October 2022 TDM
The Fall Issue
Welcome to the 42nd 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 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 ]
Meditation May Be As Effective As Medication For Diabetics
Looks like there could be a mantra for lowering your blood sugar... According to a report in Health Day News, meditation, yoga, and other stillness practices may help to lower the blood pressure of patients with type 2 diabetes, nearly to the degree that standard diabetes medications like Metformin do. Wow.
They tested a variety of mindfulness practices on diabetics, including yoga, breathwork, meditation, qigong, guided imagery, and mindfulness-based stress reduction. The results match that of traditional medication. Researchers believe that it could be linked to a reduction in stress from those above practices, as well as consistency of exposure to the practices. And beneficial results took about 3 months to occur.
If you want to read more about it, click here to see the original study, or to get the full summary, click here.
Bottom line: If you’re one of the 37 million diabetics in the U.S., please don’t ditch your medications. But you should definitely be giving mindfulness a try.
[ MEDITATION & CULTURE ]
Ready for Yogananda the Musical?
Someone turned Paramahansa Yogananda’s life into a musical—and we’re here for it! There’s a new show in town (well, in Los Angeles to be specific) by internationally acclaimed spiritual and meditation teacher, composer and singer Michel Pascal. It’s called Yoganandance – A Musical to Celebrate Yogananda, the author of Autobiography of a Yogi, and founder of the Self Realization Fellowship.
The musical premiers on Nov. 17, 2022, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Pascal, who conceived and wrote the music to the show, describes it as “a musical celebration of the spirit of Yogananda to engage people to get back to love.” Click here to learn more about it and get your ticket.
Bottom line: We love the creativity, and look forward to more—Autobiography of a Yogi on ice anyone?
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 & TECHNIQUE ]
Psychologists Identify the #1 Trait to Stay Younger and More Attractive
Want more people swiping right on your profile? You better get compassionate. According to longtime meditation teacher, Vishen Lakhiani, psychologists at the University of North Carolina compared the length of telomeres in people who practiced "loving-kindness compassion meditations" to those who didn't. And while telomere length had reduced in the non-meditators, it didn't shorten at all in the loving-kindness meditation group. This is significant because the length of your telomeres can indicate how old you are, and how fast you’re aging.
How to practice compassion:
Step 1: Bring a loved one to mind.
Step 2: Let the compassion encompass your body.
Step 3: Expand compassion into the room you're in.
Step 4: Send your compassion to the streets.
Step 5: Allow compassion to encompass your city and country.
Step 6: Allow your compassion to envelop the Earth.
Click here to see the full article with detailed steps
Bottom line: The best time to be compassionate was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
[ MEDITATION & LIFESTYLE ]
An Underserved Community Is Searching For Inner Peace
Guess who’s flocking to wellness practices more than any other racial group in 2022.? Black folks… According to a report released by McKinsey & Company last month, the number of American adults who say wellness is a priority for them has risen to about 50 percent in 2022 compared to 42 percent in 2020–with the sharpest increase in Black Americans, 60 percent of whom were prioritizing wellness in 2022 compared to 49 percent of other racial groups.
The greatest unmet need is among Black Americans, 47% to 55% of which said they needed more wellness products and services compared to 35% to 39% of Asian Americans and 30% to 35% of White Americans. Read more about it here
Bottom line: Whoever is stepping in to serve this growing market is going to find massive audience over the next several years.
Meditation Teaching Tour (WAITLIST ONLY): Light’s Vedic meditation teaching tour is now at capacity, and accepting a waitlist for NYC and LON. You can join the waitlist here, or you can pre-register for Atlanta and LA in March 2023.
“This has been one of the best investments that I've ever made in my life. You are provided with ongoing support, a mentor, a wonderful community, and the opportunity to retake the class at any time in the future.” — Jennifer J.
[ MEDITATION & TECH ]
The Best Meditation Apps of 2022
Forbes has published this list of the best meditation apps of this year, and rated each one on whether there’s a free trial, the monthly and annual costs, the key features, and their personal assessment of each app. It’s a very thorough list if you’re looking for the right meditation app.
One major app didn’t make the list, and the one that didn’t make the top spot. Guess which other meditation app was ranked number one, and then click here to see if you guessed correctly.
[ REALITY CHECK ]
Our True Nature
I recently moderated a panel about limiting beliefs around money, and what became apparent was how they stem from limiting beliefs around our true nature.
If we perceive our nature to be a human with a spirit, then no matter how much money we have, there will be a thirst for more, as money gives us the illusion of safety and control of our future.
But as we get to know our true nature primarily as a spirit having the human experience, we develop a completely different orientation around money.
We begin to recognize that, like food, money is necessary to operate and helps us meet our basic needs—but it’s not everything.
Money doesn’t define who we are. It’s not worthy of being obsessed over day in and out. And having more of it than others doesn’t guarantee us more happiness.
If happiness is what we’re after, then we must invest a good amount of time and effort into understanding our true nature. It’s not easy—but it’s much easier than trying to finance our way there.
[By TDM Founder, Light Watkins]
[ READ. WATCH. LISTEN. ]
Read: THE 6 PHASE MEDITATION METHOD: The Proven Technique to Supercharge Your Mind, Manifest Your Goals and Make Magic in Minutes a Day
From mindfulness expert and founder of top personal growth brand Mindvalley, The 6 Phase Meditation Method is Vishen Lakhiani’s answer to the world’s increasing demand for mental health and wellness resources. The 6 Phase Meditation Method condenses the wisdom of nearly 1,000 neuroscientists, monks, yogis, and meditation experts into a hyper-efficient programming script that readers can run through as they prepare for the day. Read more
Watch: Gaia
If you are passionate about spirituality and ancient wisdom, then Gaia is the platform for you. We refer to it as the Netflix of Spirituality. Gaia is a channel where the world's top thought leaders and teachers share knowledge and expertise that empowers your conscious awakening. Watch more
Listen: Untethered Soul author, Michael Singer’s interview on Oprah’s Super Soul Podcast
Oprah talks to author and spiritual teacher Michael Singer about his new book, Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament, which is the sequel to his #1 New York Times bestseller, The Untethered Soul. Michael offers advice on how to go through the emotions, ideas, and routines that hold us back so we can discover inner peace. 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 helps me connect with the divine, so that I can align myself with my purpose daily.
What have you gotten from Meditation? Meditation helps me connect with the divine so that I can align myself with my purpose daily. It also helps me calm my mind and reduce stress when life starts to get overwhelming.
Strangest meditation moment? Astral projection and feeling outside of my body always surprise me.
Most unexpected benefit of meditation? I never knew how profoundly healing breathwork meditation could be.
[For more info about Koya, check out koyawebb.com.]
Two of Our Favorite Instagram Accounts with a Purpose
Vishen Lakhiani (left) is the founder and CEO of Mindvalley, an award-winning education movement with over 10 million students worldwide. He is on a mission to help people access their potential by providing transformative educational modalities. He wrote the New York Times bestseller “The Code for the Extraordinary Mind” which encourages readers to challenge society’s belief system. It’s been regarded as the blueprint to becoming the best, most extraordinary version of yourself. Follow him @vishen
Tara Brach (right) is a leading western teacher of Buddhist meditation, emotional healing, and spiritual awakening. Tara’s teachings blend Western psychology and Eastern spiritual practices, mindful attention to our inner life, and a full, compassionate engagement with our world. The result is a distinctive voice in Western Buddhism, one that offers a wise and caring approach to freeing ourselves and society from suffering. Follow her @tarabrach
Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.
— Sonia Ricotti
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