423: What You've Never Been Told About Meditation

03/30/22 • 30 min

1 Listener

If you’re someone who meditates, your practice probably entails taking 10-20 minutes out of your busy day to sit in silence.

Does that time give you a sense of peace, calm, and clarity? Most likely—for those 20 minutes.

But what happens when you end your meditation? Do you continue to go through your day with those same levels of peace, calm, and clarity? Or do you become reactive to the outside forces and succumb to your inner turmoil?

“Meditation will get you nowhere. Meditativeness will give you the keys to your inner kingdom. The unserious man puts in his obligatory 20 minutes of meditation, in order to fulfill his daily quota, but the one who is truly serious transforms every single thing that he does into a meditation. In short, he becomes meditative.” —Kapil Gupta

In today’s episode, I’m excited to start by reading a short chapter from the book, Atmamun: The Path to Achieving the Bliss of the Himalayan Swamis and the Freedom of a Living God, written by Kapil Gupta, MD, and then sharing how I implement it, including asking a simple but powerful question that you can begin using immediately.

You’ll learn how to reframe your world, approach every moment of your life in a meditative state—and discover how it feels to live in a heightened state of being and awareness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why meditating to fulfill a daily quota doesn’t permanently eliminate stressors.
What meditation is really about and why it doesn’t work for the overwhelming majority of people who practice it.
How emotional optimization meditation works and why it’s one of my favorite forms of meditation.
The question my former coach asked me that unlocked the door to inner freedom.
How approaching everything from a meditative state brings joy to everything you do.

Get The Full Show Notes

To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit HalElrod.com/423

Subscribe, Rate & Review

I would love if you could subscribe to the podcast and leave an honest rating & review. This will encourage other people to listen and allow us to grow as a community. The bigger we get as a community, the bigger the impact we can have on the world.

To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.

Connect with Hal Elrod

If you’re someone who meditates, your practice probably entails taking 10-20 minutes out of your busy day to sit in silence.

Does that time give you a sense of peace, calm, and clarity? Most likely—for those 20 minutes.

You’ll learn how to reframe your world, approach every moment of your life in a meditative state—and discover how it feels to live in a heightened state of being and awareness.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why meditating to fulfill a daily quota doesn’t permanently eliminate stressors.
What meditation is really about and why it doesn’t work for the overwhelming majority of people who practice it.
How emotional optimization meditation works and why it’s one of my favorite forms of meditation.
The question my former coach asked me that unlocked the door to inner freedom.
How approaching everything from a meditative state brings joy to everything you do.

Get The Full Show Notes

To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit HalElrod.com/423

Subscribe, Rate & Review

To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.

Connect with Hal Elrod

Previous Episode

422: Moving From Mediocrity to Mastery

1 Recommendations

From time to time, we all tend to settle for less than we truly want and are capable of, at least in some areas of our life. Today we’re going to explore how to identify which areas you’re settling in, what’s causing you to settle, and then commit to taking simple actions that will move you forward and set a course for a Level 10 life. About six months ago, as I was journaling, I realized that I was settling for mediocrity in some of the most important areas of my life. I assessed my health, my finances, my marriage, my role as a parent, and my happiness. I felt like I was just going through the motions and stuck in a rut. So, I asked myself, “Where am I?” “Why am I settling for less?” and “What can I do to immediately move me from mediocrity to mastery in the most important areas of my life?”

Today, I’m sharing a very vulnerable entry from my own journal, revealing my self-coaching process, and inviting you to improve your own life. Be prepared not just to listen and take notes, but to take action.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Why calling yourself or someone else mediocre isn’t judgmental.
How and why I rated myself at different levels across my life in my assessment.
Questions you can ask yourself and tools you can use to assess where you’re excelling and where you may be mediocre.
How I took my performance from mediocre to masterful in my past.
The powerful affirmation you can use to chart a course to mastery right now.

Get The Full Show Notes

To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit HalElrod.com/422

Subscribe, Rate & Review

To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.

Connect with Hal Elrod

Next Episode

424: Your Last Bad Day with Michael O’Brien

Michael O’Brien’s last bad day was July 11th, 2001. Riding his bike in New Mexico, he was hit head on by an SUV traveling 40 miles per hour and left crippled on the side of the road.

“I remember the sound of me hitting his grill... the thud I made as I crashed onto the asphalt below, and the screech of his brakes.”

Wanting to make the best of the situation, Michael promised himself that if he survived, he’d stop trying to chase happiness and begin truly enjoying every day—a profound lesson we can all learn from.

In today’s episode, Michael shares the story of what happened on his last bad day and how he reframed his situation over the course of several months to heal his mind and body. We dive into how he discovered Pause-Breathe-Reflect meditation, what his daily practice looks like, and how you can immediately begin applying his mindset to your life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

How changing the conversations we have with ourselves helps us become more compassionate when we talk with others.
Why Michael had to shift his mindset to truly heal after his accident–and how the day of his injury became his last bad day.
Why all events in our lives are neutral until we label them–and how Michael processes bad, angry, and sad moments in his life without letting them define his experience.
Why Michael does something monumental on the anniversary of his injury every year–and why he’s going on a 4,300 mile bike ride from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia this summer.

Get The Full Show Notes

To get full access to today's show notes, including audio, transcript, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit HalElrod.com/424

Subscribe, Rate & Review

To subscribe, rate, and review the podcast on iTunes, visit HalElrod.com/iTunes.

Connect with Hal Elrod