Two Minutes a Day
A very good friend and I were catching up over some cool drinks yesterday when I blurted out, "I've been meditating again." In a regular conversation, this kind of declaration may seem strange, but for him and I, this was just another Thursday.
Meditation has many benefits, including decreasing daily stress; easing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia; reducing pain; enhancing focus; and an overall increase in quality of life. Did you know that regular meditation can also increase your happiness set point?
According to Dr. Alex Lickerman for Psychology Today, "The set-point theory of happiness suggests that our level of subjective well-being is determined primarily by heredity and by personality traits ingrained in us early in life and, as a result, remains relatively constant throughout our lives."
A study looking at impactful life events, both good and bad, demonstrated that those who experienced great personal tragedy, like becoming paralyzed, and those with positive experiences, such as winning the lottery, eventually reset to their usual happiness set point regardless of the event.
Neuroscientist Sara Lazar studied different brain scans and discovered, through her research, that meditation had the ability to reshape and change the size of different areas of the brain in a process called neuroplasticity. These changes led to an increase in grey matter in key areas affecting empathy, compassion, and focus. These changes led to an improved quality of life and greater happiness overall. As for my friend, he has been meditating for over 25 years, so I knew he would understand my meaning when I said I had started meditating again.
My own journey into meditation started, as I've mentioned in previous posts, with Sahaja Yoga Meditation. From there, I have explored many different styles and most recently discovered Zen meditation through this same friend. He introduced me to and taught me how to pursue a Zen practice and has guided me on many occasions. He has also never judged me for allowing my practice to fall by the wayside, as it has done on so many occasions.
As we talked, he asked me how often I had been sitting, to which I sheepishly replied, 10 minutes twice a week. His smile never faltered as he took a deep breath. "Two minutes, Stephanie." He is one of the select few I permit to use my dead name. "My teacher told me that if everyone sat for two minutes every day, this world would be a far better place," he said. I nodded my head in agreement and repeated, "two minutes." "Ok, I am committing. I will sit for just two minutes every day for the next week and then increase the time from there." My friend nodded in the affirmative and gave me a look of encouragement.
I sat for two minutes today. I will sit for two minutes tomorrow and every day after that until I can increase the time to three, five, and eventually up to my usual 30 minutes per day.
You want all the benefits mentioned above, oh yes, but ultimately, keep your happiness set point high because you never know when you might just win the lottery.
