I really don’t like the word “meditate.”  It has so many stereotypes and false assumptions tied to it.  Before I started exploring meditation, I viewed “meditators” as people who don’t wear deodorant or shave, whose houses smell like weird food, and whose wardrobe consisted of drawstring pants and Jesus sandals.

Not that there is anything wrong with that…but I like cute jeans and makeup.  Could I really see myself chanting Sanskrit or staying in a pretzel position for hours?  When I started opening my eyes and giving it a chance, however, I realized that you don’t have to look like this to meditate:

Or this…

Or even this…what the heck is he even meditating about, for Christ’s sake?

Frankly, meditating is simply Quieting Brain Chatter, or QBT for short.  So that is what I am going to call it:  QBT.  Maybe if I call it that, you all will be open to the idea and give it a try.  We all need help to quiet the brain chatter:  How many of us replay situations over and over in our heads…analyze for hours what the other person meant…agonize if someone took something the wrong way…cook up new responses that would have been brilliant, if you only had a time machine…worry for days about something that may never even happen.  We all do it!  And a little QBT time gives our bodies and souls a much needed break.

So think of meditating as looking a little more like this:

And this:

Or even this:

Doesn’t that look nice?  Any takers?