Unplug summary

Imagine that your brain is a piece of clay, something you can mold and manipulate as you wish, strengthening the areas that are most important.

In a way, meditation makes your brain clay-like; it allows you to reconfigure your gray matter and change the way your brain is structured.

If you’re a morning person, it might be easiest for you to meditate first thing in the morning.

The primary advantage to meditating right after you wake up is that the brain is still in its theta rhythm. In this state, we’re still tuned into our inner world, and our brain tissue is especially malleable. So it’s an ideal time to meditate and positively influence and shape the brain.

You’ll often hear meditators talk about their “ritual.” But don’t worry; ritual is just another word for routine, and no one is going to try to get you to dance under a full moon or anything.

A good ritual often makes it easier for people to keep up their meditation practice.

The world is full of programs built around a number of steps, like the 7-step weight loss program or the 12-step addiction recovery program.

Similarly, to get your own meditation program going, we can break things down into six simple steps that you can repeat over and over again.

It feels good when a tense muscle relaxes. The same goes for when we let go of a troubling and intrusive thought.

But letting go of unwanted thoughts isn’t always easy, which is why meditation can be so helpful.

If you’re experiencing trouble or are unhappy with these traditional meditation methods, don’t give up. You have options.

For instance, many people enjoy guided awareness meditation (GAM) as a nice change of pace from the usual routine.

There is no shortage of thingamajigs, knickknacks and tchotchkes out there to assist in your meditative journey. So if you’re also a lover of retail therapy, welcome to a whole new world of opportunity.

To go along with that Tibetan sound bowl, you could also consider aromatherapy.