I Put Meditation to the Test
For years I wanted to be a meditator, but I could never get myself into the habit enough to make it stick. I’ve always had the issue of myriad thoughts racing through my mind when I’ve tried to make it be quiet, so that I never really feel I’m getting any benefit from it.
One day a couple of weeks ago I was inspired to try again. I was having a lot of trouble sitting at my desk and sinking into the story I was writing. I’d write a few words, and then think of something I forgot downstairs. Write a few words and then decided I needed coffee. Write a few words and then notice the ladybug in the office window and go open it to let her out. It was getting ridiculous.
I think the reason for my distraction is that I have so many things going on in my life and business; wonderful things, but still. My mind was racing with ideas for marketing, for new memes I could make that might go viral, for my upcoming video trailer production, for the other stories in the series. All good stuff, but writing a novel requires focus.
So I decided to try meditating one morning to see if it would help me focus on my work.
The Experiment
Guided Meditations from Abraham-Hicks that I really like. I need noise to keep my brain quiet. You can’t think if you’re listening. The meditations on the CD include 4 guided meditations, General Well-Being, Financial Well-Being, Physical Well-Bring, and Relationships. I popped the CD in, sat down, and played the first recording.
I soon figured out the rhythm of the breathing, which is timed with the tiny bell like tones in the music. Inhale for 3 chimes, exhale for 5 chimes. Inhale-2-3, Exhale-2-3-4-5. It was odd, because Esther doesn’t tell you to breathe every single time. You have to figure it out for yourself. At first I would inhale when she said to inhale, exhale when she said to exhale, and then sit there holding my breath awaiting further instructions. Please note, that is not the correct method. Esther only chimes in here and there to keep you on pace. The pattern applies even when she doesn’t say so. Inhale-2-3, Exhale-2-3-4-5, and immediately repeat, whether she tells you to or not. Once I got the pattern, it went great. Between focusing on counting out the breaths, and listening to her words, I was able to keep my mind from racing pretty much the whole time.
I headed to my desk, and sat down to write. [bctt tweet=”After 15 minutes of meditation, I wrote 2000 words in about 90 minutes. Skip meditation-it takes 3 hours! BlissBlog.org”] 90 Minutes! And my writing for the day was done.
Inhale, Exhale, Repeat
I was thrilled, and wondered if that kind of fabulous writing pace was because of the meditation or just coincidence. I mean, we all have days when it flows like that from time to time. So I repeated the process the next day, and the next, and the next. [bctt tweet=”Each time I meditated, I was instantly in The Zone, and emerged about 90 minutes later with my 2000 words written. Blissblog.org”].
The Split Test
The story started coming alive for me. And one day I was so eager to write the next scene that I skipped meditation and went straight to the computer. As I sat down, I felt a little bit guilty, but then I said to myself, “No guilt. Just consider it a split test.” So I started writing. And even though I was into the story and knew exactly what I wanted to do, I experienced the return of that old distraction. Did I leave the burner on in the kitchen? Oh, look the cat’s prowling around telling me to feed her. Hey, what kind of bird is that singing outside the window? It took me two hours to get the first 1000 words. The second 1000 came about an hour after, and then finally I caught fire and wrote another 300 words in almost no time. It had taken me 3 hours and 10 or 15 minutes to get my pages for the day written.
Repeat the Split Test? Life's Too Short! [bctt tweet=”For me, this test proved that my morning meditation was indeed causing me to write more (and better) in far less time. BlissBlog.org”]. Not only that, but I was enjoying the process more when I was focused and not scattered. The fifteen minute meditations seemed to put me instantly into The Zone. Normally, I don’t hit The Zone until I’ve been writing for an hour or more. And I didn’t want to waste the hours again. Taking the fifteen minutes was literally saving me hours.
And Then I Evolved
I downloaded the app to my iPhone (Hint: use the link. I tried every imaginable combination of the title in the iTunes search box and couldn’t find it that way.) And now I enjoy using the Mostly Music Meditation unless my brain is chaotic. Those are times for one of the others.
The Takeaway
My experimenting these past two weeks has proven to me beyond any doubt, that spending 15 minutes in the morning will save me at least an hour and often more. And that’s an hour I can spend on anything I want. You can’t put a price tag on that.
It also showed me that becoming a meditator is as easy as deciding to, and setting aside a few minutes a day to devote to it. And might I just reiterate, this doesn’t take time away from anything else. It makes everything else go faster, so you wind up with more time. [bctt tweet=”Meditation is like investing in something that pays back double. Your free time expands! BlissBlog.org “]
I am finding after two weeks that, rather than focusing on quieting my mind or listening to anything or relaxing into anything, my meditations have begun to give me the feeling that I am connecting with my higher self. Plugging in to the Divine energy of my spirit. Only a small part of who we really are pours itself into these physical bodies when we are born. The bigger part of us remains in spirit, and it is vast and powerful and a part of the Divine Whole, The Source, The All, God, Goddess. When I meditate, I feel I can touch and experience that higher part of me. And the ideas and notions that come to me throughout the rest of the day feel inspired and brilliant. When we use something often, we get better at it. When we exercise a muscle, it gets stronger. When we open our connection, that connection becomes stronger and stronger. We become more in tune.
All This Time
As many times as I have heard of read of the many benefits of meditation, I have never known it personally until now. It’s such an easy simple thing to do, and it has such amazing, powerful, positive results, I cannot imagine why it took me so long. But like anything else, you never really know about it until you try it for yourself.
I encourage you to try it out and see what your results are. Do your own split test, and see what you think.
Leave a comment and tell me about your experiences with meditation, your favorite meditation recordings, or any pre-writing rituals that put you into The Zone. I’d love to hear your methods!
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