Why is it difficult to meditate than to exercise or maintain a diet?
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Dr. Dean Ornish answered:You have to eat; it's just a question of what you eat. Meditation, on the other hand, is not part of most people's daily routine or experience. Exercise is more familiar to people, and also there is a macho quality to exercise - you're out there really doing something, whereas meditation still has what some of our research participants called the "wimp factor." From outward appearances, it looks as if you're not doing anything when you meditate. In fact, meditation is a powerful, active process.
You have to eat; it's just a question of what you eat. Meditation, on the other hand, is not part of most people's daily routine or experience. Exercise is more familiar to people, and also there is a macho quality to exercise - you're out there... More -
Burke Lennihan RN CCH answered:Different people find it easier to meditate, exercise or maintain a diet. Meditation involves quieting the mind, so if you have a hyperactive brain, it might be hard for you! Some people have a hard time with exercise, whether because they are not coordinated or because they lack the muscles and stamina to even start an exercise program. Losing weight is hard for just about everybody!
If you find meditation difficult, here are a few things you can try. Chanting out loud can drown out your busy-day thoughts. Try chanting a word from your religious or spiritual tradition, or the word for any positive quality like “Peace” or “Shanti” (which means peae in Sanskrit).
Breathing really deeply in and out a few times can help. Alternate-nostril-breathing is especially helpful (hard to describe in words but you may learn it in a yoga class or find a demo on YouTube).
Sometimes people need to calm down their restless bodies before they even begin to meditate. If your main problem is that you can’t sit still, put off meditation for a few months and instead take a class in chi gung, tai chi, or yoga. Yoga was actually developed in India as a form of preparation for meditation!
Different people find it easier to meditate, exercise or maintain a diet. Meditation involves quieting the mind, so if you have a hyperactive brain, it might be hard for you! Some people have a hard time with exercise, whether because they are not... More
