The Magic of Meditation (Distilled)

If there are so many different styles of meditation, what makes it tick? Why is meditation regarded as a means for transcendence or even enlightenment? After all, some practices require a repeating mantra, others are led by counting breaths, some are heavy on imagery, and others bring awareness to body parts.

All styles of mediation allow us to observe the observer.

We humans tragically suffer often because of our lack of ability to see ourselves. Meditation offers a helpful distance between seeing and the seer. The essentialist view of meditation that drives practitioners towards transcendence in my view is simply being able to observe our thoughts rather than embodying them. 

If you’re spending a great deal of time in your head, maybe stepping back to observe yourself could be the refreshing perspective you need. Don’t know how to start? Try the Headspace App, put the length on the lowest possible (3 minutes), and you might just build yourself a healthy habit.