Access Meditation

Do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones, do it for your profession. There isn't one aspect of my life that has not been positively effected from meditation. Discard your preconceived notions of the fact that you have to turn your brain off to mediated, Ben teaches you how to manage this all. In a very modern, and easy to understand way. I tell everyone, that I care about, the virtues of mediation. I have not missed one session since I learned from Ben, and it has become part of my everyday morning routine. I am more focussed at work, deal with stress better, stopped smoking, starting taking care of my health better, live in the moment more, feel more connected with my family, sleep better and most importantly, my wife told me the other day, that she enjoys the new me! Simply put, do it. Carving out 27 minutes a day for mental sanity is beyond worth it, everyone around you will also agree......

I came to meditation very reluctantly in order to support a friend who wanted to learn. I was sadly dismissive and somewhat arrogant. During the class, I asked Ben why I, someone who was very aware of my issues after more than 20 years of hard work with an excellent therapist, should spend time meditating. It seemed pretty silly to think that any profound life changes could come out of this process. Ben told me to think of therapy like a new operating system, but my hardware needs regular upgrades to be able to run it, and meditation is that upgrade. That made a lot of sense to me. I also asked how I was supposed to find all this time to meditate. Ben told me that I needed to get up first thing in the morning and meditate. I explained that I wasn't a morning person and I could never drag myself out of bed. He promised me that I would start waking up earlier. I was almost 50 years old and had loved to sleep late my entire life, and so I was sure that this was never going to happen. A week later my husband, who had always gotten up before me, asked me why I was suddenly waking up before him. I told him that I didn't even want to wake up early but it was just happening! The meditation was working despite my bad attitude and skepticism. I felt the calming effects immediately. I would find myself joking with my kids about things that normally would have made me furious. It was like a was having an out of body experience-- I would listen to myself and feel like I was in a movie and some better person had taken over my body. I couldn't get to 11 on the frustration scale, I could just get to 6 or 7. I had so much more patience with everyone, but I felt it most profoundly when interacting with my kids. I regret that I didn't start meditating before I had them. I would have been such a better parent. My husband told me that he felt calmer because I was so much calmer. I told him that he needed to meditate too! He never really got into it but when he does meditate I definitely see a difference. My daughter meditated with me for about 6 months when she was having a tough time in 7th grade and it really helped her get through it. I've now been meditating for over five years and it has really changed my life. On the rare days when I miss a morning meditation for some reason, I start to feel on edge mid-morning and I'll catch myself and think "why am I feeling this way?" and then I'll remember that I didn't meditate. The difference is that noticeable. I honestly could not go back to the way I was before. EVERYTHING is so much better. Feeling calmer has helped me in all of my relationships. It has helped me be a more forgiving and loving person to everyone in my life, and my friendships have really grown and my family relationships have improved dramatically. It's helped me achieve things that I never thought were possible (for example I ran for political office and won, which still seems crazy to me). I definitely sleep much less than I used to and I have good energy. I used to nap every chance I got. Now, if I meditate in the afternoon I will never nap. I have gone off thyroid medication that I've been on for decades. I've tackled tough issues with much less angst. There are times when I am finally able to put into practice something I know intellectually (because I learned it in therapy) but have never been able to actually do. When that happens I will often think to myself that I just got my hard drive upgrade, and I am finally running the updated software. It is such a beautiful feeling that fills me with profound gratitude. I am grateful to my friend who dragged me to a meditation class, grateful to Ben for teaching me. My life has truly been transformed.

I took Ben Turshen’s two-day Access Meditation seminar this past week in New York City. I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time. I was also lucky enough to share this experience with a cool group of people that included my mom. I've been practicing Yoga at the Woom Center for a year and a half and have been meditating using headspace daily for the last year. Ben's style of teaching put me at ease with his effortless approach. Is this a magic solution, no, yet I now know how to meditate on a deeper level. Furthermore, I've been experiencing a sense of relief that I’m excited to build upon. I left the class with simple instructions to meditate twice a day with the least amount of effort. That’s awesome. Lastly, Ben’s follow up skills are impressive. As long as I put in the work, I know I can reach out to Ben if obstacles present themselves. I am grateful that I don't have to live in fear of anxiety and I'm relatively turnt to see what life has in store as I make subtle tweaks to my meditation practice. If this resonates and you're able to sign up for one of Ben Turshen’s classes, you'll walk away with a few more tools to enjoy life.

Before learning meditation with Ben, I was often cranky and impatient. Living in NYC it can seem like we are bombarded with things and people designed to annoy or thwart us as we go about our day. The taxi drivers who don’t yield to pedestrians at intersections, that group of tourists stopping in front of you on the sidewalk, and the people on subway stairs immersed in their cellphones were like personal insults to the old me. I was mostly healthy and happy, but definitely more irritable than a normal person should be. Nine months later, I’m much calmer and less impatient. Meditating twice a day has helped me see that the world is bigger and more nuanced. There are things we can control and things we can’t. Regular meditation has allowed me to let go of the latter and concentrate on what I can do to enhance my life rather than continue to sabotage it. Other benefits I've noticed include finding it easier to fall asleep at night, waking up feeling rested, and just a general sense of comfort in the world.

Ben is a very engaged, committed teacher . He incorporates a wonderful combination of personal stories. scientific research , physiology and active participation with a dose of 21st century wisdom. Enjoy the benefits - make it part of your daily routine.