Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] 

TaiHelpingHand
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 30 Aug 2017
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Location: Los Angeles

30 Aug 2017, 9:31 pm

I recently went on a lunch date where after sharing some of my daily rituals the cutie across the table from me coined me an “urban hippie”. Now oddly enough this wasn’t the first time I heard something like this. Curiosity got the best of me so I asked him why he thought that. After a few superficial reasons, he said the biggest reason was that I, a black chick from south central, meditates, and he never heard such a thing. After my date, which for you inquisitive folks, was just okay; I thought about what he said. Is meditation a foreign habit in urban culture? I couldn’t for the life of me think of someone I knew who openly spoke of meditating regularly and after asking around I found that most people didn’t really understand what meditation is. Today’s culture lends itself to a much more aggressive forward moving lifestyle, often with limited time for relaxation let alone a period of peace for meditation.
Meditation is a therapeutic practice that can be used as a great coping skill, or to bring an added level of balance to the hustle and bustle of life. Meditation is a valuable tool for all individuals. No matter your diagnosis, age, or lifestyle meditation can be positive and life altering. Meditation doesn’t just look like what you see on TV or in movies. You don’t have to chant mantras or light candles. Sitting legs crossed in front of a statue of your god is not required, you don’t even have to practice meditation independent of others. Meditation can be a time where you focus on positivity or even a time where you think about nothing. There are endless benefits to meditation, my two favorites are stress reduction and clarity of thoughts.

So how does one meditate in the inner city? After all, we’re not known for our peace and quiet. Well it’s simple, you find a style of meditation that works best for you and your lifestyle. There are endless types of meditation, some can be self-taught and mastered, others require instruction. Here are a few urban friendly ways to introduce meditation into your weekly routine. Yoga is an easily accessed type of meditation. Just about every city gym, cable provider, and even your home streaming device provides some type of yoga instruction. There are countless yoga types and levels which focus on many areas of the mind and body. This type of meditation would be great for someone who enjoys group settings, physical activity, and who wants to focus on mind, body, and spirit, simultaneously.

Yoga not your cup of tea? No judgement, I’ve tried it and I can say I’ll never be a regular in the yoga studio. Mindfulness meditation may be better suited for you. This type of meditation can be self-taught or done under the instruction of others. The key function of mindfulness meditation is a focus on your breathing, that’s it. This will require a comfortable sitting style (sit in a position that you can stay in, comfortably, for an extended period). I’d recommend trying this in the morning, start with 5min of peace and quiet, without thinking about anything, your only focus is the inhaling and exhaling of breath. Sounds simple enough, right? I am a mindfulness meditator, it takes time to teach yourself to shut out the world around you. I think I started out successfully going a couple of minutes, I’m now able to go a strong 45min.

Mindfulness meditation sound to quiet? The idea of only focusing on your breathing underwhelming? Well not to worry, I've got more. There is a type of meditation called Metta mediation. This is where you take time to focus on love, positivity, and kindness towards self and others. This is where you take time to mentally affirm yourself and those in your life. This type of mediation is meant to bring focus and positivity to the relationships that you have. Like mindfulness meditation you want to find a comfortable and quite place to do Metta meditation.

Probably the most urban friendly type of mediation is peaceful meditation. Find your favorite spot to be, maybe this is a car ride with your favorite music, your bedroom, or even a bench at the park, and just relax. Don’t think about work, getting the kids to school, or what’s for dinner. Just relax, free yourself from daily stresses and just appreciate the surroundings of your favorite spot. Music being a part of your peaceful mediation is okay, try to avoid focusing on the words or the meaning of the song but rather on the pleasant feelings the cadence brings to your spirit.

I’ll be the first to admit how dope urban living is, but there is something very inviting about finding your place of peace amongst the crazy. No matter what that looks like for you, be sure to treat yourself to it every week. Find the type of meditation that works for you, heck, make up your own type of meditation and watch how it results into a better you. Parents, encourage / teach your children this practice. It will help their development, coping abilities, and set them up for a successful integration into adulthood.

Need a cool resource to start your journey of meditation check out YouTube, there are tons of “how-to” videos. Amazon TV users check out their free meditation videos. Live and Dare.com also offers some cool articles and meditation tools.



arielhawksquill
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Jun 2008
Age: 47
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,830
Location: Midwest

31 Aug 2017, 10:01 am

That date of yours really needs to get out more and meet more kinds of people. Are you actually in LA? I can't imagine anybody in LA who doesn't know someone who meditates.



TaiHelpingHand
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 30 Aug 2017
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 3
Location: Los Angeles

31 Aug 2017, 11:23 am

arielhawksquill,

I know right!! You'd think LA would be full of people into meditation. At least I did. After asking people in my network and some friends I found that this is not necessarily so. Many people said they never tried or were not interested. Others understanding of what meditation is wasn't very fluid. That's why I think it's important to share info about meditation. It's such a cool and inexpensive life tool. Everyone should explore it and see if they can find a meditation style that works for them.