Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics by Dan Harris and Jeff Warren with Carlyle Adler Audio Book: 8 hours, 34 minutes Hardback Book: 304 pages
On June 7, 2004, Dan Harris, a news anchor for ABC news experienced a panic attack while live on Good Morning America. He felt it coming as he was giving a report on cancer and if you watch the Youtube video you can see he is beginning to sweat, he is getting a slight eye tick and he is fumbling over his words. He quickly wrapped the report and does a quick, “now back to you…” He had to get himself together. His doctor told him to lay off the recreational drugs he was using to calm his hyper workaholic self. He had spent several years prior in war torn parts of the globe reporting on every war, 9/11, street crimes etc. His adrenalin had him so constantly pumped up, he couldn’t relax and became depressed. He knew he had to do something different to address his problem with the depression the extreme anxiety he was experiencing. He began researching ways to cope and decided on Mindful Meditation. At first he thought meditation was a lot of hocus pocus hippie stuff and really had to work at settling down and keeping his mind clear from distractions but after finally getting the hang of it, now he swears by it and recommends it to everyone he can. He doesn’t promise you will be 100% happier for meditating but he does promise you will be at least 10% happier for meditating. He proselytizes vehemently for it. He is a strong believer and wants to share with the world how it took his anxiety away, calmed him down and relieved the depression all with 3 simple steps: 1.) Sit with your back straight and your eyes closed. 2.) Notice the feeling of your breath coming in and going out. 3. Notice when your mind becomes distracted and start over. He still has times when he has to clear his mind from worrying about stuff when he goes to meditate which is why he calls the book Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics because he was one until he found out all the benefits meditation brings a raging mind. He has found that grounding yourself is refreshing. It leaves you feeling peaceful and serene, seriously, not a metaphysical way but in a slowing life down and letting you catch your breath kind of way. Each exhale is an opportunity to relax the lines in your face, relax your neck and shoulders and your body. Not so you will bliss yourself out hyperventilating, but, giving you a feeling of enjoyment a hair above normalcy. While humans tend to focus on the negativity in life, meditation brings in positivity leaving your mind and your body feeling rested from all the assaults to your brain in any given day. Meditation is like social growth. It helps with your eating habits, you are calmer so you aren’t running to food for comfort, you are de-stressing yourself instead of distressing yourself. Your sleep will be more enriching and fulfilling, too. Meditation will calm the mind, body and soul so you don’t toss and turn all night with worries haunting you. He swears meditation will make your world saner. He says it took him 8 years to learn to relax and meditate without becoming distracted. But now he feels great, he can deal with things as they come up now instead of going from zero to FREAK-OUT! He meditates all the time not just once a day. Whenever he is in a place he can close his eyes for a few minutes he does so. It is a process of collecting oneself and opening your mind to clearer thinking not the irrational fears of feeling incompetent or suffering bouts of low self-esteem with the I’m not good enough thoughts plaguing him. He has now interviewed everyone from the Dalai Lama to Ru Paul about how they meditate and the good it brings to their lives. He also has a website: www.10percenthappier.com/
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