Q&A Meditation 101
About Landen -
My name is Landen, I live in Pembroke Massachusetts, I am the owner of Emerald Yoga Studio. In the past I have struggled to meditate because I didn’t realize there were other ways to meditate besides just sitting in stillness. As someone with a very overactive brain, sitting still just didn’t seem like something that was going to be relaxing to me. Through a lot of trial and error I have found some great tools through meditation that I have been able to adapt into my daily life. I enjoy creating art, graphic design, teaching yoga, and kayaking.
What is meditation in one sentence?
Meditation is training our minds to be aware of what is already there without judgement.
Why Meditate? What are the Benefits?
Meditation is a tool that we can use to unlock our stuck energy. It can help you to gain a new perspective on stressful situations, Build skills to manage your stress, reduce negative emotions, increase your patience, and help you to sleep better. They have even done studies on athletes who meditate and seen an increase in their performance.
Is it Accessible to Everyone?
Meditation is accessible to EVERYONE. If you have a brain, you can meditate. Some types of meditation may not be right for everyone but through a little searching I think everyone can find a style or try on a few different styles to see what fits best. Sometimes different types of meditations are better for different things. If you’re feeling anxious, maybe try a breath awareness meditation. If you’re struggling to concentrate, maybe try a moving meditation. Meditation isn’t a one-size-fits-all practice.
What does a beginner need to get started?
Most first time meditators find it hard to sit in silence--which ultimately leads to many people not meditating because they think they have to jump into the deep end of the pool. Our minds actually resist this kind of stillness, atleast at first. The process of meditating is straightforward and easy: simply sit and practice. All you have to do is close your eyes, stay focused on your breathing, and let your mind do its thing. You don’t have to strive to achieve something — just a place of stillness where no effort is required.
Is there a position or posture that can enhance the experience?
The two positions that I recommend for meditation are either sitting or lying down while keeping a straight spine. This allows the energy to flow through the chakras freely, it also allows our breath to travel through the body easily--and staying seated can help to keep you more alert.
Music, essential oils, lighting, candles? I like to recommend that if you're someone who is meditating at home in the same spot every day that you leave your space out as a visual reminder to practice. If that's not possible--which for many it's not, then I recommend having a basket that you put your meditation tools in. This could be essential oils, candles, incense, crystals, a blanket, maybe even a statue and each time you practice you set your intention by taking out your "tools for meditation" This helps to create an "anchor" in your mind that this space is for meditation, just like your bed is for sleeping.
Are there different kinds of meditation?
There are many different kinds of meditation. I’ll touch on a few:
Breath Awareness - Being aware of the breath traveling in the body
Visualization - Usually a guided practice through a forest/beach/on a cloud
Loving-Kindness - The practice of sending love to yourself and to others
Moving Meditation - Any movement that you can stay mindful and present during such as walking or rolling your neck from side to side.
Can you suck at it? Can you fail?
There is no such thing as a good or bad meditation. There is only awareness or non-awareness. The moment you realize you’re lost in thought, that’s awareness, and that’s when you return to the object of focus (usually the breath). This is all you have to keep doing — return from your distracted thought to the breath, all the time honing your awareness. With perseverance, the periods between awareness and distraction will get longer and longer.
Whats wrong if meditation feels stressful?
If meditation feels stressful that may be a sign to try another type of meditation on for size. One thing to remember is that if meditation is making you a little anxious, this actually means that it’s working. We want the emotions and energy to bubble up to the surface so that we can release them and grow stronger.
Is there a meditation that can help bring in your spirit guides?
Yes you can find many recordings of guided meditations, particularly visualizations that will help you to bring in your spirit guides. You can also take some time after your meditations to free-write anything that has come up to allow you to break down any walls that are standing in your way. I recommend downloading the free app Insight Timer for pre-recorded meditations.
What kind of music/crystals do you recommend?
This definitely depends on which type of meditation I am practicing. If I am following along with a guided meditation I’ll typically stick to just the sound of the persons voice. If i’m walking in nature I tend to like to listen to the sounds around me. If I am doing breath awareness I like to listen to certain frequencies to help me relax. For example 528 HZ is good for anxiety relief and sending out good vibes. 963 HZ is good for opening your third eye. I find these playlists on Spotify.
Crystals tend to be a fairly personal experience as well. I always have selenite nearby when I meditate because its good for clearing negative energy. I also like to have black tourmaline to reduce stress and anxiety. Besides that I like to go into a place that is selling crystals and without looking at the description I like to hold them in my hand and see if I notice anything shifting. Sometimes they just jump right out at us.
Join Emerald Yoga Studio for virtual and in-person classes 7 days a week. We have a great new student special for anyone who is looking to try out their first month here with us. You can find out more at emeraldyoga.com