Jan 25, 2015 Esoteric 3 min read

What I've Learned from 2 Years of Meditation (ep 05)

In episode 5 of the Maker/Mistaker Podcast, Jeff and George talk about meditation.

Do you meditate? If not, why? Sometimes meditation can be intimidating or confusing. We break it down in hopes we can inspire you to add this amazing habit to your daily routine.

Both of us have been meditating regularly for two years now and we want to share what we have learned. It has been a major component in our paths out of depression and has directly shaped the way we look at life now and in the future.

More and more people are learning about meditation and it's cousin "mindfulness." We cover the basics of what meditation is and isn't as well as how you can do it. We talk about some of the benefits we have experienced and also get into both the practical applications of meditation and the spiritual.

Some of the benefits we have seen after meditating for 2 years include:

Depression is virtually completely gone
Mindfulness lasts well beyond the meditation session
Reduces stress and anxiety
Deeper intuition and ability to sense energies
Increased ability to stay attentive for longer periods of time
Appreciation for solitude and silence
More equipped to overcome addictions and bad habits
Mind-blowing spiritual or mystical experiences
Dramatically increased awareness of mind, body, and spirit
Realization of how thoughts form and manifest in reality
Ability to stay calm and centered during high stress events

We couldn't forget to share what books, podcasts, and apps have helped us out the most. So make sure you listen for that!

Please share with us your thoughts on meditation in the comments below.

Read on for the show notes.

Music for this episode: You Got This by Jeff Finley

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Show Notes

00:00:45 Introductions 00:02:00 Updates from Jeff Finley 00:04:45 What is meditation? 00:07:33 Misconceptions about meditation 00:11:00 How did meditation come into our lives? 00:14:00 Meditation and Yoga 00:18:20 Using the Headspace app 00:21:15 What do people experience when they meditate? 00:25:00 Starting out with meditation and why people avoid meditation 00:30:00 What to do about your thoughts 00:39:15 Your awareness is like a spotlight 00:44:22 What do we do when we meditate? 00:56:00 The benefit of mindfulness 00:58:00 Suffering and judgement, your inner critic 01:03:00 Open Source Yoga (Advanced Yoga Practice) 01:08:00 Mantras and Transcendental Meditation 01:15:40 Getting comfortable sitting for a long time 01:23:05 The benefits of meditation from our experience 01:26:00 Everything can be a meditation 01:30:40 Higher states of consciousness and mystical experiences 01:34:00 How meditation helped with my night terrors and turned them into out of body experiences 01:37:00 Having direct mystical and spiritual experiences yourself 01:39:00 Drugs and psychedelic experiences 01:51:00 How did people do this without apps, books, and Internet? 01:56:25 Our favorite resources for meditation and mindfulness

Links and Resources for Meditation: