I first met Miguel about a year ago. He was lost.
I suspected that underneath his shy exterior there was someone kind and clever, but this was overpowered by his lack of confidence. He was indecisive in every part of his life, and his relationships and work performance suffered.
I believed that meditation would be a very beneficial element to add to Miguel’s life. He didn’t trust his instincts anymore – he had to get back to a place where he knew what he wanted without a doubt. Meditation clears out the clutter between you and your heart, if you give it the chance. I hoped that it would give Miguel his confidence back.
Miguel was open to trying it, and it was a perfect combination of the right exercise for the right person at the right time. He hadn’t realized before how hungry he was for some spirituality in his life. He had gotten so used to letting other people’s opinions overwhelm his own, meditation became a quiet revolution for him as he got to know his own instincts again. Now, Miguel is a wonderful person to know. He is caring, smart and reliable. He has entered medical school. Best of all, he carries a feeling of confidence with him wherever he goes.
Here are some of Miguel’s thoughts on building a meditation practice, in his own words:
“I think that the most positive influences on my practice have been knowing that meditation is scientifically proven to increase the meditator’s control of thoughts, emotions and behavior and discovering that many friends and acquaintances I respect and admire practice meditation. I rely on certain tools as well: books by Eknath Easwaran [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][link http://www.easwaran.org/eknath-easwarans-books-ebooks.html ], Matthieu Ricard’s book Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill and Insight Timer, a meditation app for smartphones [link www.insighttimer.com ].
“Eknath Easwaran calls his method ‘passage meditation,’ with the focus on recitation of a memorized passage rather than the breath or an image. I like passage meditation because it suits my ADHD brain. Reciting the passage silently in my head keeps my mind busy. When I am focused on silently reciting the words my mental energy is pulled away from bodily and environmental distractions. I don’t feel as fidgety or have as many flights of ideas moving through my consciousness.
“I use other methods like focusing solely on the breath, but I find my attention tends to wander around my body and the room (and out into the street and around the neighborhood). I also use guided meditations, but my brain is very particular. Thoughts like ‘Hurry up and get to the good stuff!’ rise up if the guide speaks slowly or is excessively calm. I try to pick guided meditations carefully and use them occasionally until I’ve memorized the method.“Meditation has been difficult but worthwhile. Even the ADHD brain can do it. We may even be better at it because we’re more used to filtering out distractions in our environment.”
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