Blog
How Meditation Helped Me Come Off Of Sleep Medications (Guest Blog by Sarah Kleiner)
I’ve experienced insomnia for much of my life, and can recall having difficulty sleeping for as far back as I can remember. My mother will be the first to tell you that I was always the child that had a hard time falling asleep and staying asleep – even as a baby.
When I was 18, my father passed away and I experienced life changing depression and insomnia, unable to function in school or daily life.
6 ways to manage holiday stress, Vedic-style
The holidays are coming! Whether you’re excited or you’re dreading all the parties and family time, here are 6 tips to help you manage stress and get the most out of holiday time:
1. Manage your expectations. If you expect apples to fall from an orange tree, you are going to be disappointed. If you expect your family to be anything other than, well, your family over the holidays, you will get needlessly upset over something you can’t change. Treat everything that happens as if you EXPECTED it to happen. That way, there are no surprises.
There is no quick fix
Last month I spoke at a conference about burnout in medicine. The idea is, if the doctors are less burned out, they will be better doctors, and then the patients will be more satisfied with the care they receive. And everyone will be happier. Win-win-win.
I had coffee with my former boss, who is a visionary leader, before I gave my talk. He asked me what I thought we should do about burnout. I suggested a Vedic meditation program for a group of physicians at the hospital, and he replied along the lines of, “yes, but then they have to become meditators. How else can we fix burnout?”
The *real* story of how I learned to meditate
This High Holiday season marks my 6th anniversary of learning Vedic meditation. It started innocently enough… It was Yom Kippur in Chicago, and a Friday night. I hadn’t been to synagogue in years. I was probably getting over yet another dramatic breakup, and had also been experiencing months of massive, soul-destroying work burnout, so I decided my friend and I should celebrate… by going to a bar. I knew exactly which bar we should go to (The Southern), and I (earmuffs, mom and dad) wanted to sit at the bar and flirt with dudes. Not my usual M.O., but somehow I knew that was definitely the plan.
Keeping it calm, cool, collected, and PERSPECTED
Some of you may know that I’m in the process of opening a new studio. It’s ridiculously exciting, and I’m in love with the space and with my neighborhood. However, from construction issues, to permits and zoning, all issues that are out of my control, one thing after another has tested my patience. It’s been a perfect lesson in how the world doesn’t just become unicorns, rainbows and puppy dogs once we start meditating, and it inspired me to share some of my thoughts on how Vedic meditation has helped me to keep it calm, cool, collected, and PERSPECTED during this process.
Meditate-Anon (Part 2)- for the non-meditators!
Vedic meditation (or any physical or spiritual practice), while life-changing for meditators, can sometimes be a drag for the partners (and family members, friends, and colleagues) of meditators. Several weeks ago, I posted part 1 of this series- how Vedic meditators can make it easier for their family members, colleagues and friends, to be supportive of their practice. If you missed it, or want a refresher, you can read it here!
When your ex gets married...
My ex-boyfriend got married last weekend. Just about a year after we broke up.
I found out about it a couple of months ago, in typical 2017 fashion, on Google. Some honeymoon go-fund-me page. They looked really happy and cute. That part didn’t bother me. I actually want him to find happiness.
Pain vs. Suffering
Pain vs suffering. What’s the difference? Pain is inevitable. Pain can even be helpful. Our nerves provide sensations, so that we may avoid injury. Suffering occurs when we give our pain a personality, a cause and effect, a narrative. If pain is the physical sensation we feel, suffering is the story we tell ourselves about that pain (and what the pain says about us).
9 Reasons Why Doctors CAN, SHOULD, (and often DON’T) Meditate
Knowing what I know about practicing medicine, and knowing what I know about meditation and its benefits, I often ask myself, “why don’t more doctors, and other healthcare professionals, learn to meditate?” Here are 9 reasons why doctors CAN, SHOULD, (and often DON’T), meditate: