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Cynthia Fletcher

Insurance Agent, Small Business Owner,

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What impact has meditation had on your life?

If you are someone who meditates (regularly or sporadically), why do you do it? Does it make you more creative? Does it focus you for the day? Does it make you calmer? Please share the impact that your practice has had on you.

I hear so many talks about meditation and have read many books but I would like to hear from the TED community. I could not find any specific talks on it and how it impacts great thinkers and great doers.

Topics: Quiet creativity focus happiness health peace philosophy stress
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    Xavier Smith

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    Dec 22 2011: Meditation is bullshit, I'm going to begin with that fact. All sitting indian style and humming did for me is turn me into a two pack a day smoker instead of one pack.

  • Stephen Cordova

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    Dec 15 2011: Seeing yourself from different perspectives gives you a new outlook on who and what you are. Meditation allows a new perspective by focusing more on what your thinking about and nothing of less importance.

  • Dawn Hadler

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    Dec 13 2011: Having Multiple Sclerosis and living in a stressful environment led me to Buddhism and the practice of mindfulness and meditation. I found that it has changed my life. I am no longer a source of my personal suffering and neither is MS. Meditation on compassion and altruism focus my mind on the suffering of others and not on myself.

  • Ed Schulte 50+

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    Dec 12 2011: Cynthia

    Yes Steve is a vey applicable example of what Tolle speak of re "the Stillness as being the source of True Creativity" ...but also his life is a very good example of one with high high level of Consciousness (LOC) but, at the same time did not apply the "before entering the temple, forgive".

    When even a small impediment in such a powerful Psycho-Noetic flow occurs, it eventually causes great stress in the physical body, higher then the etheric double can keep up with, and 'disease' results.

    But his was death ONLY in the mortal sense and I am sue his essence is as creative as ever and the impediment was the first thing to be "dropped"!!
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    Gerald O'brian 50+

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    Dec 11 2011: I recommend this for people who don't regulate their moods spontaneously, as stressful situations or complicated problems occur.
    They may benefit from stopping they brains for a while everyday.

    For the rest of the population, it's a waste of time. You're better off getting on the floor and playing with your baby daughter, or inviting a good friend for tea.
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      Frans Kellner 100+

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      TED Translator
      Dec 11 2011: Meditating has much to do with giving attention.
      So I consider your suggestions as meditation as well.

      • Ed Schulte 50+

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        Dec 11 2011: And I second your suggestion to Gerald.

        and add here a note to Cynthia that yes a great deal has been written "about" mediation over the last 30 years but vey little of it contains understanding therefore effectiveness.

        Lets start with the understanding that meditation is not a "doing" it is simply a return to your natural state of BEing-ness which is Presence / calmness / essence / and acceptance. and finally, a "felt One-ness with all That is. If one requires a clear delivery of that understanding then go to the library and borrow a copy of Eckhart Tolle's ET-TV, 2011 Series ..DVD number 5.
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          Cynthia Fletcher

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          Dec 11 2011: Ed,

          Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion.

          I bought the Steve Jobs biography today and even though I am just a little way into it, meditation is coming up a lot....the intersection of humanities and sciences.

          Cindy
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    James van der Walt

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    Dec 11 2011: Meditation has been proven to make a difference to how you think. Or more it's a tool that you can use to change how you think. Athletes these days all meditate on the race ahead. Seeing the outcome as favourable and training their minds to believe it. You will not find a world class athlete these days that don't.

    Our bodies reflect what we believe. That is why things like lie detectors work. If we can train our minds to believe something our bodies will react accordingly. Neuro Linguistic programming is a big field. Once meditation was just a spiritual believe but now it's been embraced by science as it's been proven to work.

    I meditate about 4-5 times a week where I see my life as perfect and that I'm without fear. My body started reacting as expected and now I'm acting more confident than ever. 70% of our communication is non-verbal so training our minds to think positive means we act positive and others start perceiving us as positive. Then one day you realize you no longer have to force your mind to think this way. You are positive.
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      Cynthia Fletcher

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      Dec 11 2011: James,

      Thank you for sharing your experience with me.

      Cindy

  • Maike Leemets

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    Dec 11 2011: Well I will Talk about myself...well there was a period when I used meditation-well it is interesting makes You feel free, I even stopped the meat eating for 2 months ( well that I do not recommend if You are activ woman it takes the hemoglobin down, makes sleepy and well doctors do not see that this would be good for health) but I say that meditation was not so interesting for me, I bored of that, than I used yoga-well this was good, helped the relax the body, also it is good for body shape-this I recommend, it gives control over a body but I prefer Silvas method (The Silva Mind Control Method For Getting Help From You Other Side) and visualizations. Nowadays I use them and I like them, I am not good in all that but I may say that it has impact in my life..well for ex I thought that I will never ever drive a car- I just felt that I can not have the driving-premission, all tests and all, I also have hear so many talks about how some people are not able to do 2or 3 things together so but after the using Silvas method I drive a car, I dream more, I even hope more, of course I am negative quite a lot, but I am working with that and this method helps me. Visualization is very good too- I was thinking that I will never ever marry (I was so disappointed of all men-all the way how they saw the world was so disappointed so-I even was thinking to be a nun, truly) so but what do you know-no things are different. So like my brother tells me it is important what You think so it may help but it all starts from Your mind so, like someone told here that he was in prison and was thinking well the base is the same-everything starts from Yourself.
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