In episode 5 of the Maker/Mistaker Podcast, Jeff and George talk about meditation.

Do you meditate? If not, why? Sometimes meditation can be intimidating or confusing. We break it down in hopes we can inspire you to add this amazing habit to your daily routine.

Both of us have been meditating regularly for two years now and we want to share what we have learned. It has been a major component in our paths out of depression and has directly shaped the way we look at life now and in the future.

More and more people are learning about meditation and it's cousin "mindfulness." We cover the basics of what meditation is and isn't as well as how you can do it. We talk about some of the benefits we have experienced and also get into both the practical applications of meditation and the spiritual.

Some of the benefits we have seen after meditating for 2 years include:

Depression is virtually completely gone

Mindfulness lasts well beyond the meditation session

Reduces stress and anxiety

Deeper intuition and ability to sense energies

Increased ability to stay attentive for longer periods of time

Appreciation for solitude and silence

More equipped to overcome addictions and bad habits

Mind-blowing spiritual or mystical experiences

Dramatically increased awareness of mind, body, and spirit

Realization of how thoughts form and manifest in reality

Ability to stay calm and centered during high stress events

We couldn't forget to share what books, podcasts, and apps have helped us out the most. So make sure you listen for that!

Please share with us your thoughts on meditation in the comments below.

Read on for the show notes.

Music for this episode: You Got This by Jeff Finley

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Show Notes

00:00:45 Introductions

00:02:00 Updates from Jeff Finley

00:04:45 What is meditation?

00:07:33 Misconceptions about meditation

00:11:00 How did meditation come into our lives?

00:14:00 Meditation and Yoga

00:18:20 Using the Headspace app

00:21:15 What do people experience when they meditate?

00:25:00 Starting out with meditation and why people avoid meditation

00:30:00 What to do about your thoughts

00:39:15 Your awareness is like a spotlight

00:44:22 What do we do when we meditate?

00:56:00 The benefit of mindfulness

00:58:00 Suffering and judgement, your inner critic

01:03:00 Open Source Yoga (Advanced Yoga Practice)

01:08:00 Mantras and Transcendental Meditation

01:15:40 Getting comfortable sitting for a long time

01:23:05 The benefits of meditation from our experience

01:26:00 Everything can be a meditation

01:30:40 Higher states of consciousness and mystical experiences

01:34:00 How meditation helped with my night terrors and turned them into out of body experiences

01:37:00 Having direct mystical and spiritual experiences yourself

01:39:00 Drugs and psychedelic experiences

01:51:00 How did people do this without apps, books, and Internet?

01:56:25 Our favorite resources for meditation and mindfulness

Links and Resources for Meditation:

Good reading on Raptitude.com

Jeff's new book Wake Up

Jeff was a guest on a podcast speaking about his out of body experiences

Coach.me and Jeff's coaching profile

Headspace app

The Miracle Morning book by Hal Elrod

Journeys out of the Body book by Robert Monroe

The Mindful Way Through Depression book by Mark Williams

Sean Webb's I Am Spirituality podcast

Body, Mind, and Spirit 101 by Sean Webb

How Emotions Work in Humans and Computers book by Sean Webb

The Power of Now book by Eckhart Tolle

Advanced Yoga Practices website

Transcendental Meditation website

Calm.com

Stop Think and Breathe app

Zen Friend app

Mindfulness in Plain English book by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana

Ram Dass gives LSD to guru with no effect

My Big T.O.E. book by Thomas Campbell