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I am one of those people who doesnt know what to do with free time.
Christian Harder
My calendar is filled to the gills simply because I want it to be.
Its good for you, right?
At least thats what I feel like Ive been told over and over these past few months.
Christian Harder
Celebrities always seem to sing its praisesfromKarlie Klossto Gabrielle Bernstein to Oprah.
Practitioners claim that meditation and mindfulness helps them with sleep, eating, exercising,anxiety, andgeneral health.
And I’m clearly not the only one.
Christian Harder
Even the Apple Watch nudges you to breathe and focus during the day.
Meditating is the cool thing to do right now.
EnterInscapean app and meditation/relaxation studio in NYC that I hoped would help me learn how to meditate.
Christian Harder
From the moment I walked in, I felt at peace.
Its like visiting a spa but without the awkwardness of taking off your clothes.
If twinkling stars played music, thats what I imagine the sound inside Inscape to be like.
Christian Harder
This was the space I wanted to move to and curl up in for two weeks, yes just.
Inscape offers a deal where you might sign up for $50 and get unlimited meditation for two weeks.
(Full disclosure: Inscape covered my two-week session + app fee).
First, there was the challenge of figuring out the exact two weeks to do it.
No week is perfect, and when you string two weeks together, it complicates things.
Classes can last 22 to 66 minutes.
Each class in the Dome begins with a series of breathing exercises and light stretching, followed by meditation.
The class has a facilitator but no actual teacher.
All your cues come from a recorded voice (the same one as on the app).
I wanted to come out of the first class feeling much lighter and relaxed.
So there was definitely still work to be done.
I was stuck at work and couldnt make the meditation class.
After a sufficient amount of panic, I decided to try a sleep meditation on the app that night.
Let me tell you, it was heavenly.
Then you lie down and close your eyes.
These quickly became what I looked forward to most.
I was super tempted to buy one after class.
For the first part of the class, you lie down and focus on your breathing.
Then you listen to a chorus of bells, whistles, and some low-sounding tunes.
Its not quite music, but more hums.
That’s not the right way to think about it, he said.
This made my practice a lot easier.
My bang out-A personality had something it can get behind in terms of achievable and reachable goals.
Some days I was better at that than others.
After speaking with Keledjian (and meditating with him!
Each time you practice, you get a little better, he explained.
The immediate benefit is that you become calmer, he told me.
You respond versus react.
You start thinking of things calmly, or take a pause before you answer something.
But breath actually can slow you down from that.
I tried to let this practice seep into my work habits and personal communication skills.
Previously, I wouldve jumped on any email that came into my inbox, no matter the time.
I simply wanted to be the first to respond and for people to know Im always “on.
At one of my very last sessions, I had trouble sitting through a 30-minute class.
It was incredibly hard to sit there and not move as my brain was zigzagged everywhere.
So even the self-assigned unsuccessful meditations made me feel good.
The experience of going to a dedicated meditation space was hard to replicate in my tiny New York apartment.
The apps sleep meditation offerings are a godsend.
I used these practically every single night since my first experience with them and have continued to use them.
(Im on night 24!)
Overall, Im beyond happy that I was able to experience the space.
Id like to say Im on the way to becoming a very present person.
Ill keep you posted on that, right after I answer this email.
