The Art of Meditation
Elissa Goodman is one of LA's premiere Cleanse Experts and Holistic Nutritionists focused on helping fight cancers through transformative lifestyle and diet changes. In this column, Elissa offers wisdom on nutrition, how to support a healthy immune system, and more.
Last weekend I had the great privilege to attend the Hayhouse “I Can Do It” conference. It was an amazing weekend filled with some of my absolute favorite (and new favorite) speakers.
It really instilled in me the importance of the mind, body, spirit connection. All the new research shows how incredibly connected all these elements are. You simply cannot heal a physical ailment without addressing the emotional underbody. You have to find peace within to be whole without.
Many of the speakers including meditation practices within their presentations. It was clear how important doing meditation was to healing your body and reaching optimal health. After one meditation, I turned to my assistant who was with me and asked her how it went. She admitted she had fallen asleep.
We’ve all been there! Getting into meditation can be a long, slow process and frustrating. Many people think they can just dive into it and reach higher spiritual levels that day. But like anything great, it takes practice and dedication. I’ve been meditating for many, many years and I still have frustrating moments.
Now is the best time to start this practice, as daily meditation practice can help you keep your calm when stress strikes!
I thought I would share some of my favorite “tips” on how to practice meditating.
Unplug. Don’t just silence the TV or put your phone on vibrate. Really unplug. Turn it off! Disconnect. Any noise or disturbance can break your meditation, even a phone buzzing from the other room. Do it when you’re home alone or somewhere where no one else can interrupt you.
Create a sanctuary. You don’t have to have a beautiful garden or a zen room covered in Buddha statues, but you should find a space that you can feel calm and safe in. Build a routine- it may be burning incense or lighting candles or spraying your favorite perfume. Once you get into it, the idea is that you can meditate anywhere, but I believe in creating a routine and building a nice space to begin.
Start early. It doesn’t seem that hard to find an extra 15-20 minutes to meditate daily, but you’d be surprised as to how hard it gets as the day moves on. Wake up a little early and commit to doing it in the morning. The excuses come easy before bed, but if you wake up to do it, not much else will get in the way.
Clear your mind. Easier said than done, I know! My mind is always racing and I have a really hard time clearing it. So I have tried focusing on one image, something beautiful and calming like a ball of light or a flower. You can use anything that represents calm and peace for you. Don’t push your brain to focus on it, just simply lightly focus.
Recite a mantra. Reciting something over and over may feel kind of dumb, but it will not only help you with your breathing but it will also help you clear your mind. Try with this simple starter: “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in (breathe in), Breathing out, I know I am breathing out (breathe out).”
Try, try again. I can almost guarantee it won’t work the first time. It may not even work the second time. You may go weeks before you think anything is really happening. Keep trying. Suddenly, you may find yourself in a stressful situation reacting in a calm manner. It’s working!
A daily meditation practice can truly change your life. I would love to encourage you to try it for at least 30 days. Commit to spending at least 15 minutes once a day for 30 days in meditation. I think you’ll be thanking me!