So why meditate?

I didn’t come to the meditation journey easily or willingly at first.  Like many people, overworked and overstressed, I thought the best way to keep my energy up was to stay in a level of alertness, be it in my mind through constant analysis and risk mitigation, in my body through strenuous exercise and constant movement, or in my diet through diligent, and sometimes rigorous, eating plans.  

Stillness versus Resistance

I was just riding the wave of delusion that plagues our society, the belief that constant movement and busy-ness means that I am actually doing something with my life. I had little desire or ability to be still, even though deep down I knew I needed to.  I needed meditation, but resisted - where could I possibly find the time?  

Instead, I brought to myself a cascade of health challenges so severe that not only was I forced to be still, but I also learned this hard truth:  we cannot stress our way out of illness or problems.  

Over time, I witnessed what regular stillness did for me.  It allowed me to find the real me inside, who knew the path to healing.  And, meditation gave me the focus to make wise choices which in turn actually gave me more time in my day to live in a meaningful way.

That which I resisted most was, in fact, the medicine I most needed.

So Why Meditate?

For me it was a no-brainer (and I hope that you don’t have to learn the way I did), but there are still plenty of reasons.  If you are reading this article, then you probably have some inkling of what an answer to this question looks like for you.  This answer may include stress reduction, lower blood pressure and stress hormones, improved relationships, better sleep and health, spiritual progress, and self-reflection boons such as more peace, love, joy, calm, self-control, resilience and compassion.  Let me offer two more reasons:

Meditation Helps Declutter the Mind

The mind is like a filing cabinet that stores the memories and related emotions of our senses and everything we have ever thought, spoken or done. And, every time we remember something from the past or are triggered in the present by something similar to a past memory, we have an emotional reaction based on our past preferences about the situation. Then we react - the good, the bad, the ugly. The files contain our stored preferences for each time we have reacted or responded to that particular trigger in the past and present. In time, the file for a particular memory becomes bigger and begins to spill out and onto the floor. And this process happens for each and every memory over the course of our lifetime, the file cabinet growing and growing and spilling and spilling.  

Preferences, or dislikes and likes, are described in vedic tradition as the source of all our suffering.  When the emotional responses, triggered by these preferences, get to a place where they no longer need a conscious trigger, we begin to feel instinctual, out of control, confused and restless. What has happened is that our subconscious mind has gotten the upper hand.  We are using lower brain functioning (the amygdala) that keeps us operating in worn patterns, referencing old files and misplaced papers that often no longer serve us.

Meditation helps to declutter the mind. At first, through regular practice of calming the mind, we are no longer adding thoughts, emotions, reactions, etc. to the subconscious files.  Instead, we begin energizing the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the place of higher functioning and higher consciousness.  Over time, we are able to see and understand connections more clearly, to respond (versus react) to situations in our life with focus and intention. In the process, the amygdala becomes quieter, less of an influencer.  The subconscious files around triggers become smaller, tidier.  The mind becomes the instrument or tool of discernment it was meant to be, and not a primary driver.

Meditation Connects Us to Inner Truth

It is human nature to compare ourselves to others.  We can compare ourselves to or try to emulate people who are contained emotionally in their outside projection, which doesn’t match up to the turmoil they feel inside.  Often the tumultuous bits remain hidden from others and are only visible in close personal relationships, their literal closets and homespace, organizational skills, addictions, emotional states at home, etc.  We can also be the ones projecting “normalcy” into our workplaces or social groups, yet living with imposter syndrome. In both cases, we navigate by external projections, which over time becomes tiresome and leads to disappointment when the person or ideal that we base ourselves on ultimately stumbles or fails.

Case in point, during the pandemic, we stayed at home more than ever.  The pandemic in many ways was a time of mandated stillness and self-assessment - Who are we? Who do we want to become? How do we relate to ourselves and others? Is this job/relationship/attitude/belief fulfilling or limiting? During this time, we had the opportunity to come face-to-face with ourselves and all the stuff and ideas that we used to feel better about ourselves.  What is interesting, is the amount of decluttering that many people did to their living spaces when confronted with all their stuff and what it represented. They realized that their homes looked good or normal on the outside, but the insides were full of stuff that no longer made them happy.  

We are also seeing a cultural shift in younger generations who are not buying into the “American Dream”, which with global commerce is no longer limited to America.  Young people are looking for what is important to them, and there is a re-defining of what “success” looks like.  I am witnessing a spiritual component in this shift, seen in the desire for “soul” or higher purpose for all of life’s efforts, a generosity to others that is more than just an image. Of course, not all young people embody this shift, but the ones who do are dynamic. They give me hope. They recognize that the outer trappings of life ring hollow if there is no inner understanding.

In both of these examples, there is a natural drive to shift focus inward, an innate desire to let go of external restlessness, comparison and the clutter that doesn’t feel genuine or beneficial.  

But what next? How do we make that shift inward?

Putting It All Together

Classical meditation is daily practice of a state of deep stillness.  Practiced well over 5,000 years, it is the most effective tool to quiet the mind which carries its memories, preferences, likes and dislikes that bind us to emotional responses, attachments and then confusion, fear and doubt.  

By quieting the mind, meditation gives us the opportunity to find a point of reference within ourselves, our true nature, one that isn’t shaken by the ups and downs of trends, other people’s whims, the past’s regrets or anxiety about the future.  

Meditation is centered in and creates a connection to the present, moment to moment.  And, with the mind quieted into its proper place as a tool or instrument of discernment, meditation gives us the opportunity to find our life’s purpose and live intentionally and with integrity and equanimity…to embody the calm in the center of the storm.