#090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still. March 16, The 5 am Miracle - Episode #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still

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1 1 #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still March 16, 2015 Introduction The 5 am Miracle - Episode #090: Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still [Intro Song] Good morning and welcome to the 90th episode of The 5 AM Miracle. I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast. Every Monday morning my goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy. Here on The 5 AM Miracle Podcast we discuss early mornings, but we also dive much deeper into topics like healthy habits, personal development, and rockin productivity! This week I discuss how to still and meditate. That s right, if you think you can t focus, even for

2 2 just a minute, I ll show a simple and effective way to get started in just a few seconds. SECONDS! But first, if you consider yourself a productivity junkie, then I think you re going to love my ebook, 10 Miracles. 10 Miracles is a short ebook that highlights my Top 10 Tools for Productivity Junkies. I personally use and LOVE all of these tools and I think you will too. To get your free copy of the ebook and audiobook, visit 10Miracles.com. Now, let s begin with a quick announcement and the Tip of the Week! [Fade Music Up and Out] 5 AM Success Stories Quick form to fill out Or leave a voice message Your chance to get featured in my book, or even share your story on my podcast, blog, website, or some other public forum. JeffSanders.com/5amStory

3 3 =========================================== This week s Tip is a great resource from our friend Nicole Antoinette, who has been a repeat guest on this show. No BS Lab: an online habit-forming, life-boosting workshop-style boot camp that includes... 4, 28-Day Challenges + New Ones Coming Out 10, Expert Audio Interviews (including me) + 2 New workshops added every month Plus you get to vote on the upcoming content being released throughout 2015 Learn much more and join the JeffSanders.com/nobslab [World Music Interlude] I never thought of myself as a person who could meditate well. I always thought meditation was for other people, people who had less energy, or who had an easy schedule, or people who could quiet their mind and think about nothing.

4 4 Turns out I was wrong on all counts. I can meditate and I have been so just about every day for the last few months. I firmly believe that you too can meditate, and you should for a multitude of reasons. My history with meditation Trying to think about nothing Trying to meditate at work Trying to meditate with my dog licking my face Trying to meditate in silence The Goal of Meditation The goal can vary widely from person to person My goal is to pause, clarify, and re-group Yours could be just about anything What Meditation is not Meditation is not... Sitting perfectly still Thinking about nothing Prayer Reserved for religious people or zen monks Chanting, though you can chant while you

5 5 meditate (or do any number of repetitive actions like walking, running, or working) Nap time Hard or even impossible Reserved for flexible people who can sit cross-legged The solution to all of your problems What Meditation is Meditation is... Deep thinking Contemplation Thought-provoking Reflective A focus mechanism A chance to pause An opportunity to find clarity An exercise tool for your brain A better use of your time than watching TV Extremely beneficial for many reasons Benefits of Meditation 1.Spiritual enlightenment 2.Slower pace

6 6 3.Quieter mind 4.Sharper ability to focus on one thing at a time 5.Lower blood pressure 6.More mental energy 7.More self-confidence and greater sense of control 8.Greater clarity 9.Relief from stress and anxiety 10. Mental Rehearsal Book, Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz, uses mental rehearsal to practice performance in the mind before doing it with the body. How to do Traditional Meditation 1.Find a location to be alone Focus is critical here, so don t choose a location where you can be interrupted. 2.Schedule time in your calendar or task manager Morning is a 3.During Your session: Wear comfortable clothing Support your back with your spine straight You can close your eyes, but you don t have to You can choose a guided meditation, music,

7 7 ocean waves, nature sounds, or silence Wearing headphones helps, even if you don t listen to any audio 4.Start tiny, real tiny, like a few seconds Seriously, you can start as small as you want and grow from there. 5.Focus on something simple breathing, counting, or a singular topic like love, abundance, joy, etc. 6.Gradually increase the time to a few minutes. The key is consistency, not duration. 7.Over time, work up to 10, 20, 30, or 60 minutes I have not yet been able to make it past 20 minutes, but I m working up to it. Once again, consistent practice is the key to meditation. Famous Zen saying, You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day. If you are too busy, then you should sit for an hour.

8 8 Meditation for People Who Can t Sit Still Yes, you can meditate while doing other activities besides sitting still. Book: Running with a Mind of Meditation by Sakyong Mipham Here s a Simple Process: 1.Choose a repetitive activity to do alone that doesn t involve sitting still. a.walking, running, cycling, working. 2.Wear headphones and listen to a guided meditation to help you focus 3.Try to think about one singular topic the entire time, or focus on the breathe, the pounding of your feet on the pavement, or the sound of the keyboard clicks as you type The goal is focus and slowing the mind. Repetition is key. Your body doesn t have to be still, but it s best if

9 9 your mind and body are working together towards one common objective. Great Apps and Gadgets to Choose From Calm ios and Android Great for guided meditations Free meditations available and a Pro version of the app as well. Headspace ios, Android, and Amazon Also great for guided meditations 10-day meditation series to get started, then a paid version. Buddhify ios and Android Lots of variety and more unique guided meditations. $5 app to get access to the meditations. Muse Meditation Brain-Sensing Headband

10 10 $300 headband that plays music that aligns to your brain activity to help you focus. Pay Flynn uses this and thinks it s amazing. I haven t found a need to spend $300 just yet, but I would love to know your thoughts if you own this or buy it soon. Link in the show notes. Many more online Just Google it. Meditation Recordings from Jeff Sanders That s right, I have recorded my own guided meditations that you can listen to while you meditate. Get 3 free downloads on breathing, energy, and focus at JeffSanders.com/meditation. If these are popular I may offer more in the future. These are very short to get your started, just 1 minute, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes in length. Once again that s JeffSanders.com/meditation. Meditation can be for everyone

11 11 Don t think of yourself as someone who can t meditate. Think of yourself as someone who needs just a second to slow the pace, calm the mind, and focus. Action Steps: #1 Download at least one meditation app for your phone. Calm, Headspace, or Buddhify are great ones to start with. You can also download 3 free meditations from me at JeffSanders.com/meditation. #2 Get out your calendar and task manager and decide exactly when you will commit to daily meditation. Find a location where you can be completely alone. Find a time when nothing else is going on in your life (like 5:00 am). Open up your Daily Rituals Template (the one you got when you joined The 5 AM 5amMiracle.com) and add meditation to your list of habits to track. #3 Just do it. Sit in a chair, close your eyes and breathe. In the end, that s all it takes.

12 12 Sit, close your eyes, and breathe. Site, close your eyes, and breathe. [Fade In Music] BIG thanks to Matthew Dunsdon for his becoming a patron of this podcast! If you love this show you can join Matthew and become a patron at jeffsanders.com/patron, or leave a review in itunes at jeffsanders.com/itunes. Either one is cool with me. Both would be out-of-this-world awesome! As always, if you would like to see the complete list of the links I mentioned in this episode, please visit the show notes page at JeffSanders.com/90, as in Episode 90. Finally, next week on the podcast I will be interviewing Jeff Brown, host of the Read to Lead Podcast. Jeff and I will be discussing leadership, personal development through reading, and the amazing power of accountability. Well, that's it for this episode of The 5 AM Miracle Podcast.

13 13 Until next time remember, you have the power to change your life, and the fun begins bright and early. [Fade Out Music]

#107: Your ONE Thing That Matters Most: An Interview with Jay Papasan. July 13, 2015

1 #107: Your ONE Thing That Matters Most: An Interview with Jay Papasan July 13, 2015 Introduction How many priorities do you have today? How many do you think you should have? My guest today would argue