(calm music)
- Hey everybody, today I am joined
by my wonderful friend Hannah,
and we are here to meditate.
We're at Unplug Meditation.
We're gonna learn why meditation is beneficial,
do some meditation, and hopefully
incorporate some healthy skills into our life.
- Yeah, fingers crossed.
- I know, right?
So, I wanna start off by just asking
if you have meditated before.
- Yeah, I actually am a big believer in meditation.
I started meditating about a year or so ago,
maybe two years ago at this point.
My sister turned me onto it an app called Headspace,
and it has some really, really great guided meditations,
starting out at 10 minutes, to 15,
and I've gotten to 20.
- Ooh! - Yeah.
And I always have better days
when I meditate regularly,
but it is something that I feel like
it kinda helps to have structure around you,
you know, to help meditate in a group,
or to help have those reminders.
Consistency is the hardest part.
- And did you have any, 'cause I know,
before I first meditated, I was kinda nervous,
and I wasn't sure what it meant.
Did you feel that too, or am I just...?
- I think that my hesitation for meditating was
it sounded like a nightmare because
it would mean that I was alone
with the sound of my own thoughts,
and I felt like that was my impression.
I did not want to just sit and stress out for 10 minutes,
unable to move or do something.
So that was really a big block between me
and trying out meditation.
- Yeah, I think the only reason
I was ever open to it was because
I'd been doing yoga for many years,
and part of that is kind of meditation,
like at the end, we do what is called a Shavasana,
which is essentially, it's like corpse pose,
so you lay there.
- Yeah, it's great.
- And it's at the end when you're super tired,
and you're sweaty, and you're like,
oh my God, I just did that.
But I found that to be really energizing.
And we were talking before we started filming about how,
after meditation, you can feel like it's better than a nap.
- Yes, sometimes I come out of meditation and it's like
kind of better than a cup of coffee.
I don't know why it works, I don't know how it works,
but I guess that's what we're here to learn.
- Ding, yes, exactly. - Ding!
(laughing)
- Is there anything that you're looking
to get out of today's meditation?
- I guess that I am tired,
so I'd like to feel less tired,
more awake.
- That's a great goal.
So, let's get started, let's learn a little bit about it.
- Let's do it. - Let's go.
(quiet ringing)
(relaxing sounds)
Hi, Amy, thank you for making time for us.
I feel the urge to whisper.
- Hi.
- This is great.
- So, we talked a little bit already
about what we're kind of preparing for and hoping for.
Can you tell us a little about what we're gonna do today?
- So, today I'm gonna show you
that you can hardwire positive emotions,
and that you can create a feeling of
comfort and calm in the body,
just by modulating the breath,
and using the imagination to heighten the sensation,
and that your body doesn't know
the difference between real and imagined.
So what this means is you can
place yourself in that sanctuary in your mind,
and your body's gonna believe that you're really there,
even if you're sitting in traffic,
or, you know, something
maybe isn't going your way that day.
You can start to train the brain
to create comfort and calm in the body.
It takes practice, but you'll find that,
and I'll guide you through this,
when you attach to a positive emotion
with a memory,
and you can do this when you're unloading the dishwasher,
you know, you can go to that sanctuary in your mind
and just replay it, and notice how much better you feel.
- That's so empowering, because often,
I hear from a lot of my viewers and stuff
that they feel like they don't have any tools,
or they feel like this is just a shit day
and it just has to be that way,
but it's nice to know that you can
create it wherever you are.
- A lot of times, people are worried about self care,
because they think it's really expensive.
Like, "I don't have the time or the money to go to therapy,
"or the time and the money to find
"a psychiatrist and get medication,"
and I think that meditation is something that is
absolutely free, and at least a step in the right direction.
At the very least, to stop
using your imagination to create fear
instead of comfort.
- And one of the great facts I love is that,
if you do 20 minutes of meditation,
they say it's equivalent to three hours of REM sleep, so.
- Wow.
- That's very inexpensive self-care right there.
So, we're gonna start with the breath.
When you extend the breath, when you lengthen the breath,
it sends a signal to the nervous system
that all is well, essentially.
And begin to notice the rhythm of your breath,
and imagine now,
that you could focus on your physical heart, in your body.
And as you place your attention there,
you imagine an energetic heart.
That this comfort and calm could move
in and out of your heart,
like a stream or a wave,
or a warmth.
Or a deep knowing that all,
is in fact,
okay.
You can open your eyes and stretch,
coming back to the room, welcome back.
(laughter)
- Ah yes!
Wow. - Wow, that was wonderful.
- That was crazy.
- How can people incorporate this into their daily life
or make time for it?
'Cause I know a lot of people feel really busy,
going from one thing to the next.
- Yeah, well if it feels like it's overwhelming to do
a 10 minute meditation, then just start by
when you're brushing your teeth,
just imagine a really great memory,
and see if you can make it so real,
as if you're living it in that moment,
and you're going to get the benefit from it.
You're going to start to feel better.
And when you start to train yourself to
shift your focus in this way,
when there are those moments where you're
emotionally charged,
you're going to be able to access this tool.
It's training the brain just like you train the body, right?
- Cool.
- So maybe finding a space near you,
if you're interested and you're scared to try it,
know that all you have to do it start.
And it's always the scariest the first step,
but once you're there,
I remember the first time I came here,
I didn't know what to expect, but people were so helpful,
telling me to get these out and how many,
and how to sit, and then you just get to enjoy.
So I encourage you to find one in your area,
if you're in the L.A. area I'll link everything
in the description so you can check out Unplug
'cause it is a great space,
like Amy said, all the teachers are wonderful.
And it's a great way to just get started
and maybe meet some new people,
have a little community encouraging each other to
create those new healthy pathways in our brain.
- Katie thank you so much.
- Yeah, thank you for coming!
- Thanks for having me. - Thanks for hanging out,
And I hope that you are all encouraged,
and are excited to try out meditation
because it's life changing.
- Yeah and if it doesn't work for you at home by yourself,
go to a group.
I didn't even know spaces like this existed.
I personally am an at home, solo person,
but I know many people in my life that love to take
group classes and group things, so.
- Yeah, and that's up my ally.
So if you are not in the L.A. area,
and you can't come to Unplug Meditation,
we'll link some options in the description,
like they said they have an app that you can check out
today and get started.
But thanks again! - Yeah, thank you!
- It's always good hanging out.
- Yay!
- And we'll see you next time!
- See you next time!
Subtitles by the Amara.org community