by Ed and Deb Shapiro
Authors of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

What stops you from sleeping through the night? Is it when things are not going your way or they look topsy-turvy and you just want to scream; when your life appears chaotic and you are not sure if you are coming or going; or when it feels like everything is piled on your shoulders?

Life should be an exciting and outrageous adventure. Isn't it a wonder how a spider weaves a web or a bee makes a hive? Did you ever notice the small, everyday miracles, like the fact that you can breathe in and out? But how many of us get to experience this miracle? Sometimes life just feels too awful. We want to feel good, we want to be happy, in fact happiness is our birthright. But so often there are just too many difficulties to deal with. And although we may know that meditation chills us out, if we are feeling stressed or irritable then it just doesn't seem so appealing.

by Ed and Deb Shapiro
Authors of Be the Change: How Meditation Can Transform You and the World

Meditation is now the IN thing. Cross-legged yogis and Buddhist monks can be seen in advertisements for everything from computers and credit cards to herbal teas, major newspapers and magazines carry stories on the benefits of meditation with tips from famous film stars, and no self-respecting bookshop is without a how-to-meditate section.

It is only in the last few decades that the general population has begun to realize how valuable the practice of meditation really is, regardless of spiritual or religious interests. Yet meditation has been the main focus of spiritual practice for thousands of years. You do not have to be a hippie or on a spiritual quest to meditate: we have taught everyone from housewives to athletes and musicians, and therapists to CEOs, in town halls, high school gymnasiums, corporate boardrooms, and on our own TV series in London.

I'm not one of those people who believes we should run away from negativity all the time. I believe in the balance of yin and yang, positive and negative.

In starting my new 40-day meditation the other day, however, I was guided to go on a negativity diet for the next month. This means, not reading the news (unless it's really important) and staying away from negative people and situations as much as possible.

So what do I do? Within the first few days, I find myself engaging in a ridiculous conversation at a website over an email issue.

I received an email sharing the spinning dancer optical illusion (also called the "spinning lady"). Supposedly, the way the dancer "spins" tells you whether you favor your right or left brain. If she spins clockwise, you supposedly favor the right brain and if she spins counterclockwise, then you supposedly favor the left brain.

Scienceline offers an excellent analysis as to why the left brain/right brain delineation may be an oversimplification:

By and large, when clients tell me they are feeling anxious and stressed out, and I ask them if they have an exercise routine, the answer is typically "no."

Regular exercise is vital to physical and emotional health. It not only keeps the body tuned up, it helps clear away stress and negative emotions. Exercise such as yoga goes one step further and cleanses the energetic pathways of the body, bringing fresh, vital chi or "prana" to the organs. Yoga has been proven to help alleviate depression and anxiety.

This is why I typically recommend that my clients begin an exercise program if they don't already have one. As a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, I offer private yoga classes in Los Angeles and for those outside the local area, yoga coaching by telephone.