Meditation 101

If you have been thinking about a meditation practice….hmm, thinking about meditating…..and wondering if you want to know more….”10% Happier” by Dan Harris is a good read. Dan is a TV journalist – Nightline, GMA, 20/20 – and he sprinkles this tale of his journey to mindfulness with anecdotes of well-known public figures from broadcast news. His profession provided an opportunity to meet with some of the most respected professionals in the “field” of meditation and spirituality. He may get a bit self-congratulatory but I appreciated this: ” The act of simply feeling the breath breaks the habits of a lifetime. For those short snatches of time when you are focused on the rise and fall of the abdomen or the cool air entering and exiting the nostrils, the ego is muzzled. You are not thinking, you are being mindful – an innate but underused ability we all have, which allows us to be aware without judging.”