Do you meditate? I know you are busy and have a lot of demands vying for your time energy and attention. If you don’t already have a meditation practice, though there are many ways you can incorporate one into your life, you may have several objections to beginning one.

Are you worried that it’s not in keeping with your faith? Is meditation only for those flexible enough to sit in lotus position? Are you afraid that meditation is a recruiting tool for a cult? If you think of the word meditation, what springs to mind? Images of a person who is white? Slender? Are they sitting cross-legged somewhere with their eyes closed? Or maybe a robed, barefoot ascetic who has given up their worldly possessions? More importantly, what if you don’t want to take off your shoes?  

What is Meditation? At different times it may be different things. There are some who draw a very distinctive line when it comes to the difference between meditation, mindfulness and prayer. To me, these have some overlap, but may vary a little bit from setting to setting its intent. Prayer is asking God within or to change something. Meditation may be thought of as pressing pause and clearing out. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing on what is–without judgement–while accepting that we may lose focus and judge. Here, I am using meditation interchangeably with mindfulness and if you practice faith you may already consider everything you do is in the name of your faith.

There are many benefits to meditation. In conjunction with medical or mental health care, patients who regularly participate in mediation have been shown to report less discomfort and better outcomes in some cases. Many business leaders and celebrities tout the benefits of meditation.

When practiced regularly, participating in meditation activities regularly has been associated with several desirable outcomes such as more creativity, increased awareness, a sense of connection with intuition, better sleep, more compassion and simply a better overall greater sense of well-being. There are even studies that show meditating can aid in countering the effects of stress on the brain and even lower the blood pressure of people with hypertension.

13.5% of the black respondents said they had meditated in the 12 months prior according to a survey of U.S.adults conducted in 2017 by the National Center for Health Statistics. The survey also found that women are more likely to meditate than men. Furthermore, the percentage of all surveyed increased significantly to about 14% from just over 4% in 2012.

While not absolutely everyone meditates, many do. Who doesn’t want to mitigate the effects of stress or feel better overall? Why aren’t more black women doing it? Clearly, many of us are, but concerns that practices may be in opposition Christian teachings may be one reason that more African-Americans don’t meditate. In reviewing the benefits meditation can provide, it’s clear that African-American women stand to receive many positive benefits from meditation.

Ask yourself: How am I showing up in the word? If you would like to start a meditation practice, there are more options available now than ever before. Whether you have mobility issues, cannot change into athletic clothes, have limited funds or simply don’t have a lot of time, you can meditate. The simpler the approach, the easier it is for you to do it in more places. Be safe; this is not medical advice. Check with a health provider to be sure this is safe for you and, of course, don’t try these while driving or doing other activities. Here are some suggestions:

• Set a timer and sit. That’s it. If you like, you could focus on your breath or breathe deeply. You can probably do this in many places, wearing street clothes. . . and you can do it while wearing shoes!
• Find a recorded guided meditation that you will enjoy listening to. I recently found there are podcasts of guided meditations. You might find old CDs in thrift stores, or ask a friend to borrow one. There are scores available on platforms like YouTube. Apps like Shine are also available for your phone.
• Check the catalog of your parks and recreation department or nearest community colleges. Many offer one-time or series of classes that can introduce you to methods of meditation.
• Search online for meditation centers that might offer standing classes or one-time workshops where you can get an introduction to techniques.

As for me, my parents were born during the Great Depression and they raised me as a churchgoer in the Midwest. Like many people from that era, ours was a very traditional family. My dad had a military background, and we had contact and exposure with people from diverse backgrounds. Even so, before I set off for college, meditation was among the very long list of things my parents urged me to be wary of, for fear it could be used to exploit people. I’m not sure if it was because of our culture, our faith or because of the sensationalized misdeeds of charismatic cult leaders in the 1970s, but it was clear that they were not fans of meditation.

However. . .ever curious, ever a seeker, when I was in my mid-20s, I had an opportunity to visit a Buddhist temple near Chicago to see what all of the fuss was about. In a storefront building, I practiced seated silent meditation for over an hour. As you may have guessed, I didn’t achieve enlightenment or emerge significantly different in the handful or so of visits I made. Nor did I feel even remotely recruited to do anything remotely out of my nature or against my will. But, I did learn the power of just sitting still. Plus, the people were very kind and encouraging.

In the many years since, I meditated, though not regularly. Recently, my therapist gently asked if I’d like to try meditation to quell my high level of anxiety. I was taken aback, because it had been a long time since I’d done it. She assured me there is no wrong way to do it and that the important thing is to give myself that attention and set aside time to attend to my needs amidst the long list of people who rely on me on any given day.

It has helped lower my anxiety and also helped my ability to focus. It hasn’t been a panacea, and I still haven’t reached enlightenment, but it is a very useful tool I can use. Whether you think you could get a benefit of one kind or another or are merely curious, you can probably find a low-stakes way to give meditation a try and I’d encourage you to. Meditation helped me and it very well could help you. Remember that doing it perfectly is not the point. Simply meditating is the objective.

Featured photo by Eye for Ebony on Unsplash.