Demystifying Meditation

As someone who is a daily meditator, I am often asked by friends and colleagues what my practice looks like, how I stay awake, and if meditation is something they can actually do.

I wanted to share my journey of how I learned to meditate, the science behind meditation, and some tools that can help you if you want to start a regular practice in a simple and straightforward way.

If you were not already aware, meditation has the ability to help prevent, treat, and even cure a plethora of physical and mental ailments ranging from fibromyalgia to depression.  If that isn’t enough motivation, what if I told you that meditation also has the ability to make you feel happy, healthy, less stressed and will assist in getting a better night’s sleep.

The average human being has 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts every day.  I want you to understand that the goal of meditation is not to silence these thoughts.  It is to simply detach from them.  You can do this by focusing on your breath, using a mantra “all is well”, “I am not my thoughts”, or simply acknowledge your thought and let it drift by without associating any meaning to it.

When we constantly succumb to any negative thought or feeling this can lead to heightened stress and feelings of hopelessness, isolation, fear, anxiety, physical stress, and disease.  When you come to understand that you are not your thoughts you can literally change every aspect of your physical and mental well-being. 

You also need to keep in mind that it is called a meditation practice for a reason.  It is like any skill, and you have to continue to work on it to improve.  I am also not going to sugar-coat it for you.  It might be difficult to start your practice and you will have good days and bad days, but there is no such thing as a bad meditation.  When I first tried to meditate, I immediately fell asleep, so I got angry and complained that meditation wasn’t for me.  Over time, and with a great deal of patience, I eventually finished a 5-minute meditation and then a 10-minute meditation.  Now I can sit for up to 4 hours in a meditative state, so you will have to trust me when I tell you it’s possible.

I believe that when we understand the science behind what we are doing we can assign meaning to our actions and have a better result, so the following is your crash course on the neuroscience of meditation.

The science of brainwave states

In order to start meditating, you need to have a basic understanding of brainwave states, and over time you will begin to identify as you enter into each state.   Remember how I mentioned that I simply fell asleep when I tried to meditate, that is because I went from a beta brainwave state to delta brainwave state.   That is the equivalent of pulling the emergency brake and taking a car from 60 to 0 mph.  If you think it is going to be difficult to observe your brainwave states, don’t worry, you do it every single night of your life.  When you drift off to sleep you move from beta, to alpha, to theta, and finally delta.

Brainwaves are classified based on their amplitude and frequency, and there are 5 distinct brainwave states: gamma, beta, alpha, theta, and delta. Gamma brainwave states are the fastest brainwave frequency and they are responsible for heightened perception and cognitive processing.  Beta brainwaves are responsible for alert consciousness, arousal, and problem solving. Next there are alpha waves, a more relaxed and focused state that is ideal for creativity and relaxed focus. Theta brainwaves are the next lowest, and they are considered ideal for a deep meditative state that will connect to your intuition, and delta waves are for deep sleep and repair.

[For more information on brainwave states please visit: https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-are-brainwaves]

Best time to meditate

First thing in the morning or right before bed. These are the windows where you are less mentally stimulated and can more easily tap into your subconscious mind and theta brainwave states.

Where to meditate

Do not meditate in your bed. I promise, due to the law of association, you will fall asleep.  The best option is to find a space where you are removed from your pets, children, significant other, etc.  Ideally the room should be dark and you should get into a comfortable position, like on the edge of a couch or chair, with your spine straight.  Some people prefer to use eye masks, but I don’t because I find them to be distracting and uncomfortable.

Meditation for Beginners:

There are many ways to meditate.  What you need to do is experiment and find a way that is enjoyable for you.  Remember, if something is a chore or painful you will be less likely to make it a habit.

YouTube is an excellent and free resource where you can find thousands of different meditations.  I would recommend experimenting with guided meditations, meditations with chimes, and meditation with music first.  Then continue to test meditations until you find a few that you love.  Another option is brainwave entrainment music. This is a fascinating science where you can entrain your brain into a specific brainwave state through the use of different frequencies.  I use these types of meditations when I am very overstimulated and it helps me get into a meditative state faster, and again, you can find them for free on YouTube.

Calm and headspace are 2 apps that you can use to meditate, or you can make it even simpler and just set a timer.  Start with 30 seconds and build from there.  The key is to remain relaxed, and keep a still body and open mind.  You want your body to be asleep and to keep your mind free flowing.  If you have a thought, that’s fine.  Simply recognize and detach. If you are struggling at first you can simply just focus on your breath. 

If you want to understand more of the science behind meditation, and are devoted to a more dedicated practice, I highly recommend this free 8 week course of mindful meditation: https://palousemindfulness.com

In conclusion, if you want to have a positive impact on every aspect of your physical and mental well-being, then I highly recommend meditation.  Scientific research shows that any amount of meditation, practiced on a daily basis, can have positive health benefits so don’t complain to me that you don’t have time.  If you have time to brush your teeth every day, then you have time to meditate.