# Episode 163 **Summary:** In Episode #163 Ari interviews his much-appreciated meditation teacher Mary Meckley of [Sip and Om](https://www.sipandom.com/). During the interview, Mary explains how her time working in corporate Japan led to her discovery of meditation, how that discovery led to a newfound love, and how that newfound love ultimately led to the birth of _Sip and Om_. **Special Announcements:** ## [Fuel the Fire](http://www.ippa.net/content/index.php?view=details&id=6%3A2015+IPPA+Business+Excellence+Conference&option=com_eventlist&Itemid=54) Come watch Ari light-up the Drake Hotel in Chicago on Wednesday, August 5th as he delivers a rousing keynote speech for IPPA Business Excellence Conference: _Fuel the Fire_. This will be a great opportunity to watch Ari translate the lessons of Less Doing into terms business leaders can take to the bank. ## [Subscribe to the Podcast or Leave Us a Review!](https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewContentsUserReviews?id=605938952&type=Podcast&ls=1&mt=1) Hey Less Doing Podcast Listeners, we want to hear from YOU! Visit us on iTunes and leave a review or subscribe to the podcast if you're not already a dedicated follower. **Time Stamped Show Notes:** - 10:25 – Introduction of Mary Meckley of [Sip and Om](https://www.sipandom.com/meditation-for-productivity/) - 11:19 – Mary explains how she got into meditation - 14:19 – Meditation creates new neural pathways in the brain - 15:01 – Mary does not focus on one specific type of meditation - 15:40 – Use whatever techniques you need to get there – there being a place of calm and mindfulness - 16:17 – Have something to look forward to every day - 16:40 – Meditation is about slowing downs and becoming self-aware - 18:15 – How Mary lays out the weekly meditation schedule - 19:00 – Get outside and connect with the world…with nature…with your environment - 20:26 – When one faces the elements everyday they become more capable of handling stress, anxiety, etc. - 22:45 – The most important thing in meditation is to allow yourself to _transition_…you can't just sit down and turn it on - 25:20 – For most people, conducting a daily podcast would be a challenge but Mary enjoys it - 25:28 – Make your meditation rough around the edges - 26:23 – Consistency is important in meditative success - 26:55 – The people that become the _best _meditators – that get the most out of mediation – are those with high-energy - 28:16 – Mary's sources of inspiration - 30:14 – The more you learn, the more you're obligated to do something with that knowledge - 31:48 – [www.SimAndOm.com](www.SimAndOm.com) **7 Key Points:** 1. Find something to look forward to every single day. 2. People need to adapt themselves to the seasons – to the outside world – rather than just create a false level of "comfort" all the time. 3. Meditation needs to be rough around the edges. 4. Become a master of transition. 5. Consistent meditation has been proven to create new neural pathways in the brain. 6. Everyone needs a source of inspiration, but that source need not be grandiose. 7. Exposure to the natural world helps us better understand (and ultimately control) things like anxiety and stress. **Resources Mentioned:** - [Sound Hound](http://www.soundhound.com/hound) – Actually it's called Houndify but it's awesome nonetheless—this is Siri on every PED imaginable - [AnalyzeCorp](http://analyzecorp.com/data-science-outsourcing) – An outsourcing service for data science - [IBS Test](http://www.medicaldaily.com/blood-test-certain-forms-irritable-bowel-syndrome-may-have-just-been-discovered-334596) – Medical daily article highlighting a _new _test designed to definitively identify the cause of IBS - [Diff Bot](https://www.diffbot.com/?ref=producthunt) – Automated website scraping complete with an API and other elegant features - [Slack's Secret Sauce](https://medium.com/@awilkinson/slack-s-2-8-billi --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lessdoing/message