How to Meditate Without Meditating

January 09, 2020 by Staci Wolfson in Fitness + Wellness

Two years ago, I started my meditation practice in earnest. Before then, I had dabbled in it, keeping up with it daily for several weeks at a time and then losing steam, never feeling like I was “doing it right.”

I had read a couple books on the topic and started to understand that it wasn’t about “clearing your mind” so much as it was about staying present. I thought that seemed much more doable, but even then, I never felt like I was making progress. The benefits of taking even 5 minutes out of the day to get grounded and centered are immeasurable, especially for a stress case like myself, but I really just found myself going over my mental to-do lists in that space of time, thinking about what I would do when the timer was completed.

My Favorite Fitness and Wellness Apps

July 10, 2018 by Staci Wolfson in Fitness + Wellness

I know we all bemoan the fact that we're too attached to our phones, and in a lot of ways, it is truly awful. A few years ago, I dropped my iPhone in the toilet and the old bag-of-rice trick got me nowhere.

I felt completely cut off from the world for 12-15 hours, and not in the good vacation-y way. I had to call my parents that night and let them know I'd be somewhat out of touch. Since I had a Mac, I could use Facetime, though teaching them how to use it without being able to talk them through it was a challenge. I was anxious about going to acupuncture for the first time the next day without the aid of GPS.

And I'm ashamed to say it, but...I couldn't meditate without my phone.

Meditation for Monkey Minds

May 15, 2018 by Staci Wolfson in Fitness + Wellness

For one reason or another, there is a high concentration of type A control freaks among my friends (myself included). When I've talked with various individual friends about meditation, the responses are all generally the same.

"I'm not good at it."

"I can't clear my thoughts."

"I can't do it; it's just not for me."