5 Reasons To Consider A Regular Meditation Practice Right Now, From Light Watkins

Here's Watkins' take on why you should consider slowing and clearing your mind: 

That's because meditating creates a sort of release in your body (backed by research1, too) that helps you let go of the stress response sooner rather than keeping it tucked inside. "So you can keep moving, progressing, and staying available to opportunities that are before you," Watkins explains. 

At a macro level, meditation helps you wind down your mind, allowing you to slow down and see the bigger picture—a top-down point of view, if you will. As we restructure our systematically racist society, a "bigger picture" outlook may be just what we need. Meditating, according to Watkins, clears the mind and gives you internal space to see that bigger picture, leading to better decision-making. "That's what everyone ultimately wants," he tells me. "Is to see beyond your own bias."

"If you haven't trained yourself to think differently, your mind and body will revert you back to old ways," Watkins explains. On the other hand, meditation can help you truly reconfigure your thinking; research even shows that meditation can enhance learning and memory2, improve focus and attention3, and enhance empathy and compassion4. Needless to say, it's a pretty powerful practice to quite literally alter the brain—and untangling subconscious biases may just require a few brain shifts. 

"Bliss is a real thing," Watkins notes. It might not be a constant state of joy, per se, but you can access that perpetual feeling of lightness the more you take the time to clear your mind. And if Watkin's book (titled Bliss More: How To Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying) has anything to say about it, you don't necessarily need hours upon hours of reflection: Just a few moments to yourself can make all the difference, "if you are being consistent and available to whatever is happening in the moment."

It's not the only action item we need to end suffering and systemic racism for good, but the inner work certainly doesn't hurt. Plus, a little self-care is imperative during this emotionally taxing time; being kind to your mind and body is essential for keeping up the necessary work.