Om Mani Padme Hum

The Second Happiness Challenge is kicking off today, but there’s still time to add yourself to the list (just work in your first ten minutes before bed tonight or kick off the challenge a day or two late). This is how it works:

In order to participate, you need to commit to meditating for at least ten minutes a day, everyday. Close the door to your office, stretch out on the floor and deep breathe. Or get home from work, lie down on the sofa, and take ten minutes not to think. Try to pick the same place and time each day. You can do it at any point in the day: right when you wake up, during lunch, or before you go to bed (though it’s sort of cheating if you just call the ten minutes before you go to sleep your “meditation time”).

If you already meditate, keep doing what you do. If you want to begin, the Wikipedia–that amalgamation of all knowledge–has a decent article. What may work best is to picture a happy space or to allow your mind to go completely blank. According to Tal Ben-Shahar (the author of Happier) the point is not only the immediate stress-relief of meditation. It is also the idea of training your mind so you can use this stress reliever during stressful situations. For instance, the next time I’m over the Bay Bridge, I will go to my happy place (while driving?) and use that meditation muscle to relax even though it technically isn’t my meditation time. Does that make sense?

If you want to participate, leave a comment below or email me at thetowncrier@gmail.com and I’ll add you to the meditation list. The challenge runs from October 3 until November 1 (30 days) and you need to commit to trying this for all 30 days. Keep notes on your progress over the month and on November 1, post about your experience with the Second Happiness Challenge.