I have been meditating since 1987, and it has helped me to let go of things I cannot change. When I am in a bad situation I no longer yell and scream. I stop. Take many deep breaths, and my stress level goes down. The problem may still be there but I see it for what it is, try to accept it, and then figure out a way to fix it, always keeping in mind that I simply have to accept the consequences without losing my sanity.
The 5 myths are: 1. Meditation is not about quieting the mind. 2:43 2. There is no correct way to meditate. 5:15 3. I don't have time to meditate. 8:30 4. Meditation will solve all my problems. 10:41 5. Success in meditation is based on stillness in the mind. 13:21
My grandmother used to really be into meditation. She had an entire bookcase of books just on this subject. She meditated every single day and I never understood it. I disturbed her on more than one occasion. Although my grandmother is no longer with us, she was the loveliest person your would ever meet. She was very creative and made and sold stained glass pictures and sculptures, oil paintings, hand made cards and may other things at crafts shows around the country. She then gave £1000 every year to a charity in the I would like to say, I'm sorry for disturbing you when you were meditating, nan, I understand it better now. I only thought of a polar bear the first time and never thought of one the second time. This is an excellent video and I felt an inner peace just doing the part he says at the end. Thank you for posting all of these brilliant, mind enhancing videos TEDx.
to Steven Barnes, I think that if you had disturbed your Grandmother, while She was meditating, that She would have been grateful for the disturbance, because She would understand the innocents of a child, & so She may have been prepaired for it sometimes, "because somebody that was so zen like" with her continued practices would, I think mean that you would be in a state of mind that would allow you to be prepaired for little interuptions every now & then, put it this way, if your Grandmother was ever meditating when you were around there, & She was aware that you were there, but never got disturbed by you I am sure she would have found it hard to concerntrate, because if She wasn't disturbed by you when She knew that you were around, that it may be hard to focus when you are expecting to hear little voices, but it's all quiet, some times hearing people even while meditating can help put your mind into a good place, because you know they're safe most of the time if you can hear them. for a small portion of my life I lived near train lines, & as funny as it sounds after you get use to them, even while sleeping if they didn't come for one reason or another you would be missing them because of being conditioned to your environment.
Really great talk. Basically well and simply explained that we should not go against the flow and accept everything as it is to be able to relax and meditate
My version that I heard is if you don’t have time to meditate once a day you should meditate twice a day and I knew that as a fact for five years and I only started my true commitment to daily meditation last week but better late than never
At the first 2-3 minutes of the video i thought i ain't gonna listen him to 17 minutes but the quality of his words were so good that i made it till the end of the it
Meditation is just life changing. I meditate daily, if I miss a day or so I really notice a difference. I feel so much better and have more energy after meditating....life is more effortless. The ability to REWIRE YOUR THINKING through meditation is such a GIFT.
This is the best talk about meditation I have ever seen. Still, the experience of meditation is highly unique for every individual. No two meditators could register the same experiences.
I've been meditating regularly for almost 20 years and this my new favorite video on meditation! Excellent tips for the greatest gift you can give yourself :-)
I tried meditation (I think mindfullness is more acurate), 2 months ago and it has really improove my mind my memory and my happiness. Now I meditate everyday for 7-10 minutes. Very useful video. Bravo!
Your mind will be bombarded by the noisy thoughts, but when peace and calmness enters these noise will stay there but they will no longer distracts you, the noise will add to your calmness. That is what I am experiencing in meditation.
I came here to say that same thing. First time I've ever been able to fully listen and comprehend a video at twice the speed without having to go back and relisten.
Thank you for your TED talk. I had been meditating with some success, and I feel confident that after listening to your talk, I will have better meditation experiences and results. You have 'relaxed' my expectations, and I feel now I can be more accepting of different meditation experiences and enjoy and embrace them. It's all good.
That was the finest meditation seminar ever. Thank you!! I've no doubt it will reach many people who otherwise wouldn't bother with meditation. One of the main problems I've found with meditation is sharing the idea of it. For whatever reason, many people seem to think of it in esoteric terms, instead of a simple technique. They take it that when their mind wonders in practice, it's proof that they can't do it. Little do beginners especially appreciate that a wondering mind is a good meditation teacher, because having to bring the mind back continually to the point of focus is a rooting l practice. And that's partly what improves their practice.
What a great talk on Meditation, Light! Somehow I've not see this before but you mentioned it when I came to your refresher in London on Sunday. For everyone else: Light was my first meditation teacher back in Venice in April of 2011. I am now a Meditation teacher myself and incorporate meditation into my psychotherapy practice.Practicing Meditation has definitely transformed my life and given me inner peache and happiness...AND focus. Light is a phenomenal teacher and I highly recommend him to anyone who is interested in learning how to Meditate.
Personally meditation for me was working on developing better focus. In the beginning I focused on my breathing like most meditation instructors says to do. And within 30 seconds instead of focusing on my breathing my mind would wander. So I challenge myself to spend just 15 minutes every evening before bed to just focus on my breathing. I would sit comfortably and the best Lotus position I could do. I would slightly tilt my head upwards to bring Focus between my eyebrows. And every time I had a Wandering thought I would acknowledge it and focus back on my breathing. By the end of 35 days I was spending 30 minutes I'm just focusing on my breathing. The best part was every other aspect of my life I was more engaged and focused. At day 60 almost nothing could distract me. I would get intimate with whatever I needed to focus on whether it was a conversation or a task. I think that's what meditation truly is for once you can start controlling your focus your attention span all other possibilities start opening up.
Well done and all of it so very true! I've been practicing meditation for the last three weeks with the aid of the Muse headband device and the effects have been noticeable already. I think the biggest difference that I notice is that I can mentally release and step away a bit from a situation that may be intense. Not to escape the situation but rather to better emotionally and mentally engage with the situation appropriately. I feel like meditation is giving me extra breathing room in life. And for me that's huge!
Unsuccessful a lot of years, got a book called Breath, the science of a lost art. Found the wim Hof method, downloaded the app. 4 days in I listened to Allen Watts guided meditation, and it finally is working. I have listened to it 100s of times before What felt like a 30 minute meditation was less than 13 minutes.
I have been meditating for over 50 years, began as a young martial artist, something I still do. Meditation does not change your life. It doesn't settle your brain waves. You do. Meditation is an attitude and discipline. That is all. There is no one technique, but there are lots of them. Besides the many things I've become in 6 decades of which all of them involved getting to the level of instructor (I am also a professor,) I attribute the achievements not to talent, or genius, but to discipline. And all of that began with my training in martial arts at 10 years old - which carried me through to today. And all that training, and all the training I've ever done, was about meditation. Meditation is training. Everything is about meditation. It is not about sitting in a lotus position thinking of clouds or nothing - but sitting quietly discovering new ways to enjoy the quiet time while you discover something more about yourself. And anyone can do that.
Meditation is the same as going to the gym but youre not going there with your body but your mind. I started meditation an hour a day when i was younger and the noise in my head almost completly disappeared. Now im older and i stopped meditation and my mind is noiser. So really mind is a muscle you need to train.
The world you live in is the world you see through your own eyes . Changing , improving your ability to live in a serene world, is changing the world . I start my night of sleep by letting my thoughts run and when my mind starts to quite , I turn off the light .
When I meditate I shut my mouth not my eyes then breath through my nose which triggers my vagus nerve and in turn my parasympathetic nervous system which means I am always in rest, relax and recovery mode. By doing this I meditate with each and every breath while instilling my mind with the word calm and all its counterparts. I need no set time for meditation because I breathe all day.
In 5 or so years of trying to find the simplest most basic starting point/ explanation for how and why to do it ,this is it. Right on Light! You got the right stuff. I think if we go seeking for a master Guru or teacher and try to emulate that were pretty much failing from the get go. 🙏🏻
Thanks very much and well done on a wonderfully presented talk Light. Over time I have read, viewed and listened to many and varied techniques on meditation. I wanted to be able to put the little pieces of information and advice into practice. I like many struggled to do this as I experimented and found the myths you speak of impeding my practice. However your talk enabled me to see how to overcome the myths/impediments in a little over 15 minutes. I'm far more confident now to practice meditation keeping it simple without striving for some "results". Well done again, you are helping people and that's so generous.
Thank you so much for clarification on meditation. It makes so much sense. I have tried on and off to do it without actually understanding what I was doing. 10 minutes a day is worth it and I am definitely worth taking that time.
I like it. The myths that were busted for me were, meditation is a blank mind, he dispelled that with the polar bear example. meditation is about a still mind. He explained about meditation is moving around thoughts. I liked the final excercise of just letting your thoughts wander and always having the breath there to return back to. I do this when I take a walk. I find it does much the same thing. I think about a range of topics and always when I run out I just return to my stepping. just moving forwards with my feet. The momentum and the breeze and the sights around me.
I agree with you, meditation is about a still mind. I enjoy very much spending time in nature and exercising. There is when my mind wonders freely until I find the sweet spot where finally my thoughts are quite.
He is good. As a psychologist I knew about the studies and more because I practice and suggest patients to do so. However, is the first time ,after learning different meditation techniques, that a meditation teacher/ coach in few words in a instruction has solve the famous 'monkey mind' dilemma: Let your mind flow and second focus on your breath. Usually, meditation teachers say it different. They emphasis on the breathing and leave the mind as something to get rid off ( of course many say is an impossible 100% mission, since is the minds work is to think). Next month, I'm going to a Vipassana retreat. I heard from a Goenka YT video that usually most of the meditation techniques objective is find peace, get rid of stress but Vipassana objective is purification, related to the subconscious. Let's see how I experience it. Thank you
As a Muslim after Morning workout,I do pray to God for Few mints and than I do visualize mediation for few mints .meditation is cool but prayer to go is the best thing I ever feel for my brain
allowing the mind to wonder and drift is a mistake, because we are training our minds to cultivate such habit. really we are to practice being conscious when mind drifts and pulling it our attention back on relaxing and calming mind body.
pheng lee Hey uhhhhhh, this is literally what he said towards the end. He said focus on your breathe and if you notice the mind starts to wonder, gently bring it back (without getting mad at yourself or having any negative feelings). Do this everytime your mind wonders. Basic mindfulness. I wonder if you didn't watch all of the video cuz I was thinking the same thing you were until he got to the end :)
Proud to be an Indian.... Meditation was invented in India thousands year ago and the first man to address it in west is Swami Vivekananda ... hope all you know about Swamiji and the great Chicago address...
With meditation - I find lots of people have preconceptions about what they “should” be feeling or not feeling, or they tie “goals” to their meditation practice. For example, “I’m going to meditate so I can become xyz…” This type of thinking often deters people because they find that they didn’t get what they set out to get with meditation. It is far more productive (if you’re going to set a goal with meditation at all), to set the goal of meditating every single day regardless of how you feel, regardless of how tired you are, regardless of what’s happening in the outer world, regardless of how much time you think you have, etc. Just do it. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes …whatever you can do. Without expectations, without forcing anything, without judging anything. You will eventually look back (maybe after 10-20 years of doing daily meditation) and realize how it has impacted your life, your personality, your relationships, your ability to think, create and love. It’s amazing.
Make it what is good for you. Definitely learn the foundation of meditation. But you will refine it to your needs. Meditation is important daily I definitely recommend it. Good talk
I thought my disability was keeping me from meditation. I thought I couldn't focus or compartmentalize as an autistic but it was really easy. It must be the anxiety. I'm a Savant syndrome case so I guess my mind wanders naturally. Ha! Thanks for proving some old myths my therapist put on me that seems to now be bias about the Autistic spectrum rather than across the board and empowering me to believe I can do this without RX. I need to slow down and rethink the way I'm thinking. It's hurting me to think so hard and I run a real risk of aneurism due to a rare disease, Behçet's. It seems when I'm stressed I see polar bears but otherwise I'm super focused. I've been meditating all right... I just need to bring it into my life more. Qi Gong is very helpful for this, but the discipline is the key. Brilliant speech.
Myth 1: I’m a bad mediator if I can’t quiet my mind. Truth is thoughts will naturally & definitely wander after 5-6 sec and thoughts wandering = deep rest. When you notice your thoughts have wandered, just return to your breathing. You are not a bad mediator. Myth 2: there is no correct way to mediate. Truth is a tricky yes/no. Speaker actually suggests a comfortable seated posture instead of a stereotyped monk pose. If a posture is easy to practice and last for consistency then it is a better way to meditate. Myth 3: I have no time to meditate. Truth is meditation can reverse your biological clock and refund you the time you spend on meditation and more. Myth 4: meditation will solve all your problem. Truth is meditation may not be as miraculous as advertised. Myth 5: success meditation is your ability to still your mind. ( to me, this is similar to myth 1) . Truth is meditation practice may not bring you this expected positive result but it will definitely bring you some positive results- just that the people around you may notice it sooner than yourself. The positive results will differ per each person and the progress is very insidious.
I've changed my mind about meditation after this TED talk. I can do as he instructed rather than how I've been taught in the past; it never was sustainable bc it was just so difficult and I didnt gain anything that I know of. It's so difficult to think of NOTHING. Lol 10 minutes of focusing on breathing after my amazing Wim Hof breathing exercise works wonders. Look up Wim Hof (IceMan)...these 2 go together fabulously. Also trying SOMA breathwork.
This video is about the myths of meditation. Its intention is not to teach meditation. And what he is talking about are the most often given complaints about meditation and relaxation techniques that I've heard in my career as a psychologist. The most important myth of meditation is that about "with meditation you can/will ...". Meditation is when you meditate. Relaxation, quietness/calmness of the mind, seeing clearly what is going on in life, getting stronger, healthier, richer, ... are just byproducts. You will get them or some of them, of course, but it will be better to see them as gifts, as "nice to have" and nothing more. And the myth he is talking about are those why beginners will be disappointed when they start with meditation. Getting clear about them makes meditation much easier. "Expect nothing, hope for everything. Hope for nothing, expect everything". My experiences I had during meditation vary from "nothing at all, having the same monkey mind as before" to "there is no body, no emotions, no thoughts, no time, no space, no ego, just ' ' ". The latter happens only once, and I am grateful for it, but I am not clinging to this experience or being sad of not having it again.
Jeric Cruz why do you say "the latter happens only once" ? In my experience (limited though it is) this can happen multiple times. Maybe you are just remembering "your" experience of the first time - after all, it is a revelation when it happens.
Thank u, a subtle change for me, waves of thought pass through the mind like the weather and like the weather a emotional storm can pass through whole countrys effecting all beings... So to stay aware of the breath yet allow the mind freedom to naturally ebb and flow within the river of consciousness is closer to how the great monk wants us to work...
I was awoken to voices in my mind threw meditation 13 years ago, I have had amazing experiences meditating, but have now been put on medication for schizophrenia and told meditation is bad for me. The only time i feel free is when I'm off medication and able to meditate again.
You don't need meditation to stay calm. You just need to realize there's what you want and what you get, and the two often don't coincide. Learn to accept that and you'll be fine.
I found the posture Bruce Frantzis teaches good for meditation. Basically a standing posture where you keep your feet a bit further apart from each other than normally, just a little bit, and feet pointing just a bit more away from each other than usual too. Bend your knees ever so slightly, so that they're not rigid. I dont remember the correct hip position but I think it was supposed to be a bit back. Your torso should be a bit back, as well as your shoulders too. Head, jaw facing slightly lower than you would normally. The point of the posture is to have everything relaxed and ready to move in most directions, but stay still. The theory behind it is, that kind of posture increases your willpower, where the army posture where you stand very rigid in attention decreases your willpower and makes you easier to control by others. There's a reason they do that all the time in the army.
An activity that will refund you your time I knew that was a factual concept but I will use that phrase hundreds of times in my life as I tell every single person I know that is how I do it how I think about it and how they should think about it like that is perfect I love Ted talks
I learned TM when it was affordable. You go deep. And your mind works much more clearly afterwards. Difficult to keep to that 20x2 every day though. Mindfulness is a good alternative.
I learned TM a few weeks ago. Can’t wait for the results to start shining through. I recently developed severe anxiety, one of the symptom of anxiety that I’m experiencing is tinnitus! I am taking Zoloft now for the past 1.5 months. I want nothing more than for the anxiety & all its symptoms to disappear. Tinnitus, tightness, numbness, hyperventilating, feel like I can’t breath, depression, stress, all that. & obviously I don’t want to b on Zoloft. So yeah I hope money well spent for the TM!!!!
Angie Imholte hey.. I haven’t really experienced any noticeable benefits yet. But I’m still hanging in there. It takes time I suppose. I hope your experience is better. Let me know how u like it.
Beginners watching this might get the idea that meditation = sit down and think .Being swept around by the wandering mind of everyday life isn't the same as observing the wandering mind when meditating.
I agree, the talk isn't that clear, I've found that the basic practice is concentrating on breath, noticing your mind has wandered and coming back to the sensations of breathing. And he sound like if basic meditation was concentrating on a single object.
@@garysimone4977 there's a lot of benefit, just do it 2 minutes every morning, if you do that for 25 days it will become a habit, then do more time as you feel you need it, in two months you may be doing 10 minutes every morning which is good enough.
@@licandres01 thank you That is a great idea I will try right now and do 2 min in AM and 2 min PM to start Yes I did it today with some help as and wow so much came up WAS VERY POWERFUL ALL DAY AS I NEED TO RELEASE ALOT OF MY PAST AS WELL
@@garysimone4977 well I don't know what you mean by "came up", you are not supposed to look for anything, actually meditation is an exercise of concentration on one side and on the other hand one of observation, you need to observe feelings, thoughts and sensations, but you are not trying to see them to find something, you are just observing them, and what you are trying to do is refine your ability to be the watcher of those perceptions without identifying with them, let's say you observe a though of sadness, you are not supposed to observe it and feel that sadness, but just to note that you had a though with a sad connotation. You are trying for example to go from someone who thinks "I'm not good enough" and gets immersed in that feeling of unworthiness, to someone who perceives that same though and just notes it, that person wouldn't feel unworthy but would know that he is having thoughts of unworthiness, that person would say (mentally) "I notice that I am thinking that I'm not good enough" So don't look for insights during meditation, practice observation.
The esotericism with which meditation is mistakenly approached brings about widespread misunderstandings that, when it comes its practice, ends up being nothing but a distraction that in most cases, turns into an excuse to justify not carrying it out. The overestimation of meditation's results seen as a stepping stone towards a determined goal or towards success are as well the reason why people abandon it, it simply does not suits the current standards of life as people are having their mind fixated on the quick results in exchange of short periods of time doing nothing, and that is the point at issue, people are not used to doing anything that does not seem productive enough to spend time in, otherwise they feel they are wasting it.
perfect video on the most popular topic meditation. it clearly differentiate the myth and actual definition of meditation. it also cleared the my doubts about how to focus on certain things
I find this extremely helpful Praise be to my Lord glory to my Lord there is no God but my lord the king of the heavens and the earth my Lord is the greatest I trust my my Lord with all my heart I will be happy in peace forever because I choose everyone is from Adam one man and one woman peace be with you and me everyone makes mistakes just like me we don’t know until we read calmly with open mindedness be free from the world in order to enjoy
@@lyfelesscadaver1713 "I'll be young for all eternity"...yes, and so will Janis. Janis, you are missed. Me and my BobbyGee, I hope you are not 'missed' for a long, long time. peace.
One thing about “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut”: If you start to meditate daily, it really becomes more like the woman not walking out of the restaurant. A meditator starts to naturally see what is important and what isn’t. They become naturally way less triggered. It’s about brain function, and the brain de-coupling the automaticity of the amygdalic response. But the meditator himself or herself doesn’t even see it or feel it in the moment. It isn’t like you really want to tell someone off or hurt them, but you “control” yourself for your sake or theirs. Your brain starts functioning in a completely new way, where the idea of telling someone off, or arguing with them or punching them, just doesn’t occur to you. Or if it does, the idea seems kind of funny, and you sort of inwardly laugh at the idea. Meantime, your brain starts noticing how good your dinner tastes, or what a nice smile your mate has. It’s like that, not a top down self-control thing. But also, if an emergency arises, and physical action is required to prevent someone getting hurt, a meditator responds quickly, without dithering. Needed immediate physical response becomes automatic. It’s just that somehow the brain becomes much more adept at reading situations and seeing to the core of them, and realizing when action is needed, and when it isn’t. But it happens faster, it processes faster than the cumbersome conscious mind.
Very Informative♾ I will start this technique today it just sounds like the perfect way to calm the mind when I was trying to quiet the mind🤯... life changing
He has very cleverly re packaged transcendental meditation, with just enough difference to not get sued. And in the process made a frickin fortune by breaking into the celebrity meditation circuit too . Very clever and lucrative
I have been meditating since 1987, and it has helped me to let go of things I cannot change. When I am in a bad situation I no longer yell and scream. I stop. Take many deep breaths, and my stress level goes down. The problem may still be there but I see it for what it is, try to accept it, and then figure out a way to fix it, always keeping in mind that I simply have to accept the consequences without losing my sanity.
Beautiful thanks for sharing
@@yagradio8655 測試過
@@yagradio8655 測試過
The 5 myths are:
1. Meditation is not about quieting the mind. 2:43
2. There is no correct way to meditate. 5:15
3. I don't have time to meditate. 8:30
4. Meditation will solve all my problems. 10:41
5. Success in meditation is based on stillness in the mind. 13:21
Steve Ngo bless u Steve
Thank goodness for you, cause I did not have time to watch this video.... wait.
Steve Ngo Highly appreciate
God bless you
@@faithfulsoldier04 sound like you need to meditate
My grandmother used to really be into meditation. She had an entire bookcase of books just on this subject. She meditated every single day and I never understood it. I disturbed her on more than one occasion. Although my grandmother is no longer with us, she was the loveliest person your would ever meet. She was very creative and made and sold stained glass pictures and sculptures, oil paintings, hand made cards and may other things at crafts shows around the country. She then gave £1000 every year to a charity in the I would like to say, I'm sorry for disturbing you when you were meditating, nan, I understand it better now. I only thought of a polar bear the first time and never thought of one the second time. This is an excellent video and I felt an inner peace just doing the part he says at the end. Thank you for posting all of these brilliant, mind enhancing videos TEDx.
Beautiful comment...
to Steven Barnes, I think that if you had disturbed your Grandmother, while She was meditating, that She would have been grateful for the disturbance, because She would understand the innocents of a child, & so She may have been prepaired for it sometimes, "because somebody that was so zen like" with her continued practices would, I think mean that you would be in a state of mind that would allow you to be prepaired for little interuptions every now & then, put it this way, if your Grandmother was ever meditating when you were around there, & She was aware that you were there, but never got disturbed by you I am sure she would have found it hard to concerntrate, because if She wasn't disturbed by you when She knew that you were around, that it may be hard to focus when you are expecting to hear little voices, but it's all quiet, some times hearing people even while meditating can help put your mind into a good place, because you know they're safe most of the time if you can hear them. for a small portion of my life I lived near train lines, & as funny as it sounds after you get use to them, even while sleeping if they didn't come for one reason or another you would be missing them because of being conditioned to your environment.
Really great talk. Basically well and simply explained that we should not go against the flow and accept everything as it is to be able to relax and meditate
I once heard it said “ If you don’t have 10 minutes to meditate then meditate for 20. “
LOL, true! It's hard at first, but it gets easier the more you try it :)
I've heard something similar, "If you have time to breathe, you have time to meditate."
@@Theprofishional ❤️
My version that I heard is if you don’t have time to meditate once a day you should meditate twice a day and I knew that as a fact for five years and I only started my true commitment to daily meditation last week but better late than never
Wow super b
At the first 2-3 minutes of the video i thought i ain't gonna listen him to 17 minutes but the quality of his words were so good that i made it till the end of the it
I decided not to listen when I saw his name was Light. I paused at the 2 second mark to read the comments instead.
@@tzimmerhakl wow
i absolutely agree with you about how articulate he is, and how easy it was for him to dispense a lecture on such a topic. He was brilliant.
did t even notice 17 min flew by it felt more like 5 min much like meditation
@@Krisspbacon flew like sanitizer
Meditation is just life changing. I meditate daily, if I miss a day or so I really notice a difference. I feel so much better and have more energy after meditating....life is more effortless. The ability to REWIRE YOUR THINKING through meditation is such a GIFT.
This is the best talk about meditation I have ever seen. Still, the experience of meditation is highly unique for every individual. No two meditators could register the same experiences.
Your exact experience may vary but there can be similar experiences which people can relate to. Else how can it be scientific.
except for samadhi
Ladislav Varga i agree✌
@@leododgewiper Beautiful, negates his whole sentence.
I've been meditating regularly for almost 20 years and this my new favorite video on meditation! Excellent tips for the greatest gift you can give yourself :-)
Good compliment but I think those who practice Vipassana come to know these things within the first 10 days retreat.
@@paulocunha3799 I am sure they meant tips for people starting out. Anyone at any retreat would know these things.
Congrats on 20 years great accomplishment
Its true I meditated for 10 year and now my biological age is 13
I almost choked lol.
@@vincentdomingo3484 I can't remember writing this
@@codinginflow lmao
hmmmmm
@@codinginflow It just proves you didn't meditate Lol
I tried meditation (I think mindfullness is more acurate), 2 months ago and it has really improove my mind my memory and my happiness.
Now I meditate everyday for 7-10 minutes.
Very useful video.
Bravo!
the kind of meditation he is describing is anapanasatti meditation, which is the mindfulness of breathing in Buddhist tradition.
After meditation my mind always quiet down, under meditation it is often racing. So good point.
And before?
Your mind will be bombarded by the noisy thoughts, but when peace and calmness enters these noise will stay there but they will no longer distracts you, the noise will add to your calmness. That is what I am experiencing in meditation.
He is one of the best public speakers I ever listened to .
Try listening more public speakers.
That's because he meditates, and not only that; is because he know how to meditate.
I came here to say that same thing. First time I've ever been able to fully listen and comprehend a video at twice the speed without having to go back and relisten.
I thought it was just me
You should get out more.
I always thought meditating was to clear the mind. This makes so much more sense
Thank you for your TED talk. I had been meditating with some success, and I feel confident that after listening to your talk, I will have better meditation experiences and results. You have 'relaxed' my expectations, and I feel now I can be more accepting of different meditation experiences and enjoy and embrace them. It's all good.
That was the finest meditation seminar ever. Thank you!! I've no doubt it will reach many people who otherwise wouldn't bother with meditation.
One of the main problems I've found with meditation is sharing the idea of it.
For whatever reason, many people seem to think of it in esoteric terms, instead of a simple technique. They take it that when their mind wonders in practice, it's proof that they can't do it. Little do beginners especially appreciate that a wondering mind is a good meditation teacher, because having to bring the mind back continually to the point of focus is a rooting l practice. And that's partly what improves their practice.
Well said..in fact I once heard that "the practice of gently and calmly re-focusing the thoughts back to the focal point...THAT IS meditation!"
What a great talk on Meditation, Light! Somehow I've not see this before but you mentioned it when I came to your refresher in London on Sunday. For everyone else: Light was my first meditation teacher back in Venice in April of 2011. I am now a Meditation teacher myself and incorporate meditation into my psychotherapy practice.Practicing Meditation has definitely transformed my life and given me inner peache and happiness...AND focus. Light is a phenomenal teacher and I highly recommend him to anyone who is interested in learning how to Meditate.
Reminds me to get back to mediation.
"Keep quiet when you feel good. Keep smile when you feel bad."
Personally meditation for me was working on developing better focus. In the beginning I focused on my breathing like most meditation instructors says to do. And within 30 seconds instead of focusing on my breathing my mind would wander. So I challenge myself to spend just 15 minutes every evening before bed to just focus on my breathing. I would sit comfortably and the best Lotus position I could do. I would slightly tilt my head upwards to bring Focus between my eyebrows. And every time I had a Wandering thought I would acknowledge it and focus back on my breathing. By the end of 35 days I was spending 30 minutes I'm just focusing on my breathing. The best part was every other aspect of my life I was more engaged and focused. At day 60 almost nothing could distract me. I would get intimate with whatever I needed to focus on whether it was a conversation or a task. I think that's what meditation truly is for once you can start controlling your focus your attention span all other possibilities start opening up.
Well done and all of it so very true! I've been practicing meditation for the last three weeks with the aid of the Muse headband device and the effects have been noticeable already. I think the biggest difference that I notice is that I can mentally release and step away a bit from a situation that may be intense. Not to escape the situation but rather to better emotionally and mentally engage with the situation appropriately. I feel like meditation is giving me extra breathing room in life. And for me that's huge!
this talk deserves a million views.
Unsuccessful a lot of years, got a book called Breath, the science of a lost art. Found the wim Hof method, downloaded the app. 4 days in I listened to Allen Watts guided meditation, and it finally is working. I have listened to it 100s of times before What felt like a 30 minute meditation was less than 13 minutes.
Best ted talk ever, unlike other ted talks which take hours to understand. He's an amazing teacher. He can make you learn anything.
so true ! i practice meditation in classes and also when i wake up and other times even driving !
I have been meditating for over 50 years, began as a young martial artist, something I still do. Meditation does not change your life. It doesn't settle your brain waves. You do. Meditation is an attitude and discipline. That is all. There is no one technique, but there are lots of them. Besides the many things I've become in 6 decades of which all of them involved getting to the level of instructor (I am also a professor,) I attribute the achievements not to talent, or genius, but to discipline. And all of that began with my training in martial arts at 10 years old - which carried me through to today. And all that training, and all the training I've ever done, was about meditation. Meditation is training. Everything is about meditation. It is not about sitting in a lotus position thinking of clouds or nothing - but sitting quietly discovering new ways to enjoy the quiet time while you discover something more about yourself. And anyone can do that.
Meditation is the same as going to the gym but youre not going there with your body but your mind. I started meditation an hour a day when i was younger and the noise in my head almost completly disappeared. Now im older and i stopped meditation and my mind is noiser. So really mind is a muscle you need to train.
The world you live in is the world you see through your own eyes . Changing , improving your ability to live in a serene world, is changing the world .
I start my night of sleep by letting my thoughts run and when my mind starts to quite , I turn off the light .
When I meditate I shut my mouth not my eyes then breath through my nose which triggers my vagus nerve and in turn my parasympathetic nervous system which means I am always in rest, relax and recovery mode. By doing this I meditate with each and every breath while instilling my mind with the word calm and all its counterparts. I need no set time for meditation because I breathe all day.
I began the practice to help with my anger, also to help get clarity. Meditation has helped after a few months.
In 5 or so years of trying to find the simplest most basic starting point/ explanation for how and why to do it ,this is it. Right on Light!
You got the right stuff. I think if we go seeking for a master Guru or teacher and try to emulate that were pretty much failing from the get go.
🙏🏻
try listening to Eckhart tole, befriending the ego and being in the now trust me it'll open you up to yourself
@@antslord5014 Will do 🙏🏻
I've listened to others speak on meditation ..this gentleman made it comprehensible. ..thankyou ....
Thanks very much and well done on a wonderfully presented talk Light. Over time I have read, viewed and listened to many and varied techniques on meditation. I wanted to be able to put the little pieces of information and advice into practice. I like many struggled to do this as I experimented and found the myths you speak of impeding my practice. However your talk enabled me to see how to overcome the myths/impediments in a little over 15 minutes. I'm far more confident now to practice meditation keeping it simple without striving for some "results". Well done again, you are helping people and that's so generous.
Thank you so much for clarification on meditation. It makes so much sense. I have tried on and off to do it without actually understanding what I was doing. 10 minutes a day is worth it and I am definitely worth taking that time.
This is the push back into a practice that I was looking for.
I like it. The myths that were busted for me were, meditation is a blank mind, he dispelled that with the polar bear example. meditation is about a still mind. He explained about meditation is moving around thoughts. I liked the final excercise of just letting your thoughts wander and always having the breath there to return back to. I do this when I take a walk. I find it does much the same thing. I think about a range of topics and always when I run out I just return to my stepping. just moving forwards with my feet. The momentum and the breeze and the sights around me.
I agree with you, meditation is about a still mind. I enjoy very much spending time in nature and exercising. There is when my mind wonders freely until I find the sweet spot where finally my thoughts are quite.
This is the best talk on meditation I have ever seen.
I am a meditation teacher too and I have to say this is a very good talk.
No, you are not.
@@thewizard4200 fluffy talk, doubt he's ever experienced no-thing-ness.
Simply excellent, this is exactly it and unfortunately nobody communicates it this clearly so you're left to find out on your own. Great talk!
My God , this guy is genius, i was struggling to meditate but he showed me the right way. this video should have billion views
Thank you Light Watkins For breaking down Meditation to a language that an every day person can understand. Finally I can meditate successfully .
Light, you killed it! great breath of fresh air and extremely entertaining way of describing Mindfulness. Will look out for more of your stuff.
He is good. As a psychologist I knew about the studies and more because I practice and suggest patients to do so. However, is the first time ,after learning different meditation techniques, that a meditation teacher/ coach in few words in a instruction has solve the famous 'monkey mind' dilemma: Let your mind flow and second focus on your breath. Usually, meditation teachers say it different. They emphasis on the breathing and leave the mind as something to get rid off ( of course many say is an impossible 100% mission, since is the minds work is to think). Next month, I'm going to a Vipassana retreat. I heard from a Goenka YT video that usually most of the meditation techniques objective is find peace, get rid of stress but Vipassana objective is purification, related to the subconscious. Let's see how I experience it. Thank you
I just realised meditation is the reason I like commuting so much I was noticeing places to go and clear thinking love it...
As a Muslim after Morning workout,I do pray to God for Few mints and than I do visualize mediation for few mints .meditation is cool but prayer to go is the best thing I ever feel for my brain
allowing the mind to wonder and drift is a mistake, because we are training our minds to cultivate such habit. really we are to practice being conscious when mind drifts and pulling it our attention back on relaxing and calming mind body.
pheng lee Hey uhhhhhh, this is literally what he said towards the end. He said focus on your breathe and if you notice the mind starts to wonder, gently bring it back (without getting mad at yourself or having any negative feelings). Do this everytime your mind wonders. Basic mindfulness. I wonder if you didn't watch all of the video cuz I was thinking the same thing you were until he got to the end :)
Proud to be an Indian.... Meditation was invented in India thousands year ago and the first man to address it in west is Swami Vivekananda ... hope all you know about Swamiji and the great Chicago address...
Take it easy man. You guys just jump on anything indian. Why do you have such a low self esteem.
Thank you this helps time to time when I get side tracked in being negative.
one of the best concise talk on meditation, excellent
He is a really good speaker.......very talented man
With meditation - I find lots of people have preconceptions about what they “should” be feeling or not feeling, or they tie “goals” to their meditation practice. For example, “I’m going to meditate so I can become xyz…” This type of thinking often deters people because they find that they didn’t get what they set out to get with meditation.
It is far more productive (if you’re going to set a goal with meditation at all), to set the goal of meditating every single day regardless of how you feel, regardless of how tired you are, regardless of what’s happening in the outer world, regardless of how much time you think you have, etc.
Just do it. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes …whatever you can do.
Without expectations, without forcing anything, without judging anything.
You will eventually look back (maybe after 10-20 years of doing daily meditation) and realize how it has impacted your life, your personality, your relationships, your ability to think, create and love. It’s amazing.
Thank you so much. I found it helpful to concentrate on breathing and one other thing like a single word mantra like ohm, ram, on the out breath.
this video is great for those on the fence whether to give meditation a try. Awesome
Make it what is good for you. Definitely learn the foundation of meditation. But you will refine it to your needs. Meditation is important daily I definitely recommend it. Good talk
Probably the most encouraging video on youtube for people to start meditating 🙌 spot on.
Thanks for ”lighting” up some things for us 🙂
Best description on how to meditate !!!!
medation, very simply and beautifully explained. very good talk
Albert Thomas agree....
What's medation?
Excellent points brought up... because we often judge ourself too harshly. Love the very positive conclusion.
I thought my disability was keeping me from meditation. I thought I couldn't focus or compartmentalize as an autistic but it was really easy. It must be the anxiety. I'm a Savant syndrome case so I guess my mind wanders naturally. Ha! Thanks for proving some old myths my therapist put on me that seems to now be bias about the Autistic spectrum rather than across the board and empowering me to believe I can do this without RX. I need to slow down and rethink the way I'm thinking. It's hurting me to think so hard and I run a real risk of aneurism due to a rare disease, Behçet's. It seems when I'm stressed I see polar bears but otherwise I'm super focused. I've been meditating all right... I just need to bring it into my life more. Qi Gong is very helpful for this, but the discipline is the key. Brilliant speech.
thank you for your testimonial . It help to hear from other ways of thinking
Myth 1: I’m a bad mediator if I can’t quiet my mind. Truth is thoughts will naturally & definitely wander after 5-6 sec and thoughts wandering = deep rest. When you notice your thoughts have wandered, just return to your breathing. You are not a bad mediator.
Myth 2: there is no correct way to mediate. Truth is a tricky yes/no. Speaker actually suggests a comfortable seated posture instead of a stereotyped monk pose. If a posture is easy to practice and last for consistency then it is a better way to meditate.
Myth 3: I have no time to meditate. Truth is meditation can reverse your biological clock and refund you the time you spend on meditation and more.
Myth 4: meditation will solve all your problem. Truth is meditation may not be as miraculous as advertised.
Myth 5: success meditation is your ability to still your mind. ( to me, this is similar to myth 1) . Truth is meditation practice may not bring you this expected positive result but it will definitely bring you some positive results- just that the people around you may notice it sooner than yourself. The positive results will differ per each person and the progress is very insidious.
Everything he said is spot on tbh. Not sure why people have a problem with it.
Does anyone feel like giving this more than "one like?"
I've changed my mind about meditation after this TED talk. I can do as he instructed rather than how I've been taught in the past; it never was sustainable bc it was just so difficult and I didnt gain anything that I know of. It's so difficult to think of NOTHING. Lol
10 minutes of focusing on breathing after my amazing Wim Hof breathing exercise works wonders. Look up Wim Hof (IceMan)...these 2 go together fabulously.
Also trying SOMA breathwork.
I bet it does will try tonight
This video is about the myths of meditation. Its intention is not to teach meditation. And what he is talking about are the most often given complaints about meditation and relaxation techniques that I've heard in my career as a psychologist.
The most important myth of meditation is that about "with meditation you can/will ...".
Meditation is when you meditate.
Relaxation, quietness/calmness of the mind, seeing clearly what is going on in life, getting stronger, healthier, richer, ... are just byproducts. You will get them or some of them, of course, but it will be better to see them as gifts, as "nice to have" and nothing more.
And the myth he is talking about are those why beginners will be disappointed when they start with meditation. Getting clear about them makes meditation much easier. "Expect nothing, hope for everything. Hope for nothing, expect everything".
My experiences I had during meditation vary from "nothing at all, having the same monkey mind as before" to "there is no body, no emotions, no thoughts, no time, no space, no ego, just ' ' ". The latter happens only once, and I am grateful for it, but I am not clinging to this experience or being sad of not having it again.
Arne Tietz Buddha
Jeric Cruz why do you say "the latter happens only once" ? In my experience (limited though it is) this can happen multiple times. Maybe you are just remembering "your" experience of the first time - after all, it is a revelation when it happens.
I must say that my prejudices arenow gone for the most part. I also love to see how many endless possibilities there are.
Very inspirational talk.
Thank u, a subtle change for me, waves of thought pass through the mind like the weather and like the weather a emotional storm can pass through whole countrys effecting all beings... So to stay aware of the breath yet allow the mind freedom to naturally ebb and flow within the river of consciousness is closer to how the great monk wants us to work...
I was awoken to voices in my mind threw meditation 13 years ago, I have had amazing experiences meditating, but have now been put on medication for schizophrenia and told meditation is bad for me. The only time i feel free is when I'm off medication and able to meditate again.
You don't need meditation to stay calm. You just need to realize there's what you want and what you get, and the two often don't coincide. Learn to accept that and you'll be fine.
I found the posture Bruce Frantzis teaches good for meditation. Basically a standing posture where you keep your feet a bit further apart from each other than normally, just a little bit, and feet pointing just a bit more away from each other than usual too.
Bend your knees ever so slightly, so that they're not rigid.
I dont remember the correct hip position but I think it was supposed to be a bit back.
Your torso should be a bit back, as well as your shoulders too.
Head, jaw facing slightly lower than you would normally.
The point of the posture is to have everything relaxed and ready to move in most directions, but stay still. The theory behind it is, that kind of posture increases your willpower, where the army posture where you stand very rigid in attention decreases your willpower and makes you easier to control by others. There's a reason they do that all the time in the army.
I love everything about this preso Light. Thank you.
this guy has a gift
I usually don't put comment on videos but man that was one of the best videos i've ever watched
An activity that will refund you your time I knew that was a factual concept but I will use that phrase hundreds of times in my life as I tell every single person I know that is how I do it how I think about it and how they should think about it like that is perfect I love Ted talks
I learned TM when it was affordable. You go deep. And your mind works much more clearly afterwards. Difficult to keep to that 20x2 every day though. Mindfulness is a good alternative.
+tamsinthai TM ?
Korewakore Sorewasore Transcendental Meditation.
I learned TM a few weeks ago. Can’t wait for the results to start shining through. I recently developed severe anxiety, one of the symptom of anxiety that I’m experiencing is tinnitus! I am taking Zoloft now for the past 1.5 months. I want nothing more than for the anxiety & all its symptoms to disappear. Tinnitus, tightness, numbness, hyperventilating, feel like I can’t breath, depression, stress, all that. & obviously I don’t want to b on Zoloft. So yeah I hope money well spent for the TM!!!!
Dennis Haughton how’s it going? I start TM tomorrow
Angie Imholte hey.. I haven’t really experienced any noticeable benefits yet. But I’m still hanging in there. It takes time I suppose. I hope your experience is better. Let me know how u like it.
by far , the BEST explanation on meditation
I chanced upon listening to this talk today and I'm glad that I did. Very nice presentation. Found it very logical and practical.
Fantastic talk. My perceptions seem to have dimensionally shifted. Thank you .
Very good explaination thank you from uk
Beginners watching this might get the idea that meditation = sit down and think .Being swept around by the wandering mind of everyday life isn't the same as observing the wandering mind when meditating.
I agree, the talk isn't that clear, I've found that the basic practice is concentrating on breath, noticing your mind has wandered and coming back to the sensations of breathing. And he sound like if basic meditation was concentrating on a single object.
@@licandres01 good pt may I ask how had your meditation going I just started And realize that yes it is hard to start But I would like to keep trying
@@garysimone4977 there's a lot of benefit, just do it 2 minutes every morning, if you do that for 25 days it will become a habit, then do more time as you feel you need it, in two months you may be doing 10 minutes every morning which is good enough.
@@licandres01 thank you That is a great idea I will try right now and do 2 min in AM and 2 min PM to start Yes I did it today with some help as and wow so much came up WAS VERY POWERFUL ALL DAY AS I NEED TO RELEASE ALOT OF MY PAST AS WELL
@@garysimone4977 well I don't know what you mean by "came up", you are not supposed to look for anything, actually meditation is an exercise of concentration on one side and on the other hand one of observation, you need to observe feelings, thoughts and sensations, but you are not trying to see them to find something, you are just observing them, and what you are trying to do is refine your ability to be the watcher of those perceptions without identifying with them, let's say you observe a though of sadness, you are not supposed to observe it and feel that sadness, but just to note that you had a though with a sad connotation.
You are trying for example to go from someone who thinks "I'm not good enough" and gets immersed in that feeling of unworthiness, to someone who perceives that same though and just notes it, that person wouldn't feel unworthy but would know that he is having thoughts of unworthiness, that person would say (mentally) "I notice that I am thinking that I'm not good enough"
So don't look for insights during meditation, practice observation.
The esotericism with which meditation is mistakenly approached brings about widespread misunderstandings that, when it comes its practice, ends up being nothing but a distraction that in most cases, turns into an excuse to justify not carrying it out. The overestimation of meditation's results seen as a stepping stone towards a determined goal or towards success are as well the reason why people abandon it, it simply does not suits the current standards of life as people are having their mind fixated on the quick results in exchange of short periods of time doing nothing, and that is the point at issue, people are not used to doing anything that does not seem productive enough to spend time in, otherwise they feel they are wasting it.
perfect video on the most popular topic meditation. it clearly differentiate the myth and actual definition of meditation. it also cleared the my doubts about how to focus on certain things
I find this extremely helpful
Praise be to my Lord glory to my Lord there is no God but my lord the king of the heavens and the earth my Lord is the greatest I trust my my Lord with all my heart I will be happy in peace forever because I choose everyone is from Adam one man and one woman peace be with you and me everyone makes mistakes just like me we don’t know until we read calmly with open mindedness be free from the world in order to enjoy
That worked for me! thanks
Reminds me of will smith from hitch
I was just thinking that
So true! I was just thinking that!
On point!!!! KMSL
a well spoken young man
That's a different take on meditation than any other I've ever heard! Very interesting.
So I I start meditating at 14, I'll be young for all eternity. Got it.
The powers of the mind has no limits
@@lyfelesscadaver1713 "I'll be young for all eternity"...yes, and so will Janis.
Janis, you are missed. Me and my BobbyGee, I hope you are not 'missed' for a long, long time.
peace.
You wont but it will feel like it...
Amazing talk! Very helpful for me
Amazing.... Highly recommended for beginners
Meditation is hard but I have no choice but to master the concept its survival at this point
One thing about “Never miss an opportunity to keep your mouth shut”: If you start to meditate daily, it really becomes more like the woman not walking out of the restaurant. A meditator starts to naturally see what is important and what isn’t. They become naturally way less triggered. It’s about brain function, and the brain de-coupling the automaticity of the amygdalic response. But the meditator himself or herself doesn’t even see it or feel it in the moment. It isn’t like you really want to tell someone off or hurt them, but you “control” yourself for your sake or theirs. Your brain starts functioning in a completely new way, where the idea of telling someone off, or arguing with them or punching them, just doesn’t occur to you. Or if it does, the idea seems kind of funny, and you sort of inwardly laugh at the idea. Meantime, your brain starts noticing how good your dinner tastes, or what a nice smile your mate has. It’s like that, not a top down self-control thing.
But also, if an emergency arises, and physical action is required to prevent someone getting hurt, a meditator responds quickly, without dithering. Needed immediate physical response becomes automatic. It’s just that somehow the brain becomes much more adept at reading situations and seeing to the core of them, and realizing when action is needed, and when it isn’t. But it happens faster, it processes faster than the cumbersome conscious mind.
Wow! Thank you so much for that! ❤
Awesome technique...
Very Informative♾
I will start this technique today
it just sounds like the perfect way to calm the mind when I was trying to quiet the mind🤯... life changing
I really enjoy this speaker. Amazing info.
This is literally so helpful. Thanks for making these videos for us. Really appreciate it
He has very cleverly re packaged transcendental meditation, with just enough difference to not get sued. And in the process made a frickin fortune by breaking into the celebrity meditation circuit too . Very clever and lucrative
I love this way of meditating!! Very easy !!
let your mind slide away, just try to bring it back.
Golden rule!
I instantly liked the video. One of the best things that i have come across in recent times.
Thanks !