Who is Meditation For?



Posted: Monday, April 06, 2009

by
http://www.HeleneFinizio.com

The 5 W's of Meditation- Part II

Many people think, Im not the meditating type when they think about taking time out of the day to slow down, tune in and recharge. The way the world is run today, we are taught to work as hard as possible, as long as possible, doing as much as we can with as little as possible. It is as if we are being taught to accomplish the closest we can come to pleasing all of the people all of the time.

Take the average Joe Blue Collar. Lets say that Joe Blue Collar is working 40 hours per week at a Walmart, gets a 15 minute break every 4 hours, and makes minimum wage. Joe Blue Collar is told that he is supposed to make ends meet for his wife and two children in todays economy on this income. He comes home to endless tasks around the house, constant maintenance on the car and endless demands emotionally in managing the needs of his loved ones. His friends have similar situations, and when they all get together the group spends their time trying to vent the frustrations of their lives, or simply trying to forget.

Then we go to our regular Jen White Collar. Jen White Collar is trying to make a career work. She went to school for business and is living in a fairly large metropolitan area. Her student loans outweigh her income five times over. At work, Jen White Collar is constantly being scrutinized by her higher ups. She is asked to complete 80 hours worth of work in 60 hours each week, being told to learn how to multi-task and prioritize. The dilemma is that everything she is doing requires clear focus and attention and is a priority.

Our world is filled with endless examples of individuals with lifestyles that seem to operate on the maxim, I need to get it all done with as little as possible. This means little time, little money, little rest, little energy, and we want BIG RESULTS, BIG REWARDS, BIG RETURNS and BIG PLEASURES.

NONE of the above people are who we might consider to be the spokes-model for meditation. Yet these are the people for whom meditation can be of the greatest value. In Part I of this series, we defined meditation as, any act that connects the conscious mind of the experiencing individual to that life energy that supports us. This life energy can be found within the individual, in other people in our lives, between one another and in the world at large. It is everywhere. It is always accessible.

The act of connecting with an endless supply of life energy, an energy that is here to support us and is available at any time, connecting us to ourselves and one another, is an INCREDIBLE GIFT for those who are constantly met with the demands of the day. Taking even a few moments to breath deeply and tune in to ourselves can actually increase our productivity, decrease our stress, allow greater focus and concentration on the tasks at hand, increase feelings of positive affect and tune us in to the best ways to move forward in the moment.

So who is meditation for?

It is for everyone. Joe Blue Collar, Jen White Collar, Jim the Senior Executive, Gina the housewife, Eileen the Entertainer, Adrian the Artist, Mohammad the Monk and Steve the Surgeon. If you are working to live your life fully, enjoying your time while managing the demands of our world, meditation can be an incredible tool to allow you to find your best self in each and every moment.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)
» left by Connor Davidson
 2 years 300 days ago.
89 fans. Follow Connor Davidson on twitter!
Great article. Well done.
 
I have yet to try meditation.
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