The challenge
We tend to think that meditation is something that calms our minds. But did you know that meditation can also strengthen us or focus us for the challenges ahead? Today we propose a vigorous four-minute meditation with Reverend Angel Kyodo Williams, specially designed for those taking part in this challenge. Williams, who only capitalizes his Buddhist name Kyodo, preaches that vigorous meditation means showing oneself to what is going on in the world.
Why are you doing it?
Science shows that meditating regularly can reduce stress, increase calmness and clarity, and promote happiness. Other research shows that regular meditation can help relieve chronic pain, relieve depression, help you quit smoking, and sleep better.
The basic premise of mindfulness meditation is to pay attention to the present: especially your own thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Williams, a Zen Buddhist priestess and founder of the Center for Transformational Change in Berkeley, California, is known for her emphasis on the role meditation can play in social justice, and she teaches that meditation can be an effective tool around us to do more. strong, focused and ready to face small and large daily challenges.
Recognition…Christine Alicino
She says that some people make the mistake of believing that meditation is an escape from stressful situations. “We have a great habit of running away from our experience, trying to figure out how it could be and why it should be different, which adds to our fear,” said Williams, co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and liberation. “Meditation and mindfulness become a way for people to reconcile confusion, fear and fear of the unknown.”
Despite the name, vigorous meditation is neither aggressive nor loud. Violence arises from the power of meditation and mindfulness to help you face whatever fear, anxiety, or challenge awaits you.
“Meditation has a gentleness that allows you to say, ‘Oh, I can join in. I agree with the fact that I don’t know what to do about it, ”he said. “But there is also a wildness in meditation that says, ‘You have to present yourself to what is happening.’ And you have to feel that you are feeling this instead of fleeing and fleeing in helplessness. “
Before you start, think about what is most important to you. “You don’t have to save the world,” says Williams. It could be your family, friends, have a purpose, feel safe, or take care of yourself. Stick to what is most important to you and then start the meditation using the link in the audio above [en inglés].
Try other meditations
Learn more about meditation in our How To Meditate guide. You will find four other short meditations by Tara Brach, a well-known psychologist and meditation teacher. The guide includes one- and four-minute meditations that are great for beginners or those short on time. If you have a lot of experience or are ready for a more in-depth mindfulness session, you can try the 10- or 15-minute sessions.
Brach also offers a body scan meditation, in which one systematically focuses on different sensations and areas from head to toe.
The guide also offers walking meditation and a mindfulness practice while drinking tea with another well-known meditation teacher, Sharon Salzberg. You can download and listen to all of the tracks when you are ready to meditate [en inglés].
Tara Parker-Pope is the founding editor of Well, the award-winning consumer health website of the New York Times. She won an Emmy in 2013 for the video series Life, Interrupted and is the author of For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage. @taraparkerpope