Election Meditation

YourLifeUseful Podcast

Election Meditation – Episode 008 – The YourLifeUseful Podcast

On this week’s episode, we talk meditation. The best possible way to reconcile the shit storm that happened last week with the election.

So, with all the turmoil of last week’s election, I have found myself really struggling. As you can tell, I am no fan of the outcome. However, it quickly dawned on me that, based on the results of the popular vote, the demonstrations taking place across the country, the celebrity Twitter rants, and the AH-MAZING Biden meme’s that have flooded my Facebook stream, I clearly wasn’t alone. In fact, more than half the nation seemed to agree with me.

Armed with the knowledge of my new found brethren, it got me thinking. If I was having such a hard time dealing with the results, stressing over the realization that some close friends and family decided that racism/misogyny/homophobia/violence (take your pick) were not deal breakers in being president of the United States, fear of losing the progress made on all fronts setting this country back untold amounts of years, and the anxiety of the unknown change that is now charging at us like a bull in heat, so was everyone else. So, instead of making a rant episode about my distain and distrust for the man that will likely be the next president (miracles rarely happen), I wanted to turn this episode into a useful show and show the listeners a few meditation techniques to help you decompress, destress, and re-center yourself, help you move past this last week and look towards the future, cause who knows what could be coming, good or bad.

This week I discuss some various forms of meditation and the benefits that one can expect while practicing. The forms discussed this week fall generally within the Theravada tradition, which is like old world Buddhism meditation, thankfully without the throat noises. I talk about Mindfulness Meditation, Metta Meditation, Transcendental Meditation (TM), and Yoga Meditation (3rd Eye, and Chakra). You will learn the basics of how to perform the meditation, and also which ones I favor. Please understand, I am not an instructor. I am simply a guy that wanted to share with the world some ways to quell our feelings of unrest in this uncertain political climate. I highly recommend researching further the various types if you are interested in trying meditation out for yourself. Obviously, if you have any questions you can always contact me through the ‘contact’ page on the site at www.yourlifeuseful.com.

Resources named in this episode –

The David Lynch Foundation – www.davidlynchfoundation.org

10% Happier – www.10percenthappier.com

Sharon Salzberg – www.sharonsalzberg.com

Joseph Goldsein – www.dharma.org/joseph-goldstein

The Insight Meditation Society – www.dharma.org

Buy Dan Harris’s book 10% Happier HERE

Buy Sharon Salzberg’s book Real Happiness HERE

Buy Mark Epstein’s book Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart HERE

Mobile Apps –

Insight Meditation Timer

10% Happier App

Headspace

YourLifeUseful is a podcast and blog that are designed to spread the #isituseful movement. This is my journey to self-exploration, self-awareness, self-growth and yes, self-help. I am just a normal guy that needed to get my responses in check. So hand around! Some episodes will be me talking on a specific topic, others will be interview shows, and some will be a mix of both - but rest assured, all will be fun.

www.yourlifeuseful.com