks about how people usually give up right away for just that reason! He talks about the mind like a chattering chipmunk in our heads. He writes, “Meditation is not always about reaching a special state. Getting lost over and over again is meditation. At least at first.”

Excellent points, @natureofbeing and @dflo! Once I'm rid of this nasty cold virus that popped up fast and furious, I'll give it a serious go again. Thanks for the encouragement!

Meditation has lead to a wide range of benefits for many and @natureofbeing lays out some great details above.

Here's a quote that's great:

For me daily meditation was and is well worth the 30 minutes a day I give to it both in the short term and the long term and I found that the results compounded quickly.

Thank you for your continued contribution to the community @natureofbeing as Steemit grows into 2018 and beyond.

Everyone be sure to check back and follow @natureofbeing for the newest ideas and content about meditation and much more.

-@thebeachedwhale
Screenshot 2017-07-24 at 10.50.28 PM.png

Listening to nature also is a kind of meditation.

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