The transformative power of meditation
You might have picked from previous newsletters that I have experienced a lot of personal change and growth in the last few months.
Mostly positive, thank goodness.
I want to share the tool that has been helping me the most to process and find calm and enjoyment in all of this: meditation.
Even if you don't believe in the power of it or if you have never tried it, I invite you to keep an open mind.
I've been trying for years (without much success) to establish a regular meditation practice, mainly through apps like Headspace, Calm and Insight Timer.
Then I came across Buddhist meditation.
For the past month or so, I followed the simple principle of calming the mind first by following my breath (samatha), and then I try to just be. No expectations, nothing to do but exist and enjoy the fact that, right now, right here, everything is perfect.
The amount of thoughts and feelings that emerge when you just sit there without having to do anything is incredible. But that's normal and it's OK.
I observe these thoughts and feelings trying to be curious about them, without getting caught in a narrative or trying to fix anything (vipassana). This is the hardest part, but somehow, it makes me process any issue very effectively. At the end of 20 minutes like this, I feel the best version of myself.
You don't need special powers or preparation to do it, just a few minutes a day and the patience to win over boredom, tiredness and self-criticism.
And if you don't have a few minutes to meditate? It means you need an hour of it.
This article was originally written for the Green Gorilla weekly newsletter. If you liked it, subscribe to receive more articles like this and learn how to communicate sustainability better, how to be more productive without selling your soul to the work devil, and how to make an impact in the world. Here is the link: https://newsletter.thegreengorilla.co.uk/