Meditation Reveals More of Who We Are

2 min Article Meditation

After some time, your whole life becomes meditation. Suddenly, you're alive in a life and you realize you were distracted the whole time.

Written by Ryan Burton

Ryan Burton is a certified meditation coach and former monk with more than a decade of experience in various Buddhist and non-dual traditions.

Here, he talks about learning to consciously relax, using the wisdom gained through meditation in our daily lives, and why it's worth getting to bed before 10.

Q: How did you find your meditation style, and why does it work so well for you?

A: After many years, it became apparent that effort and the hard-handed approach to meditation wasn't working. More control resulted in less stillness, less presence. Familiarity with awareness itself is what made the difference. A shift happened from a sense of agency and doing to a state of flow and being.

Q: What's your top tip for a beginning meditator?

A: Learn to consciously relax. Take it easy on yourself. This is the first tool in your meditation practice kit.

Q: What are the most significant benefits you've received from meditating?

A: Meditation helps us discover more of what we are. Inner peace and happiness are important side effects of the practice, but the most profound benefits are vibrant wakefulness, presence, and radical transformation in self-perception.

After some time, your whole life becomes meditation. Suddenly, you're awake, aware, alive in a life you mainly were distracted. The freedom that results from this is indescribable.

Q: What are your favorite topics to focus on in your classes?

A: Questions related to meditation and the human experience. It's essential to use the wisdom and insight gained through practice in our daily life. How can we show up in a better way? How can we be and love more?

Q: Other than meditation, what daily tools do you use to feel your best?

A: Coffee and exercise. It's almost impossible not to feel incredible after a workout and a healthy meal. If I manage to sleep before 10 p.m., high spirits and energy the next day are guaranteed.

Try this free Roundglass course, A Modern Guide to Mindfulness by meditation teacher Curtis Smith, to help tap into your own meditation practice.

Header photo: Nikada/E+/Getty Images

Key Takeaways:

For first time meditators, take it easy on yourself and be patient.
The most profound benefits of meditation are presence, and radical transformation in self-perception.