Want to Transcend the Plight of Life? Meditate.

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Why this guide: (Long claim.) It has no hyperbole or BS.
Things you will need: Just your phone. BUT, out of reach on a 20 minute timer. Nothing else, not even a Sanskrit prayer or an orange robe.

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What is meditation:

The action of inaction
Nothing but your state of simply being. To not be moved by the end of the world.

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How to do it:

Sit with eyes closed in a room where you expect not to be disturbed for 20 minutes, at least. At the beginning if it’s difficult, stick to it for 5 minutes. Focus on your breath or a single thought like a source of a light you can imagine behind your closed eyelids. If you become distracted, gently bring yourself back to the original thought without admonishing or judging yourself. Simple enough? Now feel the calmness of the mind, open yourself up for every possibility and awaken to the worth of every living creature in this world.

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My journal entries through these past 3 years of meditating daily:

I feel this moment is just enough
I feel electrified & energized
There’s blood pulsating inside me
Nothing can stop me feel like nothing can stop me
I feel like I am this close to the journey that will reinvent me
I will be the role model to my children they will always emulate
This feeling that I’m having, how can I retain it forever??
I think I am kinder to myself now. And to the world in general
I can let go and become nonjudgmental
I wish I can tell everyone in the world to experience this
Full of calm, I want to be able to recall this calm
There is a shining white light that has enveloped me
I feel one with the earth
The light is brighter than ever and I was able to encapsulate myself in it
Everyone should experience this peace I have
It’s me and the elements of this universe fused together
I feel one with the universe
There is an unbearable lightness of my existence
This calm, I want to retain forever
This peace has to endure

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Who should do this:

If you want to loosen their preoccupation with your self.
To realize that a whole lot of things are just not under our control.
If you have not yet realized the full potential of your capabilities.
Whether God exists for you or not.
If you are self sabotaging and a victim of lot of mental chatter.
If you want to change the world instead of changing yourself.
Even if you know all the above and have been a life long meditator.

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Why do this:

It’s brain hacking that’s based on science
We have so many body gyms, but how do you plan to exercise the mind?
Meditation slows biological aging by stabilizing telomeres
Loss is inevitable, but practice of meditation will help you get over it quickly
Your self esteem is not that important
Why be miserable when you can be blissful?
It’s the only cure from the thinking disease
Life transforms from empty opulence to every minute of bliss in slow motion.
To strengthen the spirit of the free will.
Google: Famous people who meditate
Let’s face it. You are hip if you are Zenning all the time.

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Disclaimer:

There are many flavors of Meditation, both in the Eastern and Western philosophical view points but this guide is made simple enough to not favor one for the other.

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What meditation is NOT:

Cease thinking all together
An escape plan for all worries
Become nonchalant and withdraw from society

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In the aftermath of meditating just a few minutes each day, you will:

Get the realization that many things in life are not tragic but just inconveniences.
Start peeling off layers to reveal your authentic self for the world to see.
Gain the ability to appreciate that you love someone and that’s good enough without reciprocation
Find yourself grinning. A lot. You will be happy under any circumstance.
Tone up your action and reaction to the day
Start to look at everything with a fresh set of eyes every time. (Beginner’s mind)
Realize the same food tastes better, way better while you engage your senses.
Develop an electrifying intuitive spirit
Now have a heightened sense of awareness
Have an enhanced perception of sounds of nature
Weaken your ego but priorities are reset towards self fulfillment
Embrace challenges and start accepting criticism positively
Have a greater sense of free spiritedness
Sleep more and focus more
Gain the ability to surprise yourself with patience
Get better at decluttering your mental and physical baggage
Be able to get away with minimal needs
See all your amazing blessings as clear as day
See that there is nothing really overwhelming you at all

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Lessons I’ve learnt:

Meditation is an essential vehicle to arrive at a state of mindful existence, savoring each moment of life. To not worry about the past and be anxious of the future. To just be here and be open to possibilities in the now.

By now, you must have heard of all the benefits of practicing meditation. But just like how your body doesn’t change if you don’t hit the gym, reading and listening about meditation is just not the same as doing it. You have to experience it and be part of the transformation.

Once you keep practicing, there is no need of turn on the light on again and again. The light will always be there. Just observe that silence. This will become a force of your nature. Like the ultimate truth that is always present without ambivalence.

The internal noise that our mind generates, the actions, reactions, the muses, the worries, the anxieties, in the meditative mode you let all go. You will learn to forgive yourself and others. You will find joy in the smallest things in the world that has slowed down just for you to enjoy them.

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We will continue have many sorrows. There will be a day, when you cannot share your achievements after losing your parents; but I am talking about the joy, that something we can cultivate while living in the moment. And meditation has taught me that this moment is good. Its just for me to hold and enjoy!

Somewhere along the way, I let the words that I heard in my childhood get away, “You can be anything you want to be.” I often hear them come back to me when I still everything else. My teachers have taught me to recall and hold onto the meditative state. I am also encouraged to write down how I feel after I open my eyes.

I am more attentive, more able to perceive my fellow earth dwellers’ emotions and understand that they are just like me juggling very many things on a daily basis and still striving for a singular goal of making this world a great place to live in. My heart is filled with light for everyone. And the recognition of my potential has given me a sense of purpose in life.

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What if this is not the answer:

Let your spirit be unknown. Let the excitement of your quest be alive. And attend every party where people are gathering in groups to get quiet. Meditation does not have to be a solitary practice. Now go delve in that suspended stillness. That bliss?! It’s pure mental!

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18 inches is the longest journey, from the head to the heart. It takes a lifetime to bridge those few inches. – Unknown.

We have the ability to create sorrow for ourselves, so it means we also have the ability to create joy in our lives. – Dalai Lama

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About The Article Author:

Our mission with FutureSTRONG Academy – to grow children who respect themselves, their time and their capabilities in a world where distractions are just a click or a swipe away.

I see myself as an advocate for bringing social, emotional and character development to families, schools and communities. I never want to let this idea out of my sight – Our children are not just GPAs. I’m a Writer and a Certified Master Coach in NLP and CBT. Until 2017, I was also a Big Data Scientist. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel. Namasté.

Write to me or call me. Tell me what support from me looks like.

Rachana Nadella-Somayajula,
Program Director & Essential Life Skills Coach for Kids and Busy Parents