Meditation

Can We Let Our Emotions Decide Our Behavior?

Nearly all of human behaviour is conditioned, sometimes by society, sometimes by our families, and sometimes by our own unique experiences. These behaviors are conditioned through rewards and punishments. How a behavior makes us feel determines whether we continue that behavior. And while a lot of conditioning is well-intentioned, sometimes, especially when there's been trauma, we learn to internalize stress even though we are perfectly safe. But, we can unlearn…

Can I Change My Perspective Through Meditation?

When we operate from our ego, we have a very small, narrow perspective. Looking at things from a broader perspective, from other people's perspective, or even from the universal perspective, a much greater wisdom can arise within us.Only through meditation and mindfulness can we truly see things from the broadest perspective possible. We don't make ourselves the victim because we don't frame circumstances as "happening to us." We don't compare…

Can Gardening Replace Meditation?

Q: Dear Todd, I have noticed that I am most often in the moment when I working in my garden or when I am drawing. How can I extend this? TODD ANSWERS: You bring up the wonderful distinction between meditative activities and meditation. While meditative activities force us to be present while doing that thing, meditation is the practice of training our mind to always be present. Join 10,000 Mental…

The Reason Why Meditation Gave You a Bad Experience

There are many people who have unpleasant experiences when they first try meditation. This is not uncommon. It's only natural that when we've lived our whole lives busy and always doing things, the first few times where we put away all distractions and turn our attention inwards can be unpleasant. There may be repressed emotions and negative thoughts for us to confront. This episode explores the causes of these negative experiences,…

How to Get Started With Meditation | Meditation for Beginners

How Can Beginners Start a Daily Meditation Practice Congratulations on taking the decision not to settle with having a stressful mind. Learning to meditate is about more than just learning to sit still with your eyes closed. It’s about learning to be present and to see things as they really are. Our constant thoughts, judgments, and opinions are like a fog that obscures our view of reality. The more we…

My Story of Curing My ADHD With Meditation

This is the story of how I cured my ADHD with meditation. When I was 13 years old, being a bit impulsive and a bit of a dreamer, neither of which was too pleasing to my school teachers, my parents took me to a place with many doctors and experts in lab coats who specialized in diagnosing children with various behavioral disorders. I didn’t really understand what was going on…

50 Days in the Forest | Extreme Meditation Experience

Why did you choose New Zealand?During a meeting with the high Buddhist lama, Karmapa, he asked me which forest I was going to meditate in for 50 days and if there were any bears or tigers there, as he was living in India which has both. I told him I was thinking about New Zealand and that they did not. “Very good,” he said. That really sealed the deal for…

What’s the Deal With Humming Meditation?

Lately, it seems about a million new types of meditations have been invented and popularized. I get asked about a lot of them and while I don’t address every single one, Humming Meditation is one that seems to come up time and time again.Unlike a lot of other new-age types of meditation, using the voice in various ways — such as chanting, singing, or saying a mantra — has been…

How Visualization During Meditation Leads to Manifesting Miracles

There is nothing you need to believe or disbelieve in regards to manifestation. It is a fact, we are manifesting beings. From thought to implementation, human beings manifested every single thing in our modern society.When we visualize not just what we want but the steps to actually make it happen, we can then take action to manifest the life we desire. Anything that is possible, is possible through manifestation.We may…

My Experience at Buddhist Thai Monastery Taught Me This

Buddha often speaks of the middle path. You can think of it as the Goldilocks path — not too hot, not too cold. But this doesn't just apply to food. It applies to our spiritual path as well. We don't want to be too lazy and get no results, but we also don't want to be too rigid so that we either burn out or we become too extreme about it…