I think the word is finally out that meditation is not an “out there” activity or a disruptor of religious or spiritual beliefs!  Meditation is such a stress reducer - calm inducer that someone told me recently they know of a law firm that installed a meditation room and gives their staff lessons!  How far we’ve come!

Even 5 years ago, when I would bring up meditation as a suggestion to the high achievers and fertility patients I work with, you could see my credibility factor lose a few points by the subtle look of, “Is she nutty?” float by in their expression.

But now when I bring it up, their question isn’t about the validity of meditation, it’s HOW to do it. 

Meditation is so EASY! I can hear you readers thinking already, “Are you kidding? My mind jumps around like popcorn and my skin starts crawling within 10 seconds of starting!” My response to that is,”You are making it too difficult – holding yourself to some image you have of what meditation ‘should’ be.”  Take heart, everyone’s mind goes bonkers with to-do lists and worries,  and brews fantasies like a bad soap opera.  Everyone faces the “I can’t do it” feeling. Trust me, a life-changing, energizing, happy-making breakthrough comes when we say, “Oh, I guess I’m like everyone else. This is normal. Now I can relax and stop trying so hard.” 

When we give ourselves a break and allow humor—I mean these thoughts are so random and the planning and plotting is so predictable—then we’re getting somewhere. 

Sometimes I actually break out laughing when I clue in to how my mind has been wandering and bring it on back to whatever my focus is.  Laughter is SO good for you. That burst of nitric oxide and the relaxation ride of laughter—that’s why they say, “Laughter is the best medicine!”

Back to how EASY meditation is. For example, I was just meditating before starting to write this blog. What was I doing? I was sitting on my patio up in the Hudson Valley, where my weekend home is.  I was thinking of my deceased grandmother, because I was sitting on HER fabulous patio furniture, on which I’d had many a family meal.  I was reminiscing and feeling gratitude for her. 

From that place of gratitude I started meditating. That is to say, I started feeling the wind and sun on my skin, hearing the breeze move tree branches, staring out into everything and nothing and being fascinated by the grass waving.  In other words,  I was tapping into the sounds, sights and sensations of my environment.  Feeling myself sit on the chair. I moved peacefully out of my goal-driven mind and into my present circumstance—observing it, being part of it. 

Relaxation overtakes me. My body starts melting into a state of high awareness and deep calm simultaneously. I see, hear and sense everything, but analyze nothing. My breathing slows. When a thought pops into view, I simply say to myself, “Thanks, I’ll remember to get to that later,” and I go back to enjoying the sensual bounty I’m experiencing.  I’m meditating, by golly!

A few minutes later I come back to my more normal “what’s going on and what do I need to do” brainwave frequency.  But I feel different. I know more.  By that I mean, the solutions thatwouldn’t come to me when I was trying so hard, now dawn on me. Universal wisdom snuck in there when I wasn’t looking.

Did I mention that all my breakthroughs, best ideas and insights come after my morning meditation each day, or in the shower, or while exercising? Letting the mind go and being supremely present to sensation—that’s meditation! Anyone can do it – believe me, It sure ain’t about sitting cross-legged, thought-free and chanting. (Although the deeper you go with meditation, the more these ancient techniques become appealing and lead you into the juicy stuff!) 

Meditation is there for you anytime, anywhere. You can change your day, your minute, your attitude, your happiness quotient in short order.  I personally do a quickie one-minute game changer at least 3 times in my work day….especially when I feel anger coming on or anxiety setting in.  We’re busy. We’re managing a lot. Life is not a controlled process. 

Meditation helps you ride the rough rapids and enriches the easy floats.


Let Krista teach you Meditation!  
Come to Oriens Yoga Classes or book a Private Yoga session to ease your way into Meditation and let it change your life!