Why Meditate? Part 1

Welcome to this mini-series which explores why meditation might benefit you. Many people ask me, ‘why should I learn to meditate?' so over the next four blogs I am going to delve into some different aspects of the practice. I don’t aim to cover everything by any means, but I hope what you read resonates with you and maybe even inspire you to have a go!

First up: focus and concentration.

In this fragmented world of screens, rushing and stimulation at every turn, it’s no wonder we can feel so scattered. We are, after all, the most distractible humans to ever walk the planet. And that can feel unsettling.

How often do you walk into a room and have no idea what you went there for? Or completed an online shop to then have limited recollection of the items that get delivered? Or that car journey that took an hour but you’re not quite sure how you arrived?

It’s easy to be on auto pilot. It can be second nature to simply go through the motions. Hour after hour, day after day, week after week. Month after month, year after year. You get the idea.

Is this how we want to live? Is this what life is all about?

Eleanor Roosevelt said that ‘The purpose of life…is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.’ Look, you might not have a big idea about the purpose of life, but you may be thinking, ‘there’s more to life than this.’

By learning how to be present, to be alive in the moment, to know when you’re choosing to do something rather than doing it parrot fashion, you will automatically upgrade your life.

You can feel more grounded, less scattered. Be able to read a page of your book without reaching for your phone, go for a walk in nature without mentally preparing a work meeting or rehashing an old conversation with several different endings.

Learning to meditate trains your brain to stay where you put it. To garner some control of that monkey mind which probably loves barking instructions to you. Training your brain to come back to the present every time it wanders; this is a gift.

You probably weren’t expecting the answer to your question ‘why should I meditate’ to have anything to do with forging new neural pathways, but that’s exactly what mindful meditation does.

How can we really enjoy anything if we cannot focus on it? How can we show up for our kids, our colleagues, ourselves if we can’t concentrate on the task in hand?

You’re not broken. Your brain has simply had free reign for too long. The good news: it is never too late to learn. You are the boss, this is your life, and to miss it seems like a crying shame. It is possible to rewire the monkey mind, soothe the nervous system and be present rather than absent.

Feel like giving it a go? Get in touch about how to learn 1-1, join my Monday class online 7pm, or go for the on-demand 8-week course which will set you up nicely. There simply is no better time to start than now.