November 2022 TDM
The Gratitude Issue
Welcome to the 43rd issue of The Daily Meditator. This is your monthly resource for fun, quirky, interesting, and noteworthy happenings in and around the worldwide meditation community, curated by meditation teacher, Light Watkins and co. Our mission is simple: to help broaden the horizon of what a daily meditator looks like while providing you with relevant information and timely inspiration for staying committed to your daily practice.
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[ MEDITATION & NEWS ]
New Netflix Documentary Coming About Orgasmic Meditation
A meditation movement based on sexual pleasure—what can go wrong with that? First, there was Wild Wild Country, then the Bikram documentary, and now Netflix is tackling Orgasmic Meditation: the story of OneTaste, which is a sexual wellness company that gained fame and followers for its practice of “orgasmic meditation.”
Created in San Francisco in 2001, this female-founded wellness brand taught practitioners to find peace through a combination of mindfulness and orgasm—like, literally, from having 15-minute orgasms. We don’t personally understand the controversy. I mean, if everyone consents, who wouldn’t sign up for a 15 minute orgasm? Better than sitting with your eyes closed, legs crossed, and back straight for 15 minutes thinking about whether ants reincarnate.
Alas, things went left, and looks like we’ll find out how and why in the documentary.
Bottom line: Sounds like another good reason to Netflix and chill. Literally.
See How A Group of Teens Are Addressing Mental Health
Some people complain about the state of mental health among young people, but these teens decided to do something about it. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is a teen mental health crisis. But let’s be honest, we didn’t need the CDC to tell us that.
However, instead of waiting for the adults to do something about it, a group of high schoolers in Charlotte, NC, decided to address this national emergency themselves by hosting a weekly mental wellness night, complete with tools, check-ins, and of course, meditation. It’s open to any kids in the area.
We hope this will inspire other teens to start something similar. If interested, click here to get more details on the event and the format. It sounds very replicatable.
Bottom line: We love it when people, young and old, become the change that they want to see in the world.
[ MEDITATION & TECHNIQUE ]
3 Ways to Become More Grateful
Being more grateful is easier said than done. That’s why intentionally practicing gratitude is reported to be a surefire way to improve your quality of life. According to pendulummag.com, here are 3 easy ways to develop a daily gratitude practice.
Start a gratitude journal - recording the things, people, and experiences that you’re grateful for might cause you to see more things to be grateful for.
Stay engaged with close friends and family - it takes effort, but it’s emotionally beneficial to go above and beyond to stay connected to the people who we care about, and feel nourished by.
Incorporate affirmations into your daily routine - Create a thankfulness mantra, like “Despite the negativity surrounding me, I have many things to be grateful for - my family, my friends, my health.” It’s a quick way to turn negative emotions into positive thoughts of gratitude.
Bottom line: Although your world may not change much, what we’ve found is that being grateful will help you see the world in a vastly different way.
Join Light’s 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge: This challenge is designed to help people develop a daily gratitude practice. Just like any other skill, gratitude needs to be practiced over time to make it stick. It’s about recognizing what we have rather than focusing on what we lack. People who practice daily gratitude are more optimistic, enthusiastic, and present in their lives. Click here to join
[ MEDITATION & CELEBRITIES ]
From Migos To Meditation, And Other Celebrity Meditation News
Looks like Saweetie, Kelly Ripa, and Katy Perry are “all in” on meditation.
Kelly Ripa is meditating with her husband and looks like they made the cardinal sin of trying to onboard family members into meditating as well. But, it didn’t turn out as they’d hoped… You can click here for the full report.
Meanwhile, Saweetie is using daily meditation to move on from her breakup with Quavo of the hip-hop group, Migos. They split in 2021 and in addition to writing new music, meditation has served as an antidote to heartbreak. In her words, “If you can’t be by yourself, I think it’s a reflection of how you feel internally.” More about Saweetie’s meditation adventures here.
And finally, Katy Perry uses her TM practice to cope with everything from jet lag to hangovers to songwriting. "I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety in my life,” she says, “and TM is a huge tool. Sometimes, I just slip away for 20 minutes in the middle of the day. I’ll be like, ‘I’ll be right back. I’m in a foul mood, and I’m going to come back soon in a better one.” Click for more.
Bottom line: We never thought of meditation as a go-to remedy for hangovers, but, hey, whatever it takes to keep up your daily practice.
[ MEDITATION & HEALTH ]
Guess What’s Been Shown To Be 200% More Effective Than Conventional Addiction Therapy
Another reason why meditation instruction needs to be covered on major insurance plans. According to a recent study, 165 participants, who all suffered from opioid abuse, were randomly assigned to three groups; the supportive group, the psychotherapy control group, and the experimental group. The control group received instruction in Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE).
All participants were brought into the research lab before and after the eight-week study therapy to practice mindfulness meditation. And they had their brain waves recorded using an electroencephalogram (EEG) while meditating. Nine months after the therapy ended, participants who continued practicing mindfulness showed a 45% decrease in opioid usage, more than doubling the efficiency of standard treatments.
Bottom line: In case you know someone who is “breaking bad,” meditation may be the thing that helps them find their light.
[ REALITY CHECK ]
More to Do
By Light Watkins
I remember the day I quit my job waiting tables in New York. I was so reluctant to leave because I was making enough to cover my bills, plus a little left over. But deep down, I knew I had more to do career-wise.
So I quit. Of course, many years later, my little leap of faith no longer seems like that big of a deal. But it was a huge deal at the time because it was a safe position with a reliable income, and I was good at it.
I later came across a quote from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which summed my experience up beautifully. He said, “The important thing is to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”
Something to ponder each day: are you sacrificing what you are for what you could become? And if not, what’s a step you can take in that direction?
[ READ. WATCH. LISTEN. ]
Read: How To Be Loving: as your heart is breaking open and the world is waking up
From the author, Danielle LaPorte (member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100), How To Be Loving is a nuanced perspective on the power of Self Compassion, shadow work, and being more receptive to Higher Guidance. This is a guide on how to use the genius of your heart to create conditions for healing—yourself and the collective. Designed with reflective practices + inspirational mini posters. Read more
Watch: 15 Minutes of Mountainscapes for Meditation, Relaxation & Stress Relief | Condé Nast Traveler
If you can’t get out into nature to relax, bring nature to you. If you're looking for a way to relax and unwind, this guided meditation will help you find your inner calm. For just 15 minutes, you can transport yourself to a majestic mountainscape, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Watch more
Listen: Vedic Worldview: A Vedic Meditation Podcast
Vedic Worldview: A Vedic Meditation Podcast is hosted by meditation master Thom Knoles. Thom has been dropping Vedic truth bombs week after week on his podcast. Thom is Light’s teacher, and Light has described him as Yoda to his Luke Skywalker. Don’t miss an opportunity to hear and learn from a true Vedic master. Listen now
Have you listened to Light’s podcast, The Light Watkins Show? If inspiration was a drop of water, The Light Watkins Show would be like an ocean. Each candid interview is sure to leave you uplifted, inspired, and motivated to follow your heart, take a leap of faith, and believe in yourself. Listen or watch now.
[ REPORT FROM THE FIELD ]
Meditation has allowed me to meet myself over and over again—not the ideal version of myself, but my actual self especially in its hardest moments.
What have you gotten from meditation? Where to begin!? Meditation has allowed me to meet myself over and over again. Not the ideal version of myself, but my actual self especially in its hardest moments. It has provided the space to ask big questions and hopefully live myself into those answers. Most of all, I have gotten more and more moments of a quiet mind and less noise. Peace.
Strangest meditation moment? It has taken me 14 years to grow my practice from two minutes a day to about 40 minutes of sitting. Every once in a while my timer doesn’t seem to go off, or the volume is down on my phone and I have gone way beyond my set time. Most recently I sat for over an hour. I’ve never done this before in my life. It makes me wonder, what am I really capable of and how sitting without a timer is the true practice of presence and letting myself be both taken and moved all at once.
Most unexpected benefit of meditation? I had a meditation teacher who once asked me, “Even chickens sit, why do you sit?” I think that’s just it, knowing that this practice has been with me for 14 years and will continue to remain with me for the rest of my life, I sit sometimes just to sit. Just to do nothing, just to rest, just to be in the moment, in my boredom, in my desire, in my fear, in my everything, and sit. There is tremendous medicine in just sitting.
[ For more info about Christopher, click here. Also, check out his new book, Brown Enough ]
Two of Our Favorite Instagram Accounts with a Purpose
Dr. Robynne Chutkan (left) is one of the most well-known gastroenterologists in the nation and the creator of The Digestive Center for Wellness. She graduated from Yale and Columbia, and since 1997, she has served as a faculty member at Georgetown Hospital. Dr. Chutkan's concept is centered on identifying and treating the underlying root causes of digestive distress, which is often the result of damage to the microbiome from excessive antibiotics and a suboptimal diet. She’s bullish on education, dirt, sweat, and vegetables! Follow her @gutbliss
Jesse Israel (right) is a meditation leader, keynote speaker, and leadership coach known for founding the mass meditation movement The Big Quiet. Named "The Meditation Expert" by The New York Times, Jesse has led some of the largest meditations on earth — having toured arenas with Oprah Winfrey and co-hosted international broadcasts with Deepak Chopra. An Audible Originals best-selling creator and a Forbes Next 1000 recipient, Jesse has collaborated on meditation projects with grammy winning rappers, coached the world’s most influential entrepreneurs, and keynoted at Fortune 500s around the globe. Follow him @jesseisrael
Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, and confusion into clarity. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
— Melody Beattie
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