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Meditation has often gotten a bad rap for being too “woo woo.” But as new research continues to confirm the benefits of meditation, more people are starting to realize the impact that it can have on their everyday lives. On top of that, many so-called “high-performers” credit meditation as one of the most important habits for achieving their goals.
We often think we are our thoughts; with meditation, we start to realize that we have thoughts but we aren’t our thoughts.”
Today on the podcast, we talk with Justyn Comer about how the practice of meditation can affect all aspects of your life.
Justyn has been practicing meditation for over 30 years and teaching since 1999. He is a co-founder of RWM Education, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to making meditation available to as many people as possible.
In this episode, Justyn and I discuss his new book, Meditation for Life: How mind training improves relationships, career, health and happiness. I know, it almost sounds like an overpromise. I’ve read a lot about meditation in the last few years, and the more I read the more I wonder: what doesn’t it help with? So much so that I had to ask Justyn that same question. Not surprisingly, his answer was a good one.
Episode Highlights
- What meditation is not
- Meditation is often pigeonholed as being just about stress relief or spirituality, but it’s much more than that
- How Justyn finally tried meditation after suffering from panic attacks
- Awareness training: how to be aware of the present moment, seeing the world as it is
- Compassion training: building up the “compassion muscle,” and the critical importance of self-compassion
- How meditation can help train you how to focus more effectively
- How meditation can improve your relationship by making you a better listener
- The importance of developing your curiosity so you can focus more on the present moment
- The often overlooked limitations of meditation
Resources Mentioned
- Meditation for Life: How mind training improves relationships, career, health and happiness
- RealWorldMeditation.org
- Real World Meditation 12-Week Course
- Headspace App
- Calm App
- 10% Happier App
Kyle, I pray instead of meditate. Is that close to the same thing? What is your viewpoint on that? Thanks, Gary
Hey Gary, that’s a great question. I think prayer can definitely have a similar calming effect as meditation, but I feel like meditation is a little different because you’re not trying to organize your thoughts into words. I think prayer is often more conscious and intentional. Meditation can be more of a passive, less intentional experience, where you might simply observe your thoughts as they pass by, or just focus on something like your breathing. Curious to hear what others think as well, since it is very subjective. Thanks!
I think prayer, like meditation, comes in many different forms. Some forms of prayer are definitely like meditation. For example, the Desert Fathers of third century Christianity used to use a form of what we might today refer to as mantra meditation as part of their contemplative practice. They would repeat the first line of Psalm 69 over and over with a view to stilling the mind so that they could experience ‘the highest truth’. However, another common form of prayer is as a dialogue between you and your God. That can also take many forms but is generally about conscious reflection coming from the personal mind. It can be a way of reminding us to live according to our values, or it can be a way of asking for support. It is a bit different from most forms of meditation. They both fall into the category of contemplative practice, but with different methods, goals, and access different parts of the psyche.
Thanks Justyn! This is really helpful insight.