How To Take A Pause On Busy Days – Guided Meditation With Zen Master Henry Shukman #634

0:03Dr. Rangan Chatterjee:Hey guys, how are you doing? Hope you're having a good week so far. My name is Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and this is my podcast, Feel Better, Live More. Meditation is an incredibly powerful tool for transforming our lives, but in the modern world, many people find it a challenging practice to start and maintain. so this March I have decided to try and inspire more people to take up this life-changing practice throughout the month we're teaming up with Zen master Henry Shookman and his meditation app The Way to bring you our first ever meditation challenge though I've tried so many meditation apps over the years but I've never come across one as effective as The Way I've been using it most mornings for many months now and it has really helped me feel calmer, relaxed and more present.

1:03Dr. Rangan Chatterjee:I love this app so much that I recently decided to invest in the company and join them in their mission to get more people meditating as I believe this will result in a calmer, happier and more compassionate world. Meditation has been shown to have all kinds of benefits reducing stress, improving focus and over time has even been shown to result in positive structural changes in the brain but of course you only get those benefits if you actually do it. So this March why not join Henry and me and thousands of other meditators on a 30-day journey that has the potential to transform your life. All you have to do to take part in this free challenge is go to thewayapp.com forward slash live more.

2:00Dr. Rangan Chatterjee:You'll get practical tips, exclusive content, and 30 free short meditation sessions to get you going. Committing to 30 consecutive days of meditation really does have the potential to create a lasting daily habit. I will also be joining in the challenge and using the way app every day throughout the month. I very much hope that you decide to join me. And now to give you a flavour of what Henry's meditations are like, here's a beautiful meditation that he recorded exclusively for my podcast community.

2:39Henry Shukman:Welcome to another meditation with me, Henry Shookman. I'm so honoured and grateful and humbled really to have this opportunity to share with you a practice that has meant so much to me that has really been a life changer since I picked it up in my early to mid-twenties. Once again, I want to try to convey to you that meditation is not just another thing you have to do. Don't think of it as another item on your to-do list. It's really of a different order. Yes, there are many very positive, helpful things that we might have in our health and wellness regime. And surely meditation might be counted among them.

3:25Henry Shukman:But it's a little different from other things, because what we're really doing here is coming back to who we are in a more fundamental way, which doesn't require us to do anything. We have a few tools and skills that help us to power down to put down our tools so that we can come into a state of being rather than the doing that we are customarily doing all the time we're awake so let's give it a try right now come into a comfortable seated position get your body set up that in a way that feels good for you You know, commonly meditation is done seated and that's what I'm going to be doing and the guidance I offer will mostly be for a sitting position.

4:17Henry Shukman:But it's also okay to lie down, to recline, to kind of slouch any way you like actually. Get settled, close your eyes or lower the gaze with the eyes open if you prefer that. let your hands settle either in your lap or on your thighs or perhaps at the sides of your body just take a moment now to sort of take stock take an inventory how are you doing right now as you come into this time of stillness and quiet from all the activities of your day whether you're just starting your day or closing your day or part way through your day as you come into quiet and stillness how are you doing? what kind of momentum is on board and in your body right now?

5:27Henry Shukman:just give it space allow it to be here let yourself be as you are and let's become aware of the body aware of the position that your body is in relax your shoulders and arms let them hang like old ropes

5:53Henry Shukman:relax your jaw and throat let them soften

6:02Henry Shukman:let your whole head, your scalp, your face sides of your head be at ease let them relax

6:14let your torso, your rib cage, your belly the whole upper body, let it relax.

6:24Henry Shukman:Let legs and feet relax. Whole body. At rest. At ease.

6:38Henry Shukman:And just see if you can invite your mind to follow, like the body to have a moment's rest. Let the mind rest. Let your whole system power down.

7:06Henry Shukman:What's it like if just for a little moment you actually don't have to do anything?

7:18Henry Shukman:so much of our waking lives we're busy doing. This is just a little moment when you get to not do. To really, yeah, lay down all the tools. Lay down all the doing. and just be. Just be.

8:05Okay. Lovely.

8:07Henry Shukman:Thank you very much for coming on this little journey into not doing. Let's move our fingers, move our toes, raise the eyes or open the eyes, have a little stretch if that feels supportive and pleasant. And congratulate yourself on giving yourself this time just for you, just for you to be rather than to have to do. Just taking that step back where we don't have to do anything. It doesn't mean we don't value all the things we do, but it means that we're renewed and reset and perhaps a little bit re-energized for all the activities that we can start resuming. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm looking forward to our next meditation where we will be exploring how to be with feelings, how to create space for our tender hearts and the many feelings that they naturally have.

9:11Henry Shukman:Have a great rest of your day.

9:14Dr. Rangan Chatterjee:So how was that for you? How do you feel now compared to when you started? You see, just a few minutes of meditation each morning helps me start off each day feeling calmer, grounded and more present. so if you want to join this free 30-day meditation challenge all you have to do is go to thewayapp.com forward slash live more to sign up and receive practical tips exclusive content and 30 free meditation sessions to get you started

9:55Dr. Rangan Chatterjee:if you enjoyed today's episode it is always appreciated if you can take a moment to share the podcast with your friends and family or leave a review on apple podcasts thank you so much for listening have a wonderful week and always remember you are the architect of your own health making lifestyle change is always worth it because when you feel better you live more