Meditation | The Boston Buddha

Meditation For People Who Don’t Get It But Really Need It

New York Times Best Selling Author, Celebrity Fitness trainer Chalene Johnson recently asked me to be a guest on her podcast show! I’d love for you to take a listen below and let me know your thoughts…

The Chalene Show – Podcasts – Meditation For People Who Dont Get It But Really Need It

Today is the day that I start my journey towards understanding if meditation has a place in my daily routine. I’m speaking Andrew Kelley, a.k.a. “The Boston Buddha”. Andy answers all of my rapidly-paced questions about meditation: Do I have to close my eyes? Do I have to sit with my legs crossed? Where should I meditate and for how long? And, most importantly, WHY should I meditate?

Fact: A lot of very successful people meditate. Another fact: I don’t. However, it seems like everywhere I turn, another super successful person is mentioning how important meditation is to them on a daily basis. I already have a process that I go through every morning: plan my day, make my bed, stop and take a moment of gratitude, pray, exercise – is there even room for meditation?

Some common questions about meditation:

Do I have to close my eyes?

Andy says, “No,” but he does recommend that as you’re starting, you should block out as many distractions as possible – and closing your eyes helps.

Do I have to sit with my legs crossed?

Nope. Andy says the idea is to be comfortable and that early practitioners of meditation didn’t have comfy couches like we do.

Why should I meditate?

People who practice and endorse meditation say that it helps them re-focus their mind and also provides them with a sense of calm. Andy says he started meditating because he was having a hard time sleeping and he was pleasantly surprised that it only took one week for his sleeping habits to improve.

When should I meditate?

There is no “right’ time, but you might have to make meditating a priority in your schedule. Many people meditate in the morning because there is nothing else scheduled at that time – it’s quiet and there are no pressing demands on their time. You’ll need to find the time that works best for yourself.

Lastly, JOIN ME ON MY 30-DAY CHALLENGE THROUGH MEDITATION!

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Want more great tips and resources on improving balance, energy, organization, health fitness, relationships, focus, faith and happiness? Each episode of my podcast, The Chalene Show is designed to give you strategies and simple steps you can implement today to become a better, more balanced, happier version of yourself. LISTEN NOW!

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BuddhaBreak: Simplify Your Meditation During The Holidays

The holiday rush can add a ton of stress to our already too busy day. Think about it, there are now seemingly way more things to do, more things to buy, more disruptions in our usual routines – it can be a heavy price to pay on our body and mind.

I feel like I’m going through this now. As all of my classes are wrapping up for the year, I’ve had this feeling of not having enough time to do what is needed – to connect fully – without thinking of all the stuff I need to get done, or didn’t get done. In the beginning of some of my meditations this week, I’ve felt restless and anxious and will notice one of my restless legs tapping (a sure sign for me that my body and mind is saying saying, “hurry up, Andy… get this over with.” .

No matter how busy the holidays get, we need to take time each day to stop and be present with our life – as it is – even if it’s restless.

If you can’t meditate for 10 minutes each day, don’t throw in the towel. Meditating for 5 minutes can be just as an effective practice – even better for you, if you can schedule it in a few times a day.

Above all, remember our mantra for this year – be kind to yourself. Inner peace is the best place to make sure we all make it hOMe for the holidays;).

I hope this helps.

Clear Intentions

Setting Your Intention

Yoga and meditation is about trying to do everything with intention, every breath you take, every move you make (great song), every interaction – is action with meaning. It’s moving through our yoga class noting every placement, every posture, every modification, and every judgement. It also reminds us to put things in perspective and gives deeper meaning to those little moments when we’re able to let go of the stress of the day and focus on what we came to do – be in the room and practice.

So setting an intention clearly at the beginning of class is really the key to waking up – and as Will Hunting would say, “let the healing begin”.

I recently had breakfast with a yoga teacher who was telling me that she felt like she hit a plateau in her meditation practice. Let’s face it, we all get stuck in ruts in different aspects of our life from time to time. The difference between somebody that has REALLY hit a plateau in their life and somebody who continues to unfold in a real way, is the sincerity of their INTENTIONS. This yoga teacher is clearly passionate, disciplined, and dedicated to the honesty of her practice. It takes courage to feel that we can really BE open to our full potentiality and strengthen our attention. The whole sense of attention is challenging because it’s just so easy to space out on all the things we don’t really need to pay attention to during the day. It requires discipline and constant cultivation in an open, curious way.

This is why I often say that whole path of mindfulness is attention, intention, and attitude. We all have this sincere INTENTION to wake up, to be with what’s here – and then we train ourselves to pay ATTENTION to the little moments – noticing our ATTITUDE in a way that really frees us.

The Attention is: present moment awareness.

The Intention is: why am I paying attention? What is the purpose?

The Attitude is: how am I paying attention? Is my attention open, curious – or is it rigid and judgmental?

Reflecting on these three elements has become integral to my practice, and often forms the beginning or end of the sequence when I’m teaching, and frees me up when I’m giving an assist.

Most importantly, it connects my practice to the other important things in my life and extends into the rest of my day.

I hope this helps!

Commit To Sit 2014 – The 250 "Work Day" Meditation Challenge with Stil Studio and The Boston Buddha

“Don’t think. Feel.” – Bruce Lee

The Challenge:

Meditate twice a day – for ten minutes – Monday through Friday, 5 days a week. Take the weekend off.

GOOD NEWS: Yoga and Shavasana count as a meditation, so come to yoga with us at STIL STUDIO!

Who:

Whether you are a beginner or have years of experience, join us to manage your stress a little easier, lower your blood pressure, improve your focus, enjoy better sleep or explore your inner landscape – this is an exceptional opportunity to learn with some of the most accomplished leaders in the field of mindfulness and meditation. We welcome everyone to be a part of this amazing journey!

What: Meditate with The Boston Buddha and Stil Studio.

When: Continue reading “Commit To Sit 2014 – The 250 "Work Day" Meditation Challenge with Stil Studio and The Boston Buddha”

Winter Solstice – Yoga & Meditation

Winter Solstice – Yoga & Meditation – @ STIL YOGA

Thursday, December 20, 2012 7:00 to 8:00 PM

Stil Studio, 740 Legacy Place, Dedham, MA 02026

with Betty Riaz & Andy Kelley

The holidays are a time to gather with family and friends – to reflect, and enjoy the new season. What better way to approach the New Year with renewed energy, flexibility, and inner strength!

Come celebrate the beginning of the Winter Solstice at STIL Yoga with Betty & The Boston Buddha. We will transition into a new way of BEING by honoring the cycles of life and setting some positive intentions for the New Year. It’s a beautiful time where the Sun Stands STIL!

Continue reading “Winter Solstice – Yoga & Meditation”

Start The School Year With Less Stress

The summer is almost over and it’s time to get ready to send the kids back to school!

Fall is my favorite season – the cool crisp air, the return of Patriots football, The Boston Celtics and new Morning Mindfulness Classes starting back up. So while I’m excited for the new school year, I feel it’s important to remember that it can be a stressful time for our kids.

Outside of the obvious stresses that accompany a new school year – new teachers, advanced material, homework and after-school activities – most kids are just out of practice and have trouble switching gears… getting back into a structured schedule, without feeling some added stress.

Factor in the social and emotional growth that comes with being a kid – dealing with self image, appearance, peer pressure, trying to fit in and the pressure they put on themselves to do well, and you see there’s a lot more involved with going back to school than picking up some new clothes and back to school gear.

So what can we do to make these transitions as smooth as possible for everyone in the family?

Continue reading “Start The School Year With Less Stress”

Face Your Own Personal El Guapos

“In a way, all of us have an El Guapo to face. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!”

– Lucky Day, The Three Amigos

El Guapos

Whatever you want to call it… threats, problems, obstacles, hopes, worries, struggles, anxieties, suffering – we all have our own triggers for our emotions and fears. These fears clutter our thought process – they block our creativity, constrict our choices, and force us to react in predictable ways.

If we don’t learn to face our fears head on, and work with these powerful emotions as they bubble up, they can have a negative impact on our mental, physical, and spiritual health – tripping our fight or flight response and actually shaving years off of our lives.

So, how can we overcome some of our personal obstacles and fears?
Continue reading “Face Your Own Personal El Guapos”

"Meditation – does it get easier with practice?"

This was the subject line in an email I received from a fairly new student of mine – one that had been meditating twice a day for about three weeks.

It’s a great question and one that students, friends and colleagues ask me often. There are plenty of days I ask myself the same thing. My answer is that for me personally, some days are easier than others and we need to try to accept the present moment as it is – without trying to change it or make it different.

When you’re trying to create a new healthy habit like meditation, the first thing you need to do is accept that every meditation will be different. This is true for anything we do in our lives. In whatever we do, we have good days and bad days. Some days at work our mind just isn’t as focused – we need to accept it without judging it good or bad. If we play basketball, our timing may be off when we shoot the ball. Other days everything comes very easily – it flows and our shots seem to fall naturally.

Highs and lows are a part of life. We need to accept them without holding on to the feeling that something isn’t as it should be. Meditation is the same way – some days we experience more mental turbulence than others. As we practice meditating, and let go of trying to control or change things to make it better- over time, we’ll find that those highs and lows even out. But, we’ll always be practicing.

After all, I call it my meditation “practice”… because I will always be practicing to accept what’s happening right now… as it is.

Peace IN.

-Andy

“Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.” – Eckhart Tolle

"Breathe" Free Guided Meditation (audio)

“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

I hope you enjoy this free guided meditation that I created for you to help you stay centered in this turbulent time. A Breath Awareness Meditation is one of the quickest ways to ground and center yourself. Watching the breath in a meditation practice can help your mind let go of its often chaotic and turbulent thoughts. The breath will fill you with invigorating energy and inspiration to be in this world, but not caught up in the drama around you. I hope this helps!

Guided Meditation “Breathe” (10 min audio)

(MP3 download) Right click and “save link as…” to download it to your computer

Tag: Meditation