Healthy Tip#645646: Meditation and Daily Life

Image by lisadragon

Meditation is not an uncommon term in our American daily lives. We are all familiar with the images of the Buddhist monk sitting bald-headed and cross-legged on the mountain side, or the transcendental Jim Carrey floating above his body a la “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls.”

My healthy tip for this week is to forget all of the stereotypes or send-ups of the traditional idea of meditation. Instead allow yourself slip into the art of staying in the present moment.

Meditation is healthy way to consciously assess and understand all the demanding stimuli that is introduced to our bodies on a daily basis, and you don’t need a mountain top to do it. Simple meditation is not primarily a physical act, but more a tool of the mind. It’s a way to actively engage your actions, thoughts, feelings and emotions while taking a passive approach to acting upon them. And in my life (or anyone’s life) a good dose of meditation is surely needed.

Personally I find time to sit back and think about my current situations when I’m out running the streets, or walking to class, or those last moments of the night before falling asleep. Sometimes it’s subconscious, and sometimes I’m fully aware of it. But whenever I find myself out on the long runs or walking home late from the library, I try and take a step back from my mistakes in the past and my fears for the future to understand exactly where I am in the present. I am not trying to achieve any goals or standards I set for myself; I am just trying to become aware of them.

So get out their and escape a bit; ride the bike, skip the bus, go grocery shopping… Do whatever you need to do to get a grip on that never-ending question:  

What makes you happy?