The Power of Presence - Getting Started with Meditation

The Listener by James Christensen Art

I have been meditating each day for 467 days consecutively as of this morning. It's not something I normally talk a lot about and I'm not looking for a medal. It has however, made a significant impact on my life and I'd like to think the lives of those around me. I'm not really sure why I started, though I'm sure it had to do with understanding myself better and not being satisfied that external things could not fill the hole within me.

I'm sure this is the spot where someone might say I should seek insert religious figure here. To this I say I already have done that am very secure with how I view my faith and my spiritual self. I am talking about below the level of feel good sugary frosting that can sometimes surround religion. I am talking about a deeper place.

Blaise Pascal asserts that, “All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

We fill our down time with devices, mindless browsing, with clickbait, with social media. We look to avoid this silence by filling the the quiet time with noise.

It would be a fallacy to suggest that the inverse of this quote would be the solution to all of our problems. However, I believe the silence is a place where I as an individual can see myself and my thoughts, and be mindful of the actions that are inspired by these thoughts. I can observe without judgement my thoughts and be present with them - not dull them.

The change for me was not instant - I had to put in the work - and I'm guessing you will too. Here are some tips to get started.

Start small
See my previous post on building Atomic Habits.

Establish your place
I recently completed reading The Power of Myth and in the chapter where Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers discuss 'Finding Your Bliss' there is is this advices

[Sacred space] is an absolute necessity for anybody today. You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something eventually will happen.
[…]
Our life has become so economic and practical in its orientation that, as you get older, the claims of the moment upon you are so great, you hardly know where the hell you are, or what it is you intended. You are always doing something that is required of you. Where is your bliss station? You have to try to find it.

Use an app - or don't
I have used meditation apps like Headspace or Calm to keep me on track. I also utilize the Breathe app on my Apple Watch as a reminder throughout the day to return to the present.

What should you expect?

I have no idea what you will experience. For me it has allowed me to separate thoughts from reality. It's allowed me to sit with things that were difficult and not hide from them. Every time I meditate I am refreshed and find the lessons seeping into the flow of the day. This is where the real power for me has been. I am fully aware - present in the moment - and mindful of my responses and actions. I still make a lot of mistakes and that's OK - I have a way to observe them, learn from them, and be better because of them.

Let me know your expertise with meditation either on Twitter or in the comments below.