Starting to Meditate

The top three New Year’s resolutions are exercising more, improving diet/losing weight, and getting organized. But with the burgeoning research on the benefits of meditation, developing a meditation practice has risen in the ranks of popular commitments for the year. There are dozens of apps and hundreds of styles to choose from. Some may seem dreadfully boring and others painfully athletic. So just starting can be a daunting task.

Convenience is Key

Committing to a practice is one of the hardest parts of meditation. If you have friends who meditate, joining them may help you develop a routine. Also, they may be helpful when you have questions or if challenges arise. Other considerations may be joining a group that is at a convenient location. One teacher used to say to me, “The best practice is one you’ll actually do. So make sure it’s convenient and enjoyable!” 

Stay within Your Religion?

Starting with a style of meditation that is within your religion is helpful for some people with deeply held beliefs. James is a surgeon with a strong Christian faith who was interested in starting a practice because of the medical impact of mindfulness meditation. But as he got into it, he had two concerns. Mindfulness is a secular practice – there is no reference to a creator or anything supernatural – and it was popularized by the Buddha. He preferred to start with a more overtly Christian meditation. As his own church didn’t provide any instruction, he started with online videos provided by the World Community for Christian Meditation and found that very helpful. (Interestingly, the meditation they teach has been used by many non-Christians, including the former prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew.)

Going with the Research

Current research has focused primary on the effects of meditation techniques popularized by Buddhism. These range from the 40 core styles of Buddhist meditation to the esoteric Tummo technique of the Tibetan Buddhists which shocked researchers because practitioners generate enormous heat. Several of the secular techniques are now taught in hospitals, sports teams, investment banks, and internet giants.

Below I’ve included some of my favorite meditation teachers, apps, and a book that teach the styles that have been empirically validated for their impact on well-being. While the sources are Buddhist, their meditations are generally free of religious belief, hence their popularity in secular settings and university research centers.  

My favorite teachers include

·      Ajahn Brahm (Buddhist / secular). While his sense of humor sometimes makes me wince, I deeply appreciate his meditation teaching. He places a lot of emphasis on helping the body to feel pleasant in order to move naturally into concentration

·      Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Tara Brach (Buddhist / secular). Fabulous mindfulness teachers.

Favorite apps:

·      Headspace Really great free course of 10 minutes meditation for 10 day.

·      Ten Percent Happier Very professionally done and excellent teachers.

·      Calm A very popular app. I liked it but I don’t know it as well as the other two.

A favorite book

·      Mindfulness in Plain English

Looking for Intensity?

Wim Hof, the “Iceman” and extraordinary peak performance athlete

If you think you’re too fidgety and that meditation is too boring, then you might be interested in a meditation technique popularized by Wim Hoff, also known as The Iceman. He is an extreme athlete noted for both his ability to withstand freezing temperatures and for some unusual physiological changes he was able to produce in research settings. I recently introduced a group of 25 senior executives to his breathing technique, and one of them remarked that he had never felt so peaceful in his life. If you would something quick and intense, consider giving him a try. Here’s an introduction to it. He also has an app.

In Brief

I suggest starting with convenience in mind. Try to make your practice enjoyable. If the first meditation style, teacher, or community doesn’t work for you, know that there are dozens of others you can choose from.

Jonathan Marshall, PhD, conducted his doctoral research at Stanford on the use of meditation for improving mental health. He studied meditation in Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, and Jewish communities. He uses meditation as part of his work as an executive coach, psychotherapist, and leadership trainer.