Why Jedi Meditate

Meditation: it’s what Jedi do. From the smallest padawan to the grizzled Knight, everyone’s Jedi path should include a regular and reliable form of meditation. It can help calm the mind, invigorate the spirit, awaken your senses, and settle your nervous system. But you don’t have to take our word for it! Here are why some California Jedi members and friends meditate, in their own words.

Meditation has helped a lot. I find that it helps with bouts of depression that I deal with. I’ve found that it’s increased my patience, and has helped me be more observant and introspective about my actions. I also think it’s helped me gain some calm. Again, this is all probably basic stuff, but it’s what I can offer.

Brandon, Jedi: Empire State

It has helped me at times to calm my mind, my passions, my emotions to use mindfulness more than anything. I would say it has augmented my ability to reflect and ruminate on a deeper level, upon the many layers inherent in all things, known and unknown, tangible and metaphysical, and to peer into the esoteric qualities of life itself.

Lumentis, California Jedi

More than I can say. Meditation has been a huge focus in my path; I’ve been a meditation teacher in the community more than once, and run several workshops on it, and write my own mediations regularly. (Stay tuned for a cool one that I might workshop at the gathering if I can figure out the logistics!)

But meditation gave me the tools I’ve needed in life. It’s helped me become someone that can keep going and help others, even when I am overwhelmed or stressed or sad myself. It’s increased my emotional processing abilities, my emotional carrying capacity, and advanced my self-understanding significantly. Meditation is the main tool that allows me to be an effective Jedi, a good and reliable friend, and a social justice paladin.

Katie, California Jedi

Dealing with mental health in general. I was introduced to mindfulness when I was very young and I’m not sure who or where I would be without it. It has become a tool I can use every day in so many different ways.

Kristin, UT

It’s been huge for me. I don’t think that I deal with any more stress in life than the next person, but I do know that in the past I have not dealt with it well, or in any sort of constructive way. Meditation has given me a tool to use to work on that daily, unavoidable stress in a way that has a much more positive impact on my life.

I’ll admit, at first, I felt silly. I had this mental image of myself sitting there trying to emulate some kind of stone Buddha statue, it was really my first foray into anything that could be considered “New-Age”. Even though the concept and practice of meditation is ancient, but I digress.

Once I got into a regular practice and could literally start to see through self-analysis and feel the benefits of my daily practice, it became a regular part of my day. And, one of the parts of my day that I look forward to the most. This time is about YOU, and nobody else. You get a chance to put every other thing in your life on hold, and when you tell yourself it’s only for 5-20 minutes (or however long you practice for), that doesn’t seem like that long in the long-run of life. So, it becomes easier to clear your mind and just enjoy your “you-time”.

Thanks to the Jedi Path, I discovered the benefits of this practice. And without the Path, I don’t know if the idea of trying it would have ever crossed my mind.

Corey, California Jedi