Meditation Needs a Rebrand
Because I Can't Just Sit There and Om...
More than half of American employers offer some form of mindfulness training to their workers, contributing to a global corporate wellness market that’s valued at over $68 billion. Seeing that a lot of the work I do with my clients starts with mindfulness, I’m all for it. But, that’s also a lot of faith in the om.
The reality is that meditation is not for everyone.
Meditation is more than just sitting quietly. Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique — such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity — to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.
Many have perfected their meditation practice. 20 minutes twice a day. Being present, harnessing the ability to drown out distractions around you. Integrating your mind and body.
Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier, and Insight Timer are all incredible apps that at some point in the last 8 years I’ve had subscriptions to. I do love a guided meditation, but I was never getting the benefits of clarity and calmness out of them. I always ended up journeying (that’s a whole other post!).
But something else did bring me to that meditative state… When the pandemic hit, I hit the streets. I uncovered routes, neighborhoods and trails around my house that I didn’t even know existed. At the time, I called this “stress walking.” From March 2020 to December 2020 I walked nearly 100 miles a month. Blasting music (often singing at the top of my lungs– I was clearly in flow), listening to podcasts or catching up with family and friends.
Time flew by. I was getting in better shape. My mind was clearer. I was happier.
Then I would get home and try to meditate again. I became frustrated, distracted and annoyed.
So, I just decided to embrace that walking was my meditation. And this made me think… If meditation is a state of mind, why are we boxing out everything else that brings us that feeling?
I also realized that cooking had become a meditation for me. And dancing. And singing.
So, now when people ask me if I meditate I say “yes!” with pride.
Don’t settle for the definitions of yesterday when we are building the future of tomorrow. And if something else in life brings you the clarity and calmness of “meditation,” congratulations. You meditate. You are a meditator. Good for you.
