Are You Lazy? Try Meditating...

I've recently been advised to start meditating (yes, I know, its been a long time coming!).

I got the advice from my coach, Mike Mahler, who recommended I try the Holosync Programme. I bought the programme immediately and found that I got immediate benefits in terms of reduced stress, increased energy and an impoved sense of wellbeing. 30 mins listening to the CD feels like a mini vacation!

CDs are a great way to get into meditation, for people (like me) who would struggle to make the time, or spend the full time meditating 'properly'. You also get the benefits that take years to get to with 'traditional' meditation, as the CDs are designed to actually take your brain into an alpha or theta brainwave state, whereas with traditional meditation it can take years of practice to get there.

I have also bought a book on Mindful Meditation (the proper, hard work version!) which I aim to try to practice alongside the CDs. But the CDs are great for making me stay in the meditation for the full 30 or 60 mins, and are also great to listen to while going to sleep at night, to put on if you wake and can't get back to sleep, and also to listen to if you wake 30-60 mins before you actually need to get up (I do that a lot!). The Holosync guys recommend you actually get up an hour earlier if you really can't find (aka make) time in the rest of your day, as the effect of the CD will be even more beneficial than the same amount of sleep!

The best time to listen to the CDs is after your workout - and I love the double endorphin hit this gives you! Not only is it a great way to feel doubly great after your workout, but it is a fantastic boost to your recovery - and its kind of nice not having to go straight into 'real life' after a hard kettlebell workout!

This has an added benefit, though. According to Mike, the typical habit of eating your post workout meal or shake straight after training is flawed logic hormonally, as growth hormone peaks 30 mins after training. Immediately stimulating insulin kills the GH response and we want to make the most of as much GH as we can! Meditation also boosts hormone balance, increasing DHEA and reducing cortisol.

I have the Holosync CDs, these are the ones Mike uses and recommends. My only gripe is that they are big on trying to upsell you to further levels, which is quite annoying! I have already received a few sales letters in the post and the initial level is not cheap, so I don't want to invest any more in it just yet! So long as you can ignore the upsells then they are great though.

I have also just discovered the Immrama Institute which offer similar CDs, these are cheaper and I'm not sure what the difference is, if there is any. I've ordered the Ocean Wave CD, so even if they have the same effect, I can change the sounds each time for a bit of variety (the Holosync is rain water and bell things, blissful to listen to!)

Each programme has a meditation CD as well as other CDs that you can listen to while studying, reading or working out, to get you into a heightened state of concentration, or 'the zone'. I've not actually used any of the other CDs yet, but will start using them - see if my articles and blog posts become better and more consistent to see if they are having a positive effect!

If you want to find out more, check out these links:

HOLOSYNC Programme
IMMRAMA CDs
MIKE MAHLER (loads of articles and resources on hormonal optimisation)

Post a comment below if you have personal experience with either of these, or if you have any questions!