Meditation: Not What You Think It Is

You Think You’re Meditating? Think Again.

Let's cut through the chase: meditation.

Ah yes, the word you hear on yoga mats, in ashrams, and even in corporate boardrooms. You think you're enlightened because you sit cross-legged, eyes closed, and oh-so-serenely whisper "Om"?

I've got news for you, and it's not what you think.

Why should you care? Because this might be the most misused word since "love," and if you're misusing it, you're missing out.

The Mirage of Stillness

Once upon a time, there was a man, Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor.

He wrote things down—deep, meaningful things—in between bouts of bloody warfare and political chaos. One of his go-to solaces? Meditation.

Except he wasn't chasing rainbows or levitating. His form of meditation was a brutal form of self-examination. Do you think you're meditating when you're simply visualizing your "happy place"? Well, you might be in for a rude awakening.

Real meditation digs deeper, peels off the layers you so carefully constructed around your fragile ego.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Let's shift gears and look at Robert Pirsig, the author of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."

His tale is about a man who finds Zen not by sitting in a lotus position but by tinkering with his motorcycle. What am I getting at?