Every time I mention how I quit smoking with the Addiction Meditation it gets a lot of buzz. I get it. It sounds magical to be able to quit 13 years of smoking in just 3 min. I started this meditation when I first got into Kundalini Yoga. I’d given myself 4 months to quit smoking before beginning teachers training. I loved smoking, had no shame around it, I just felt like the prana and the smoke didn’t really go hand in hand. I did the addiction meditation once and never smoked again (well, I’ve tried a cig a few times since then to see how I felt and it’s not for me) One move that was major for me in this process was, that by meditating I increased my awareness in which I had a deeper experience of meeting myself with compassion and acceptance when the feeling of wanting a cigarette came up. It released the guilt and the shame. I remember one convo I had with myself: “well, of course you’re gonna want a cigarette now, on this early September morning while the sun rises and your coffee is still hot. How could you not?! It’s one of your most cherished moments ever. That’s okay!” Whatever *addiction* we may be facing whether of a substance, suffering, thought form, or SoMe, meeting ourselves with compassion and acceptance (or at least practicing in doing so) is the most important thing. There’s a reason we are addicted to suffering, to cigarettes, to dysfunctional relationships, to the screen. We’re trying to numb out, to cope and that’s essential an intelligent thing to do. Now we just have the opportunity to create more awareness within our Body/Mind with that update our toolbox. So we no longer need to cope, but can face the root of the emotion behind the addictive pattern. This meditation can help balance out brain chemistry by balancing your pineal and pituitary gland. The pressure exerted by the thumbs triggers a rhythmic reflex current into the central brain. This current activates the brain area directly underneath the stem of the pineal gland helping to restore balance. *please note that this meditation is intended to support your overall health routine and not to replace any form of treatment or therapy you may be undergoing for (severe) addiction.