Leonard Ng

  • Blog
  • Poetry
    • This Mortal World
    • Changes and Chances
  • Translation
    • Tao Te Ching
    • The Complete Poems of Yu Xuanji
    • Rhapsody on Literature (Wen Fu)
    • The Art of War
    • The Song of Songs
  • Writing
  • Tutoring
  • Contact

When Meditation Hurts

18.12.2016 by leonard ng // Leave a Comment

lightning
Image by Brandon Morgan.

If you’ve read my previous entry you know the benefits of meditation: inner peace, deeper calm, greater joy, and enhanced asskicking.

So why aren’t you doing it?

I know all your reasons, because sometimes they’re my reasons too: Not enough time. Too tired. Can’t find a quiet space. Keep getting interrupted. Not in the mood.

But there’s another reason too, which seldom gets talked about:

If you’re completely new to the practice, meditation can make you feel worse about yourself, not better.

More on that today.

[Read more…]

Categories // A meaningful life, Meditation, The art of living well Tags // beginnings, emotions, growth, holistic living, meditation

Meditation for People Who Can’t Empty Their Minds

08.12.2016 by leonard ng // Leave a Comment

snail
Image by Aaron Burden.

People talk to me about meditation a lot.

But what they say generally falls into two categories. The first is a question: How do you do it? And the second is a statement: I can’t do it.

Today I’m going to address both of these concerns. But first let’s consider a couple of more fundamental questions:

Why meditate at all?

And what exactly is meditation, anyway?

Why Meditate?

You’ve probably heard about some of the benefits meditation brings: inner peace, deeper calm, fewer worries, reduced stress.

All of these benefits are real. Meditation stabilizes my emotions and clarifies my thoughts. It helps to make me a calmer, happier, wiser person, and my life is better as a result of it.

But to me the greatest advantage of meditation is probably the one least talked about:

Meditation makes you significantly more effective at kicking ass.

[Read more…]

Categories // A meaningful life, Meditation, The art of living well Tags // clarity, concentration, emotions, focus, holistic living, meditation, productivity, sleep, work

How I Fall Asleep Quickly (And a Note on Lucid Dreaming)

25.11.2016 by leonard ng // Leave a Comment

sleeping cat
Image by Dan Gold.

Do you have trouble falling asleep every night?

Because I don’t.

I live by the simple Zen maxim “When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep.” In this I differ from most people, who eat when society says they should eat and sleep when society says they should sleep.

Instead of flowing with their natural energy and impulses, they try to force things into an artificially preset schedule. As a result most people end up frustrated, overweight, and bleary-eyed, while I’m fulfilled, well-rested, and in the best shape of my life.

Sometimes, though, it does take me a few minutes longer to fall asleep after I’ve gone to bed. So here’s the technique I’ve devised to deal with that situation.

It works for me, and hopefully it’ll work for you too.

[Read more…]

Categories // Peak performance, The art of living well Tags // dreaming, fun, rest, sleep

Five Ways to Find Meaning at Work

19.11.2016 by leonard ng // Leave a Comment

workman
Image by Leeroy.

“Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Bullshit.

Work is work, even when it’s work you love.

Effort is required. Dedication is required. Some sort of consistent time commitment is required. You need to be willing to deal with hard things.

Any less and I wouldn’t hire you.

[Read more…]

Categories // A meaningful life, The art of living well Tags // following your heart, fulfillment, love, meaning, work

Don’t Force Things, Flow with Them (Part 3)

09.11.2016 by leonard ng // Leave a Comment

Surfer at Sunrise
Image by Frank McKenna.
A Rhythmic World

Life on our planet is all about rhythm.

Everything oscillates: inbreath and outbreath, high tide and low tide, day and night, waking and sleeping.

Our hearts beat in rhythm. That’s what keeps us alive.

Rhythm is made up of rise and fall, activity and rest. Often we think only in terms of activity, measuring our days by what we’ve done; but rest is what shapes our actions and makes them meaningful, just as the pauses between notes allow us to make sense of music.

The same applies to our own energy.

Four Kinds of Energy

Energy is about much more than physical tiredness. Generally speaking we have four kinds of energy: physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, and willpower.

[Read more…]

Categories // Music, Peak performance, Productivity, The art of living well Tags // clarity, concentration, energy, fitness, focus, growth, holistic living, music, priorities, productivity, rhythm, sleep, work

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • Next Page »

Leonard Ng

Leonard Ng is fascinated with the practice of both the active and contemplative modes of life.

He is the founder of the copywriting agency Text/ure Collective, and is the author of two collections of poetry: This Mortal World and Changes and Chances.

Find out more about Leonard, or get in touch.

Connect

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates and to hear what's new with me.

Recent Posts

  • Horror: The Ultimate Procrastination Inducer
  • Why You Fall Sick the Minute Your Vacation Begins
  • How to Be Mindful When You Don’t Have Time
  • What to Do Before You Burn Out
  • The Levers of Optimism: How to Become More Optimistic

Search

© 2016 Leonard Ng.