As they say in Zen Buddhism, if you don't have time to meditate, then meditate twice as long.
But really: even a few minutes a day can and will relax your neurosis, wake up your habits, and dissolve your stress.
Why? Meditation can save us time, help us connect with good ideas and break-throughs, and help us enjoy our lives, commutes, family, and relationships far more, with less drama and time lost sick or down in the dumps.
10 Reasons
(we tell ourselves)
Not to Meditate
We all have excuses not to meditate. In no particular order, we dispel 10 of the most common:
1. I’m too dumb.
2. I’m too busy.
3. I'm too neurotic.
4. I like my thoughts and don’t want to become boring.
5. I don’t have the right space or tools.
6. It’s boring.
7. I don't want to be a weirdo spiritual person.
8. Meditating is scary.
9. I fall asleep.
10. My religion isn’t okay with it.
“Bad news, sucker: you’re still here. There's no excuse. In fact, most of those reasons are great reasons to begin the journey of meditation.” ~ Waylon Lewis
What this course holds for you:
Why to Meditate: how we can live life every second, with joy and honesty and presence.
How to Meditate: we'll go over three basic, yet challenging meditations.
When to Meditate: how to best incorporate meditation into the fabric of your crazy-busy days.
Meditation in Action: how to bring your Meditation into your Crazy-Busyness, and dissolve the stress and mindlessness through specific, life-opening tips.
Basic meditation techniques:
Shamata meditation is simple (but not easy), designed to be practiced over and over again, whenever and wherever you need it.
The basic foundational meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Tonglen will transform your relationships—not just with those you know, but throughout your entire life. It takes a hard heart and cracks it open and turns it into love.
7 guided meditations, including:
Don't believe everything you think.
A meditation for sadness, letting go of conflict, drama, and seeing through thoughts.
Meditation for Busy & Efficient Workaholics who like to Burnout.
A quick* meditation for those of us who don't have any time.
*If you've never experienced Buddhist humor, you will now.
A post-meditation you can do all day.
A non-meditation meditation you can do whenever the chaos of our everyday strikes—at your desk, on your dog walk, and anywhere in-between.
What this course is:
A lifelong companion for the moments when busyness and overwhelm strike, and we're in need of a little space, a little groundedness, and a long, deep breath.
What this course isn't:
A guilt-trip. A to-do list. An excuse to spiral into self-improvement.
Meditation isn’t about self-improvement.
...No. Instead, rather, meditation is about relaxing. Befriending oneself, and one’s seemingly solid problems. It’s about letting go and being with the present moment (and the next moment, and the next moment), just as it is. Then we can improve. But it’s out of kindness, love and joy.
Not sure if your life needs meditation? Here's why we meditate:
We're not trying to be fancy, spiritual people. We're just trying to be good human beings.
Your Course Curriculum:
About your instructor:
Waylon Lewis is the founder of Elephant Journal, the world’s largest independent mindfulness community. A first generation American Buddhist or “Dharma Brat,” he’s been named #1 in U.S. on twitter for #green content twice, Treehugger’s Changemaker & Eco Ambassador in Culture & Celebrity, Discovery Network’s Planet Green: Green Hero, “Greatist” 25 in Health & Wellness in the US, & Prominent Buddhist by Lion’s Roar, & host of “Top 10 Green Video Series” by MNN.
