Where do you Meditate by: Cynthia Beard

Do you sit on a cushion at home, or at a meditation center?

Do you touch the earth, or reach for the sky?

Are you outside in nature, or in an enclosed room?

Can you hear the roaring sound of a river flowing, or the gentle breeze blowing?

Have you wandered with others on a walking meditation, or stilled your mind “in the zone” while running?

Have you tracked your breath while taking off on a flight?

Or experienced the bliss of Savasana at the end of a yoga practice?

Do you listen to music, or prefer absolute silence?

Is the taste of dark chocolate lingering on your tongue, or have you been fasting?

Is there a timer with a chiming bell at the end, or a few minutes of pause during a lunch break?

Has the sun come up, or are you lying in bed at night?

I often tell clients that “There’s no wrong way to meditate.” We learn a lot of different tools, from basic breath awareness to grounding cords, and we tend to return to the tools that resonate the most.

Some students prefer group classes, while others thrive with one-on-one instruction. In Buddhist monasteries, there’s generally a daily schedule starting early in the morning and incorporating mindfulness practices throughout the day. Some people even meditate on a cup of tea.

Everyone is different, and the challenge is to find what works best for you. The only caveat I’d offer, as a disclaimer to my mantra above, is that it’s important not to try to meditate when you’re needing to focus your attention on a complex task such as driving … or performing brain surgery.

Outside of those exceptions, can you identify what works best for you? if not, perhaps try keeping a journal for a couple of weeks to track what is supportive for your practice and what distracts you from it. Just because your coworker likes to meditate first thing in the morning, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will be an early riser. Find your own path, and don’t get caught up in the idea that there is only one “right” way to meditate.

As for me? I’ve dabbled with a variety of places, times, and other routines. One of the things that I value about Neurosculpting® is that there’s room for all of the above: There’s (almost) no wrong way to meditate.

Cynthia Beard

Cynthia has practiced meditation most of her life, although she didn’t realize that was what she was doing when she was a child. She discovered Neurosculpting® as part of her preparation for a transformative trip to post-earthquake Haiti in 2012. In the midst of massive trauma, a meditation she had learned from Lisa Wimberger is what allowed her to navigate an intensely difficult situation on the ground in Haiti. She was immediately hooked and jumped at the chance to undertake the Tier 1 facilitator training in 2013. Since then she has also completed Tier 2 training and is excited about contributing to the expansion of the Neurosculpting® modality.

Cynthia is also a lifelong musician who holds a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Texas. In its own way, her doctoral dissertation is intimately connected to the meditative work that Cynthia is so enthusiastic about.

Cynthia is actively involved in social change movements, and she believes that meditation is integral to healing our society’s collective wounds. She enjoys bringing Neurosculpting® into spaces that are focused on creating a better world for us all, and providing a safe, nurturing environment for those who desire to cultivate compassion and empathy.