Learning Challenge-Parker

End of the Road for the Meditation Blogs

The internet is a wondrous tool. We all know this. Some of us know this more than others and in more ways than others. I’ve just begun to learn about online communities, affinity spaces, professional groups, and many other places to connect with people. I’m still a newbie when it comes to reaching out to others in the digital world, and to be honest, it’s still a little awkward for me, which is weird considering how many people find face-to-face socializing awkward. But that’s just the way I’m built. In my quest to make meditation a part of my life, I’ve explored online sources and communities. While I find the information extremely valuable, I prefer physical communities to digital ones.

Just to wrap up this whole meditation journey, here’s what I’ve learned:

• Learning how to meditate is more than that. It is learning how to take time out of our busy day and relax. Not sitting in front of the tv or computer screen to zone out. It's being focused.
• There is a huge difference between an empty mind and a focused mind.
• I’ve learned that mediation can be more than a way to relax. It can also be a way to reshape your brain. Reshape your brain! As in physically change the way it works!
• I’ve found out that many of my colleagues not only practice meditation regularly but are willing and happy to share their expertise and offer support and advice.
• I’ve learned about this thing called the monkey mind. All these years, all those times I thought I was losing my mind and wanted to claw my way out of my own body, I was experiencing the same inner chaos that many other people experience when life is at its most stressful. I only wish I’d had the strength to force myself to try meditation 15 or 20 years ago. Then again, I wonder if the strength and patience required to practice meditation is something that comes to some of us with age.
• Always check that you spelled it meditation, not mediation or medication.

Most of all, I’ve learned to just keep doing it and that it is very much worth the time spent to do so.

Reviewing and Reaching Out

When we set out to learn about a new hobby, we do some online research about it and think we can keep all that information in our head. The reality is we can’t, at least I can't. Sometimes we need to go back and re-read and find new articles and blogs with different perspectives until we find one or two that click with our style of learning or way of thinking and processing. Also, reading a piece for a second or third time also allows us to pick up on nuances that we may have missed the first time around, especially with regard to something new and unfamiliar to us. Now that I’ve had some personal experience with meditation, I can revisit the original sites and look for new perspectives as well.

I scanned the Gaiam website again and found one helpful tidbit that I missed the first time around. They describe “mindful meditation” and encourage practitioners to "observe wandering thoughts as they drift through the mind." So all this battling against my random thoughts is a waste of time and obviously counterproductive. I can't stop the flow, and I shouldn't try. I just have to let them happen without judgment, which is truly the hard part with everything that I do and something to really focus on. Another interesting idea that I found on the wikiHow website is visualization. They suggest to create a “peaceful place in your mind and explore it until you reach a state of complete calm.” I discounted this idea when I first reviewed this website thinking that it would be too distracting, but now I’m thinking this could work better for me. It would give me something to focus my thoughts on, which I actually do at night when I can’t sleep (I replay the movie Notting Hill in my head). Also, visualizing myself floating on a raft over big ocean waves is what got me through labor, so it makes perfect sense to use this method. Each of the websites reminded me that practicing meditation is about the journey and that every step along the way is beneficial. I may not make it to Yogi status, but that isn’t really the point.

I know there are communities out there that could support me in my efforts, but honestly, I just don’t have much experience using the internet that way. I’m more of a face-to-face communicator, and even then I’m fairly private about what goes on in my life. I mentioned that I told one of my colleagues about taking on meditation, and it was completely random that I ran into him on prep and that it came up in conversation, which ended up being quite serendipitous since he had lots of advice to offer! No matter how many times this happens to me, where sharing with someone enriches my knowledge or experience in some way, I’m always reticent to share the next time. It’s something out of my comfort zone that I just need to force myself to do more often. 

So, along those lines, what’s out there for budding meditators such as myself? I found a community called Spiritual Forums. It’s free and will allow me to post messages, respond to polls, and gain access to their Chat Rooms. There’s also Project Meditation, another place to post messages and have discussions. I like the idea of just reading about the discussions for now. Much of the advice is consistent: just keep practicing.