Quotes and video were originally published in the Stimulus Podcast with Rob Orman
Master meditation teacher Robert Beatty is co-author of Mindfulness for a Happy Life as well as founder and guiding teacher of the Portland Insight Meditation Community. He has worked with thousands of students and, as a practicing therapist, has created a unique synthesis of Buddhist methods of awakening and healing and those of western psychotherapy.
Beatty says, “If you want to develop a meditation practice, decide how long you’re going to do it and then do it every day for a month with no excuses…. At the beginning, one times one’s meditation to set a goal they think they can meet. As the vistas of meditation open up, the timer is used as an alarm to show how much time you are allowed.”
Robert also notes that is important not to be critical of oneself during a meditation practice. “The mind is conditioned to speak ill to us. If we recognize that these are just thoughts and notice them as they are, over time they attenuate. They come into being, and they disappear. Self-hatred is nothing more than another wandering mind. It’s just malware.”
“I aspire to love and accept myself exactly as I am in this moment. Love means there’s room for everything. I aspire to accept myself exactly as I am. And when I’m hurting, no matter how I’m hurting, I aspire to hold myself in sweet compassion.”
Enjoy this 8 minute guided meditation for beginners: