***Meditation 2.0 -- Social Media, Meditation and You

Meditation traditions say you shouldn't enter into a relationship with a teacher lightly, that you should check her or him out before taking on their teachings. This used to mean traveling -- sometimes to the other side of the world -- to spend 24/7 with a teacher for weeks or month and see how the two of you related. The Internet has radically changed this. Instead of backpacking in the Himalyas, and following the suggestions of other travellers, you could just Google "meditation teacher" "learn to meditate" and find teachers and techniques to investigate from your own home. But a recent addition to the Internet called Social Media has accelerated and changed things in mind-blowing ways. You can learn about the teacher through his or her blog posts, Twitter tweets, and Youtube videos. You can see what other students are talking about and recommending (or avoiding!) on Facebook, or StumbleUpon. And the conversation isn't just one-way from the teacher. If the teacher is particularly "wired," you'll be able to engage with them in real-time. So, how can you take advantage of Social Media to find the right meditation techniques and teacher? Here are a few suggestions. First, sign up for accounts at www.Twitter.com and www.Facebook.com. You'll need accounts to participate in the conversations. Then search for the people, groups and converastions that you want to check out or be part of. On Facebook, for example, if you type "meditation" in the Search box, you'll find all the people, and groups, and events involved in meditation. Join the groups, or add some friends and you'll be part of the ongoing real-time conversation. Obviously, if you search for something more specific, like "buddhist meditation" or "instant meditation" you'll narrow down the groups to explore (full disclosure, and shameless self-promotion: if you do the latter search, you'll find my Instant Advanced Meditation Course). Twitter takes diving into the middle of a conversation to a whole new level. On Twitter, you can see people's thoughts and conversations in real-time. And then you can jump right in. Go to http://search.twitter.com and search for "meditation." That'll show you all the people who've recently sent out a post about meditation. Click on their profile and follow them and enjoy the chat. If you search properly, you may even find the teachers themselves to chat with. I'm at http://www.twitter.com/sashen, for example. What really puts the "Social" in "Social Media" isn't that you can find people who are interested in what you are, it's that you can connect with those people's friends, too. On Facebook, you can click to see every friend of your friends. On Twitter, you can follow everyone who's following someone you know and like. And then you can follow their friends, and their friends. Plus, your new friends, with the help of the Social Media software itself, will automatically introduce you to new people to connect with. The network of people you can engage with keeps growing and growing. I've met some amazing people who were 3 or 4 or 5 "links" away from the person I initially contacted. And I've reconnected with long-lost friends (don't even ask about the pictures of me from 1st grade that someone posted). If this all sounds overwhelming, it's not. Once you get your feet wet, you'll see how easy it is -- and fun -- to swim. By the way, if you're someone who teaches, then you really need to get active in Social Media fast. There has never been a faster and easier way to find and connect with others and share your message than what's offered thanks to Social Media. I'm in the middle of using Social Media to launch a website that shares the spoof teaching of Bob Tzu, the long-lost American cousin of the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu taught The Tao; Bob Tzu teaches The Duh. The speed with which I, uh, I mean, Bob, is able to attract students thanks to Social Media will probably land him a book deal! Don't forget to add me to your contact list as soon as you get started!nn