Why Meditation Might Not The Miracle Cure You Search, But…

Lately I heard so much about meditating. People keep talking about how meditating is essential for them, or how meditating is helping them. If not about meditating, then about mindfulness. How to live in the moment, etc. I keep hearing them until I’m become curious, is it that good? Because I myself easy to get anxious

Since high school I’m easy to get headache in the back of my head. At first I didn’t really know why, but one day I saw some Instagram post and I found out that headache in the back of head is caused by stress. So I tried to remembered when I my headache is the worst, and what I realized is when I’m having test. The bigger the test, my headache can be more worst. For example like the national exam, I remembered there’re time when I keep getting fever when I’m having my exam is approaching. Sometimes I keep wondering why I’m so stressed at that time, because actually my mother not that typical asian mom who think 90 is a failure. She’s actually very relax about that. And then someday I realized something, it’s not the exam that I’m fearing but I feared I’m going to be the stupid kid in my family because my mother is almost genius and my sister also pretty smart. My mother graduate and enter university when she’s 16 years old, and my sister got a discount when entering senior high because her junior high’s score is great. But after a few year, I learn to managed my stress and my headache is getting better even though I still have it sometimes. That’s why when I saw people everywhere is doing meditation, I became curious. Can I cured my headache by doing this?

So I tried to join an online meditation class from Bali, the place I join is quite popular. Before pandemic, a lot of foreigner came to Bali to join this meditation class or do consultation session with the owner. The place called Bali Usada, just a few days ago they celebrated their 28th anniversary.

In this class I also asked my big sister to join me, because I knew I’m going to get lazy so I asked her to join me so she can scold me when I’m trying to skipped class. At first I felt so lazy to do the meditation practice, because I had to sit for 10–15 minutes and just counting my breathing. When I just started meditation, my mind started to wandering what if this what if that. I just can’t stop thinking about other stuff. I tried to stopped my mind from wondering but it is super hard. After 8 weeks, the meditation technique keep adding more. From only feeling my breath to feeling my entire body one by one. Near the end of the class, I also started to meditate everyday. At that time I can do it everyday for 16 days and I suddenly realize there’re some change in me. A subtle change that I almost not realizing it. What changes in me are:

1. I didn’t like to ate while watching youtube anymore, I like to eat with quite.
2. My headache become more seldom. Or if I got it, the headcache is more bearable than it used to be.
3. I can concentrate more when I’m doing something, I can seat for hours without getting distracted.
4. I can regulated myself more, I don’t give in easily to what I want instead I tried to do what I knew is good for me. I don’t sleep more even though I still want to sleep, I eat less snack because I can control my hunger, I regulate myself only watched movie or drama before sleep or if my responsibility already done and I have a little extra time.
5. I am more strict to my workout schedule, because I knew working out is good for me even though a lot of times I don’t feel like doing it but I knew it just me being lazy.
6. I can sit quitely and read books.

At the end of the class, a few member talked about their experienced. Besides me, there’re other member who talked about their’s. There’s one member that made me cried while listening to her store. She’s currently having cancer and she said she doesn’t know if it because of her medication or meditation, but after doing it her doctor said that her skin is become better than before. After that she said she’s grateful because it also help her to accept her sickness. I can’t imagine how hard it is for her, because I also have a family who’s having cancer so I kind of knew how hard it is as the people who observe(??? I don’t know how to explained it).

So does meditation the cure to all of our problem? Maybe yes, maybe no. No if you’re searching for instant changed or instant problem solving. Nothing instant can last long. But if you tried to do it everyday, little by little even you won’t noticed it, then yes there’s going to be some changed. You just have to keep doing it everyday even if you don’t feel like doing it. Tried to make time to do it, because definitely we won’t have time for everything if we don’t try to make time or prioritize it.

Here’re some source that I found that I hope can be helpful for you:

1. Bali Usada
2. 7 Ways Meditation Can Actually Change The Brain
3. Understanding The Power Of Meditation
4. Meditation : In Depth
5. Nick Keomahavong (not directly related to meditation, but he talk about meditation a little in some of his videos)
6. Medito (Meditation timer that I use, available in IOS and Android)