MEDITATION: Why you should integrate the practice of meditation into your daily life?

I recently spoke with my friend Sylvain Noury ​​(Amplitude Mouvement Bordeaux) about physical training. This exchange is taken from the 46th episode of the Mouvers Podcast. In this article, we will address the following question:

“Why is it necessary to slow down? What tools can help us do this (meditation, breathing, etc.)?”

Very good reading to you my Mouver!

How to start MEDITATION and BREATHING exercises?

SLIM: Can you tell us a little more about this idea of ​​practicing stillness, “non-movement”?

What does it bring you, personally?

In what format would you recommend starting to practice stillness, not moving, for someone who is just starting out?

Once again, I'm throwing this idea at you to address the "complete beginner" because this is often the type of questions I receive:

“How do I get started?”

“How do I start?”

What do you think a complete beginner could gain from practicing stillness?

Do you have any tools you would recommend to us, such as meditations, breathing or others?

SYLVAIN: Yes, of course!

It's a vast world, that of breathing...

Breathing is one thing, and meditation, a little more focused on presence , will be something else!

For me, the main thing is to work on a bit of everything, as always...

At the start, I would recommend trying to set protocols that are fairly short, because otherwise, it will be more difficult to maintain the rhythm in the long term!

For example, starting by becoming aware of your breathing is already excellent!

For my part, I like to count my breaths, it was one of the first things that made me realize what “presence” really meant, being present.

If, after three breaths, you are already disconnected, thinking about your shopping list or what you are going to do later, you can tell yourself straight away that you have work to do because three breaths is really not long...

Afterwards, it is especially important to understand why we do this and to understand all this, we need to expand our knowledge!

For me, I like the idea of ​​doing something, knowing roughly where I'm going, starting for example by finding a good book.

I started my readings with traditional Chinese techniques, at the time, but it's particular because there is a lot of counting of breaths, so I will not quote this illustration to you for the moment but rather direct you towards content that is more accessible for the complete beginner!

Christophe André (link at the end) for example, writes very good books on presence, he describes the substance of meditation very well:

• What needs to be put in place?

• Do I sit down and tell myself I'm meditating?

• How does it work? When I breathe, should I control my breathing or not control it?

• What should I do in my head?

• What practice time should I set up?

If I have one piece of advice to give, it's really to practice regularly!

Consistency is best!

Also, the volume must be increasing, that is to say that if we are comfortable with a small practice of 5 minutes, it is already cool, but little by little, do not hesitate to increase our meditation times,

Switch to 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour etc, depending on what you are looking for, of course!

Seeking knowledge allows us to understand:

• Why do we meditate?

• What is meditation?

• What is the difference with breathing?

How does practicing meditation help you be more grounded in the present moment?

We really need to get to the bottom of things to understand that meditation or mindfulness is an effort, a training in the sense that we seek to develop our concentration to the maximum,

So inevitably, the results and benefits of this practice will allow us to be much more:

• Concentrate !
• Here !
• Efficient!

Being present and focused in what we do therefore allows us to be more efficient because we are not scattered, we are really “there”!

When you do your “Handstand” and you want to be good at your posture, in general, you take it hard at the beginning because not only do you have trouble with your body, but also, your mind tries to go off in all directions!

You can't be a handstand specialist from the start, and that's okay!

This is why I truly consider handstands to be an “art of Zen”!

But not just the “Handstand”…

For example, for locomotion, it's exactly the same!

No matter what you undertake, you must succeed, little by little, as you go, in being 100% in what you are doing because this is precisely what will allow you to make progress on a cognitive level,

At the level of memorization,

In terms of feeling,

In terms of the development of your nervous information...

In short, you optimize your practice, but without wanting to!

This is why meditation can be complex to grasp at first because it is almost a bipolar activity:

You must meditate, without thinking about meditating!

You must meditate, with total detachment and maximum presence!

So, from the moment you say to yourself:

“OK, I’m meditating now…”

First of all, it's not good!

We must succeed in detaching ourselves from objectives, in adopting a kind of disengagement from practice...

And this disengagement is exactly what we are putting in place in the movement!

Concretely, what does this mean?

If you do locomotion, already thinking about your level in ten years when you will be super good and you will be able to post videos of yourself, I think that there, clearly, you are not “enough” in what you do!

You have to enjoy your difficulty there...

Right here, right now, when you're moving!

Enjoy!

Enjoy…

So yes, it's hard, you're struggling...

Maybe you feel your hands hurt because the floor is rotten?

But: we don't care!

Do your ankles hurt?

Do your knees hurt when you move?

That's what the present is!

It's: shit, right there, right now...

And you have to know how to take advantage of these moments!

Still practices like meditation or mindfulness for example, because there are more than just these, allow you to settle down, to develop a real presence in your body!

Presence is one of the main elements you can benefit from in your daily life, like when you have breakfast for example!

What is the “Slow” movement?

Perhaps you know the “Slow” movement?

Slow food…

Slow sex…

The slow “whatever you want”!

Slowing down, as in movement, not being in a rush to execute at 100 miles an hour, not thinking about:

“I have to do that later, I have to hurry!”

No, no!

You are -> here!

So, just do what you're doing and that's it!

We must not go further than that!

You are -> here!

SLIM: Amen!

Your words, Sylvain, what you just said: that's gold!

Your words are absolutely amazing!

This idea of ​​disengaging, of slowing down...

It is indeed the “Slow Life”, at a time when the “Fast Life” is being promoted!

There are people who will go against this trend and promote the “Slow Life”, by doing things slowly, as you specified, whether with movement, meditation, breathing, or in life in general, such as with work:

You don't need to work ten hours non-stop, drink coffee after coffee, take LSD, even microdosed, to go full throttle, all the time...

Sometimes it's good to say to yourself:

“I do something and I do it slowly, I do it well, I do it correctly…”

You will be able to get a lot of joy and satisfaction from it, without necessarily trying to go further, this nuance is, I think, very important!

And, as you point out, if you already have small doses of slowing down and mindfulness in your daily life, with your training for example, afterwards, it is largely possible and relatively easy to transfer it to the rest of your activities!

Whether it's even talking with someone, enjoy the fact that it's slow, that there's a kind of musicality in the conversation...

Alternate the conversation with pauses!

Sometimes, saying nothing can be the right time to simply enjoy and breathe together in order to continue to progress spontaneously in the conversation…

Typically, this is also why I was keen to offer podcasts that are long!

Suggest to my audience that they listen to us during a car journey of a few hours, so that they can consume this type of conversation, more slowly!

Long formats teach a way of learning and building our knowledge that is very interesting, because we do it more slowly, we take more time...

You have time to dissect each chapter, each section and not to run after information that is already condensed, reduced, so that you can consume it easily...

Because precisely, if you consume information quickly and easily, retention will also be very short!

Do you understand?

SYLVAIN: Yes, completely!

SLIM: That's why I chose to offer a long podcast format, in which we can freely and easily diverge!

Your words therefore make complete sense to me because it is a principle of life concerning me, it is precisely the way in which I approach my life!

How can we actually SLOW DOWN the pace of our lives?

SYLVAIN: Completely, and I think it's even more complicated to put this in place because our society pushes us every day, a little more and more, to be attracted by all the information that hits us in the face, all the time!

In addition, the people we meet are also, for the most part, connected to 220 volts and it becomes almost contagious, having to deal with overexposed individuals...

In the act of sitting down, of taking the time to do something, what is good with this mechanism is that it requires a real effort!

As with slowing down movements, it is indeed much harder to slow them down than to speed them up!

What will be interesting about slowing down is that it will highlight everything that is wrong,

That is to say, if you try to slow down, you will perceive things that will constantly demand your attention because spontaneously and constantly you do them in accelerated fashion and constantly, these put you under stress...

Identifying them is the first phase!

The second phase is to try to put them aside a little bit, just to see what that feels like, to see if you can then stay at a slower pace, to try to enjoy what you're doing more!

For example, instead of taking my car to hurry to get somewhere, I will instead walk, even if it takes me three to four times longer!

It's a point of view...

Do I accept it?

If I accept it, then it's cool, I'm in agreement with myself, I'm going to walk quietly to get to this place, I'm just going to take a little more time beforehand to organize myself...

And sometimes, in everyday life, certain things can be approached from this point of view!

It is by putting this process in place that we will be able to identify what is ultimately harming us, in this acceleration and over-representation of information that comes to capture us.

And therefore allow us to note:

• Does it make me feel good?

• Do I feel better?
• Do I feel more relaxed?

Usually, the question doesn't even arise...

Sometimes, we simply need to realize that we are going too fast and stop, to act more consciously, more calmly, and this simple action already allows us to feel changes,

On a physical level, breathing begins to relax and on a mental level, it allows us to step back and see how much pressure we can put on ourselves!

Slow down to become aware of the little things, the little levers, which clearly piss us off on a daily basis...

SLIM: Exactly, and it’s absolutely crucial!

As you point out Sylvain, doing things more slowly allows you to have a much more precise self-assessment, it allows you to be able to analyze yourself!

In the movement for example, you can see that there are entire sections of the same movement on which you have never paid attention, it can be in a very simple movement, like a “Squat” :

• Are you actively lowering your body or are you letting yourself fall and then rising again?

These are perceptions that are subtle, but which make all the difference later on, both in terms of feeling, performance and injury prevention!

It is to honestly ask yourself:

Do I really control everything?

Is there a part of me that acts automatically and unconsciously?

Afterwards, in life, obviously, it is necessary to take the time to walk, to take the time to “do”, quite simply…

Just two days ago, I was doing an internship in Switzerland and I saw people running after the metro and trams etc. As a joke, I said to my friend:

“You’ll never see me running after a bus!”

But in reality, this joke is almost a principle of life that I impose on myself!

I don't want anything that makes me rush!

Speed ​​is often confused with haste, and for my part, I really make a point of trying to stop myself from doing it!

If I am late, I take it as a sign that next time I should prepare better in advance, but I don't want to be reactive,

In the sense that an external element forces me to react and to modify my attitude, my mood to make me feel almost breathless, panting, sweating, in a hurry, because I believe that this state of being remains a decision on our part!

If you don't run and accept being late, you arrive at your appointment apologizing for being late, and if you don't repeat the delay next time, you've won everything!

You arrive at your appointment in a better mood, more positive, you have worked on yourself again, you have in a way, almost strengthened yourself, with the law of hormesis because you say to yourself:

“Now I know how to prepare better, so I just gained a mini time management skill!”

Whereas if you rush, you haven't actually done any work, you have no gain, you just have something that drains your energy, your joy and what's more you communicate it to the person you had an appointment with (work, training...).

Ultimately, this approach is truly an attitude, a full and concrete way of approaching the sometimes chaotic elements that present themselves in our lives!

SYLVAIN: Absolutely!

I also think that putting this kind of positioning in place also means better managing the times when you won't necessarily have decision-making power!

Sometimes you will be forced to speed up, you will have no choice but these moments, suddenly, you will manage them much better, support them and accept them!

We can't be perfect all the time...

There are times when things are imposed on us, when we have no other choice but to speed, to take the car to go very fast, certain moments are like that, but as long as they do not represent a large part of everyday life, then it's cool!

SLIM: Exactly!

Realize that there is also a part of your day over which you have full decision-making power,

And precisely, training yourself to manage things well in these moments, these moments when there is no stress, allows you, as you point out, to subsequently manage stressful situations in a much more fluid and instinctive way!

And this is a principle that applies to absolutely everything that we do:

• The principle of “Training Better”

• The principle of “Eating Better”
• The principle of “Better Sleep”

Training, strengthening, developing, gaining discipline, you have to do it when everything is going well, you don't have to do it when everything is going badly...

SYLVAIN: That's it!

SLIM: You shouldn't do it in a stressful situation, because if you don't manage it when everything is going well, it will simply be impossible to transfer that to a time when things are really going badly...

I have many friends who live a lifestyle quite different from mine and who are constantly stressed at work.

I then said to them:

“Wait, your work…

Are you a firefighter?

Is there a fire every day and you have to save lives or, really, if you look at what you're doing, it's not that important and it's not that "urgent"?

Yes, it's not that urgent...

So, wouldn't you take the time to manage your week better, calmly,

So that when the time comes when you really have a last-minute project to manage, a file to submit in a hurry, you are better able to manage the situation emotionally and intellectually?

The important thing to understand is that you are training yourself to better manage crisis situations, outside of crises and not during crises!

SYLVAIN: Of course, absolutely!

What's wrong with instant gratification?

I also think that in our fast-moving society, people are looking for immediate results!

When they decide they want to get something, they need it, right there, right now...

Like a dish you heat up in the microwave.

I want to eat this reheated dish right now!

And BOOM, you have your dish!

Like the famous:

“I want my handstand!”

Really, some people can show up to a class and say:

“I want my handstand there…”

Okay…

But we'll start by practicing and then we'll see where you are!

And I think that at some point, there is a kind of return to reality, where these same people say to themselves:

“Oh yeah, actually, it’s hard, I can’t last two seconds…

I'm as red as a peony when I'm upside down...

I can't even hold my breath!

Quite simply, these people realize that reaching the initial goal is actually very far away, but that is precisely what makes a skill valuable!

It is :

• How much time will you dedicate to this goal?
• How much energy will you put into achieving this goal?

If you were given your “Handstand” as a gift, tomorrow, what would happen?

You're going to do it, you're going to take a picture...

But what value will you then give to your competence?

You won't grant him any!

It's like those YouTube videos titled: “Your handstand in 3 minutes!”…

But really, what shit can you do in three minutes?

It's not fair, it's not possible...

If you are only willing to spend three minutes on your “Handstand”, then I have just two words for you:

" Good luck ! "

By adopting this approach, you will be right in the result and hey presto, you will be able to take your photo...

But, concretely, what will it be used for?

Your handstand, your handstand or any other skill, if you focus on the process instead, it will then be anchored and valuable!

You won't even be able to show off with this new skill, because your "Handstand" for example, will have taken you more than a year and a half of work to get perfect...

So, what are you going to be able to tell people?

“Yeah look….”

No !

It makes sense: you put in a year and a half of your time, you just get your reward!

There will be no surprises…

Of course you're going to get your handstand, because you're giving it your all, so you'll get it and there won't be anything to add to that!

“I worked and at one point: I did it!”

SLIM: Indeed, it is very important to develop this idea that pleasure is above all internal, that it comes from:

“I deserved it!”

As you point out, by adopting this approach, there are no surprises in the end!

If you put in the effort, you'll never be surprised...

Like the guy who becomes world champion in his sport, obviously there is joy and euphoria at the time given the performance achieved but ultimately,

But he knows very well deep down that, in fact, this victory represents the logical continuation of the work process and there is almost no surprise in this achievement, in the sense that:

“I worked so I deserved what happened to me!”

In this context, what is promoted is the very end and not the process!

The time of:

“Wow, look at Usain Bolt, he ran, he won, he broke the world record!”

SYLVAIN: Yes, it’s the famous “carrot”.

SLIM: There you go, that's the carrot, at the end!

And unfortunately, this is what we observe, not only with physical practice, but also with the world of work, with romantic relationships and applications like Tinder, these instant processes of:

“I chose you and boom, it has to happen!”

It's a shame, but that's the world we live in...

This is why I think it is important to hold this type of discourse in order to perhaps put the natural order back at the center, meritocracy, this idea of ​​work, in the long term!

Acquiring skills is a long process, so don't be afraid of it!

Bibliography

• Christophe André , French psychiatrist and psychotherapist, specialist in meditation and mindfulness.

His main works on meditation:

• “Meditate, day after day”
• “Three minutes to meditate”
• “Time to meditate”

All of these elements will, I hope, provide food for thought for the Mouvers!

Thank you for your attention!

And if you want to bounce back or simply share your experience, I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section 😉

Nomad Slim
Founder of MOUVERS