This is the first episode in a series designed for absolute newbies to meditation, or for those who really want to focus on the basics. This track includes just one minute of meditation practice; no getting it wrong! We’ll build up steadily from there.
Turn on the TV, get comfy, and play this track after you’ve watched the first episode: Slumber Party Panic (Season One, Episode One)!
P.S. If you’re curious, here you can find out why I started this project.
Recording Transcript (Meditation starts at 5:16)
Hello and good day and it is so good to be with you.
So, here at the outset of our journey, I want to open with one of the most important reminders I feel I could offer to someone beginning a meditation practice, which is that there is no getting it wrong. No matter what you experience, or don’t experience for that matter, it can be helpful to lower the stakes. One of the best benefits of meditation is simply the ability to encounter yourself, just as you are, and I believe that even if you are utterly distracted, trapped in cycles of neuroses, bored out of your mind, whatever you experience, the time will be beneficial.
And shit is gonna work out. Half of this is just about going with the flow and trusting the process. Candy zombies banging at the windows can be also be an opportunity to play a game of piñata. Many of us tend to rely on planning and micromanaging to make it through our days, but going with flow, finding creative ways to be positive, and keeping ourselves and those around us as calm as we know how often tend to be better strategies for weathering difficult moments. And honestly, beginning a meditation practice can, for many people, be a really difficult moment.
This being said, I also want to encourage you to listen to your body, particularly around what does and does not feel safe and comfortable to you. There is a different between challenging and crazy making, between uncomfortable and painful, and only you can know what that is. You are the expert on your own experience and if something isn’t going well, maybe in your posture, maybe you’re focusing on the breath and that’s overwhelming for you, or maybe just the practice in general is too much, when you finish a sit, you feel worse, and not in a kind of “I’m attuned to my experience and it’s strange but I can handle it” but in a “wow, this feels awful, I feel totally exposed or worse and I wish I hadn’t done this” sort of way. I say these things not to plant seeds of fear, but because for people who have experienced trauma, which is all of us in some way or another, and particularly those who are struggling or have not found a way to integrate that trauma into their life, to find safety and groundedness in their body, then meditation might not be quite the right fit for you at this moment. There are other practices, somatics, finding a community of support, going to a therapist, which may be better for you, at least for now. And regardless of how meditation is feeling for you, it is not a substitute for other avenues of support. And I am not a mental health professional, though I would consider myself a professional at juggling my own mental health needs, but what’s more, I am not with you, am not physically in your body. So if this isn’t clicking for you, don’t force it. In time, and with the right support, mindful meditation can be a tremendous support system for almost anyone, even those struggling with trauma, but you cannot force it. Many of us have a habit of doubling down when things are hard, of trying to power our way through as if we have something to prove, or will be better for having disregarded the signals our bodies are giving to us, but this kind of “strength” is kind of the opposite of the strength we are cultivating with meditation. All of that to say, listen to your body! Whatever it is telling you, I promise it is in your best interest. Don’t be afraid to ask for help or walk away from a practice if it isn’t serving you, and know that you’re not weak or broken or wrong for doing so.
But if these difficult experiences don’t come up for you, or maybe something difficult does but you find you’re able to sit comfortably with the discomfort, that’s great! For most people, meditation will be difficult to commit to, but not necessarily difficult or painful to do. But this is where I remind you again that you can possibly have a wrong experience! If you are able to sit, or stand or lie down or whatever, and bring your attention to your experience, even for a fraction of a second, that’s it, that’s the practice.
But let’s get into it. Let’s give it a tiny try. So I encourage you to relax. Get into a space that feels comfortable for you. We’re only going to begin with one minute of sitting. Just 60 seconds. Nothing major, there is no fucking it up. We are mostly just going to be settling into our bodies, and then we’ll be done for now!
Let’s begin.
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