{"id":1250,"date":"2020-04-08T21:37:41","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T21:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theoikonomist.com\/?p=1250"},"modified":"2020-04-20T22:23:06","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T22:23:06","slug":"social-distance-and-an-introduction-to-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theoikonomist.com\/?p=1250","title":{"rendered":"Social Distance and an Introduction to Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Luke Lebsack<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me start by saying I suck at meditation. On my phone there are currently three meditation apps, two of which I\u2019ve never opened and one that has for the last three months been congratulating me on completing my first lesson. People like meditation; it\u2019s good for you, by now most of us know this (if you don\u2019t know this you can\u00a0read about it<\/a>).\u00a0 Over the years I\u2019ve put meditation in the same category as kale smoothies or early morning jogging. It\u2019s healthy and I know I should do it but let\u2019s be real; the only people who actually do that sort of stuff are either trying to get Instagram famous or drive a Subaru.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what does meditation look like as a spiritual discipline for a novice like me? Firstly, it\u2019s important to acknowledge that there\u2019s nothing inherently spiritual or religious about meditation. Meditation, generally speaking, is a technique to focus intently on something or to encourage mindfulness about our experiences. Meditation is a tool that can be used in conjunction with prayer to develop our spiritual practice. Why is this distinction important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically my reasoning for creating a meditative practice has always been to accrue the health and psychological benefits that come along with it, which is a good thing. However, when we use meditation as a spiritual discipline it\u2019s done in conjunction with prayer. Our intention must shift away from the western default of self-betterment and instead reflect a desire to grow closer to God. Said another way, if I was to begin a diet that uses fasting to lose weight this might be a good choice for my health. But if on the other hand I chose fasting as a spiritual discipline so that I could lose weight the discipline itself becomes clouded by the intensions from which the actions are originating. In short, any kind of meditation would almost certainly have positive benefits on our brain\u2019s health but when we add prayer to our meditation our focus should be on Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, we got the disclaimers out of the way. You\u2019re bored at home and not doing anything, let\u2019s strap up our brain boots and wade through the waters of Christian meditation. Where do we start? I don\u2019t know, (we\u2019ve been over this) so I asked my enlightened friend Lacey and my other less enlightened friend the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lacey\u2019s Helpful Hints:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Start short, 1-5 minutes of mediation is totally fine to start<\/li>
  2. Sit, walk, or stand, be comfortable but don\u2019t lie down if you\u2019ll fall asleep<\/li>
  3. Be kind to yourself, if you lose focus or get distracted there\u2019s no reason to be frustrated<\/li>
  4. Study yourself, notice what your body and mind are trying to tell you<\/li>
  5. Pray before or after you meditate, you will be able to get more out of both disciplines together<\/li>
  6. Just do something, what meditation you do matters less than the fact that you did it<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Easy Christian meditation from the internet:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Concentration Meditation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Find a short phrase or mantra you wish to meditate on