Meditating

Last week's slip up and my waning enthusiasm has caused me to re-assess. And to examine -- what can I do to help myself on this journey?

So I think this journey may start taking an unexpected route: I first envisioned it as purely a journey to physical fitness, but I think that's naive. So here I am, exploring mediation. Oprah, Dr Oz, and myriad others have discussed on their shows the benefits of meditation, even on the beneficial links between mediation, a healthy mind, and weight loss.

What prompted me to start exploring mediation was a one-page article I came across in Prevention magazine. I was caught by the title: "The Easiest Way to a Flat Belly," accompanied by a woman lying on the floor. Hell yeah! If I can lay on the floor and get a flat belly, then I'll start now!!

No, oops. The article was about yoga (yeah, I'm trying that too). But the article asserted that "when you're calm, you produce less of the hormone cortisol, a leading cause of abdominal fat."

Wow.

All the times I've been so stressed at work or at home, and not just stressed, but also stress eating, I've been building adominal fat. :(

Another article from Prevention says that practicing mediation can help me learn how my emotions influence my cravings. Then, the theory goes, once I figure out what's behind my cravings, I'm empowered to change the behavior. (We'll see about that.)

Even the venerable WeightWatchers weighed in on the subject. An article on the WW website notes that in recent years, meditation has gone mainstream (which is probably why I'm even considering it). Meditation is also recommended as a stress-reducing technique by hospitals and doctors across the country, and meditation's myriad benefits include reduced blood pressure, healthier arteries and an enhanced sense of well-being. With all these benefits going for it, the WW website posits, meditation is an ideal tool for relaxation and self-discovery on the way to your weight goal.

As he explained in the WeightWatchers article, what happens on the physical level is what Herbert Benson, MD, the Harvard doctor who initiated meditation studies in the 1970s, calls the "Relaxation Response." He discovered that during meditation, brain waves shift into a state similar to -- and sometimes more relaxed than -- sleep. This level of relaxation lowers the amount of stress hormones that can contribute to pain and illness. (That would be the cortisol that the Prevention article introduced me to.)

Here's the healthier mind part: meditation can also create a foundation for healthier thinking and feeling. "When you meditate, all the junk comes up, all the clutter," says one expert. "The negative body images come up, the desires for certain foods come up, and the emotions that are attached to those desires come up. The more they surface, the more you can put them in your mental recycle bin and start with a clean slate."

I'm not a very meditative kinda gal. So I'm not really sure how to get started. I continued exploring online resources.

“Everyone can meditate,” says Sarah McLean, a meditation teacher in Sedona, Arizona, and author of Soul Centered: Transform Your Life in 8 Weeks With Meditation. “Any activity can become a meditative experience if you’re really present in the moment and engage your senses.”

Any activity, huh? I like to walk. How about walking? 

PsychologyToday blogger Dr Kelly McGonigal suggests a 10-minute walking meditation involving 1 minute of paying attention to each of the following:

1. the feeling of your body walking,
2. the feeling of your breath, 
3. the sensations of air or wind on your skin, 
4. what you can hear, and 
5. what you can see.

McGonigal recommends following this with 5 minutes of open awareness where you allow anything you can observe/sense to rise up into your awareness. Don't go looking for things to hear, see, feel etc. Just let whatever rises up into your awareness to do that and be naturally replaced by something else whenever that happens. During the open awareness portion, if your attention drifts to what you're going to make for dinner or that issue at work you're dealing with, return to one of the points of focus to re-engage your attention.

Finally, McGonigal suggests adapting these instructions however you want. Make your practice your own. You're in charge! For example, do a walking meditation in which you focus on one of the above points of focus for 3 minutes and then do 3 minutes of open awareness.

If walking mediation isn't for you, cheer up. There are many types of meditation. WeightWatchers recommends finding one that resonates with your beliefs (there are even Christian oriented mediation groups), and make sure your instructor (if you're choosing to go that route) has plenty of experience. In the meantime, you can try the following:

1. Sit straight in a comfortable, quiet place.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Relax your muscles.
4. Pay attention to your slow and natural breathing.
5. When distracting thoughts occur — and they will — simply notice them and gently bring your attention back to the breath. You may have to do this often at first.
6. Continue for 10 to 20 minutes.
7. Try to practice once or twice daily. With time, meditation will "bring a sense of relaxation, of coming to peace.

I'm struck by how simple meditation can be. Here’re some additional suggestions I found (on the Internet, of course) on how to meditate with a technique tailored to your personality:

• Light a candle. Sit three feet from a flame at eye level,  
  
  and watch it closely for five to 10 minutes. Continue to bring your attention back to the flame every time you notice your focus starting to drift away. 
• Try savoring each bite. Focus on a small morsel, such as a raisin, strawberry, or nut, and notice its shape, size, color, texture, and scent. Place it on your tongue, enjoying the flavor and keeping it in your mouth for as long as you can, at least 20 seconds. Chew slowly. Turning your focus inward and concentrating on sensations such as taste and smell, eating can feel like a new, exciting experience.
• Find a mantra. Sometimes your mind just needs a place to rest. Repeating calming words can give your mind that opportunity to chill. Find a quiet place and sit with your back straight but not rigid. Set a timer for 10 to 15 minutes, and repeat words that will help settle—rather than stimulate—your mind. Try saying “Let” on an inhale and “go” on an exhale, either out loud or silently to yourself.

A search on U-tube uncovers several guided meditations geared toward weight loss. I'm still evaluating whether this is an approach that'll work for me -- although I'm definitely trying some of the techniques described above.

Zenhabits.net offers the following tips to get started:

1. Start with the breath. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is an ideal way to begin practice.
2. Stretch first. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching starts the process of “going inward” and brings added attention to the body.
3. Notice frustration creep up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think “hey, what am I doing here” or “why can’t I just quiet my mind already.” When this happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.
4. Experiment. Although many of us think of effective meditation as a Yogi sitting cross-legged beneath a tree, beginners should be more experimental and try different types of meditation. Try sitting, lying, eyes open, eyes closed, etc.
5. Feel your body parts. A great practice for beginning meditators is to take notice of the body when a meditative state starts to take hold. Once the mind quiets, put all your attention to the feet and then slowly move your way up the body (include your internal organs). This is very healthy and an indicator that you are on the right path.
6. Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. Make sure it is not the same room where you do work, exercise, or sleep. Place candles and other spiritual paraphernalia in the room to help you feel at ease.
7. Read a book (or two) on meditation. Preferably an instructional guide AND one that describes the benefits of deep meditative states. This will get you motivated. John Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are is terrific for beginners.
8. Commit for the long haul. Meditation is a life-long practice, and you will benefit most by NOT examining the results of your daily practice. Just do the best you can every day, and then let it go!
9. Generate moments of awareness during the day. Finding your breath and “being present” while not in formal practice is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation habits. 
   
10. Make sure you will not be disturbed. One of the biggest mistakes is not ensuring peaceful practice conditions. If you have it in the back of your mind that the phone might ring, your kids might wake, or your coffee pot might whistle or your beagle will want to go out, then you will not be able to attain a state of deep relaxation.
11. Use a candle. Meditating with eyes closed can be challenging for a beginner. Lighting a candle and using it as your point of focus allows you to strengthen your attention with a visual cue. This can be very powerful.
12. Be Grateful at the end. Once your practice is through, spend 2-3 minutes feeling appreciative of the opportunity to practice and your mind’s ability to focus.

So with all this info I've just learned about meditation in mind, I'm going to start a 30-day meditation project, geared toward weight loss and fitness, to get myself started. As I try this, I'll devote a paragraph or two, or maybe even a whole blog, to the progress I'm making and what I'm noticing as a result.

I'd love to hear what works for you on your journey to fitness -- please send me an email at daytripgal@gmail.com!

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