I have been traditionally wary of meditation. I have participated in a few meditation sessions where a guide would ask you to focus on the breath for a long, long time and I would just not be able to do it.
A few months back, however, I chanced upon an article that talked about a ten minute meditation routine every morning using an app called Headspace. The author said that he benefited immensely from it. I decided to give it a try. The thing I found attractive was that it was only a ten minute routine.
So, I downloaded the app and tried the ten day free pack they offered. I started to like it. The best part was it was only ten minutes. This did not make it difficult. You can sit comfortably on a chair. The sessions are guided. The guide understands that the mind can wander and says that it is only natural for this to happen. All you need to do when you realise your mind has wandered is to gently bring it back to the exercise.
Another good thing about the app is that it has different parts to it. It is not just about focussing on the breath. There are things like visualisations, introspections and other techniques which make the different sessions interesting and not at all boring.
The key aspect in these sessions is being aware of things and noticing what the mind is thinking and how it behaves. It's almost like you detach yourself from your mind and watch it in third person! This makes a dramatic difference to the way you think.
I have been taking the monthly subscription for four months now and have experienced some of the most profound changes ever in my way of thinking. I know this may sound unrealistic. I could of course say that these changes have nothing to do with the meditation and it is mere coincidence that they have happened around the same time. But I don't think that is true. It cannot be a coincidence. The fact that these happened after about a month of doing this and continue to happen has to have to do with this new change in my routine.
I am planning to continue doing this for now. I have my morning cup of black Darjeeling tea when I wake up and then do the ten minute meditation and then go about the rest of my day.
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