The Ontario Broker - Volume 21, Issue 4 - 14

A
robed monk sits cross-legged
on the floor, surrounded by
candles. His hands rest on his
knees, palms up with his index
fingers and thumbs forming loops. Eyes
closed, he empties his mind, breathes
deeply and in a low register, chants om.
For many people, this is what they
imagine when they think of meditation.
While it does represent a version of
the practise, it's by no means the only
one. That's like assuming the term
exercise only means lifting weights.
While meditation has amplified within
mainstream media and general
popularity, many are still reluctant to try
it-some because of the misconceptions
of what it is.
We're very used to the idea of regular
maintenance. Whether it's brushing our
teeth or stretching, we engage in daily
activities to keep our bodies functioning
properly. Yet we often neglect to do
the same for our brains. Meditating
for even a few minutes a day can have
countless positive effects including
reducing stress, alleviating anxiety and
depression, lowering blood pressure,
reducing pain, increasing creativity,
improving focus and emotional control,
and treating insomnia.
Before getting into what meditation is,
let's do an exercise-try it! Set a timer
on your phone for 30 seconds. Close
your eyes and try not to think any
thoughts until the timer goes off.
But for Your Mind
Did you do it? Even in 30 seconds you
probably had too many thoughts pop
into your mind to count them all.
Meditation-at least the form we're
discussing here-teaches your mind to
become more aware of the automatic
nature of your thoughts and gives
you greater control over them. Rather
than allowing your attention to follow
whatever shiny tangent happens to be
churning through your mind, in time you
learn to become more deliberate in your
thinking and ignore repetitive thoughts
that are harmful or unhelpful.
For those who've never tried meditation,
it wouldn't be adequate to try describing
how to do it here-the easiest way to
get started is by trying a short, guided
meditation. You can find these free
on YouTube or you can download a
meditation app like Headspace.
" Whether it's brushing our
teeth or stretching, we engage
in daily activities to keep our
bodies functioning properly.
Yet we often neglect to do the
same for our brains. "
The key thing to remember when you
start is that meditation is a skill like any
other, and it takes practice. It'll probably
be difficult and awkward at first, but
so was the first time you tried skiing-
and like skiing, it'll get easier and more
rewarding as you stick with it. Consider
starting with five minutes a day and
slowly increase over time.
As you practice and get better at
meditation, you'll begin to act as the
conductor of your train of thought, rather
than being dragged along behind it.
14
THE ONTARIO BROKER
FLOSSING
The Ontario Broker - Volume 21, Issue 4

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