Meditation Studio

Episode 103

Encore - Michael Apollo - Expert Shares Insights on Mindfulness, Meditation, and Buddhism

Michael Apollo talks about Buddhism, mindfulness at work, and how to get started with your own meditation practice. Michael is an educator at the University of Toronto and leads the Meditation Studio Meditation Essentials course. His teachings draw from neuroscience, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence.

In this episode:

“It’s really an individual path that is very much amplified by the connections we have with others.”

“My style is very much life-integration. So I try to integrate it in all aspects of my life.”

“One moment spent in awareness is something that we can be proud of, and is immensely beneficial.”

“There’s much more at play here than our inner narrative.”

Takeaways:

Compassion-based meditations help with your interaction with others.
Mindful-awareness practices are for more awareness and better listening.
Trust the practice and be patient. Try and drop the expectations because they often only lead to confusion and frustration. Especially for those who are new in the practice.
Usually we can’t begin to take care of others until we take care of ourselves.
If you’re new at meditation, start small and then build up. This means practice 2-3 minutes a day, every day, and you’ll be more likely to continue the practice than lengthier, less-frequent chunks of time.
Getting together a group that will help you stay motivated in your practice is very, very important.
Stick to whatever routine is working for you. Whatever keeps you motivated to practice on a daily basis. If you do your best meditation in the morning, then stick to a morning routine!