I love that meditation has become so popular and more widely accepted over the past dozen years - sort of like yoga did a few decades ago. And with this popularity comes technology. Nearly everything these days is touched by technology. Should this also apply to meditation?
Chill, Sit Breathe Think, 10% Happier, Headspace, Insight Timer, Calm,… so many apps. What to do about them? Which one to choose?
As I shared with my current Mindfulness & Meditation class, meditation apps serve a purpose but they are far from the end-all-be-all. They are a great on-the-go source of guidance into meditation, especially if you’re in a funk and having a hard time adjusting yourself to calm on your own. Taking a mini meditation break through the day, adding some guided visualization of instructed embodiment, is also good.
Meditation apps are a great tool - like a cooking class instructor. To cook a great meal on your own, though, is really your end goal. Yes, become familiar with the basic ingredients and try different techniques on for taste but then you’ve got to go on your own and cook your own meal.
Meditation is about becoming authentically aware and awake to your life. It’s spending time getting to know and being your best friend. If someone’s guiding you all the time, you miss out on your particular path, pieces that you wouldn’t otherwise recognize or come in contact with amidst the guidance. The quiet of the mind and the opening of the heart comes from developing a personal relationship with yourself. Sitting on your cushion or chair, how can you know yourself more deeply, get comfortable with difficulty, bring acceptance to that which you don’t like, appreciate those things you love even more? How can you enjoy just Being you?
What happens on the cushion / seat is a microcosm of what happens in your life. If open and accepting presence are what you’re developing in meditation, this translates to the same in your day to day interactions.
Getting to know your best friend doesn’t happen with depth if someone else is whispering in your ear. Sure, it’s great to have supportive connections but true personal health and wellness comes from you doing the work. But not to worry… it’s OK to sprinkle the spice of the apps into your meal. Just don’t make them your primary ingredient.
Sending you lots of Peace,
Shanti
Chill, Sit Breathe Think, 10% Happier, Headspace, Insight Timer, Calm,… so many apps. What to do about them? Which one to choose?
As I shared with my current Mindfulness & Meditation class, meditation apps serve a purpose but they are far from the end-all-be-all. They are a great on-the-go source of guidance into meditation, especially if you’re in a funk and having a hard time adjusting yourself to calm on your own. Taking a mini meditation break through the day, adding some guided visualization of instructed embodiment, is also good.
Meditation apps are a great tool - like a cooking class instructor. To cook a great meal on your own, though, is really your end goal. Yes, become familiar with the basic ingredients and try different techniques on for taste but then you’ve got to go on your own and cook your own meal.
Meditation is about becoming authentically aware and awake to your life. It’s spending time getting to know and being your best friend. If someone’s guiding you all the time, you miss out on your particular path, pieces that you wouldn’t otherwise recognize or come in contact with amidst the guidance. The quiet of the mind and the opening of the heart comes from developing a personal relationship with yourself. Sitting on your cushion or chair, how can you know yourself more deeply, get comfortable with difficulty, bring acceptance to that which you don’t like, appreciate those things you love even more? How can you enjoy just Being you?
What happens on the cushion / seat is a microcosm of what happens in your life. If open and accepting presence are what you’re developing in meditation, this translates to the same in your day to day interactions.
Getting to know your best friend doesn’t happen with depth if someone else is whispering in your ear. Sure, it’s great to have supportive connections but true personal health and wellness comes from you doing the work. But not to worry… it’s OK to sprinkle the spice of the apps into your meal. Just don’t make them your primary ingredient.
Sending you lots of Peace,
Shanti
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