Meditation

What benefit is a clear artery if the mind remains clogged with worries? Train both vessel and virtue - Not Seneca

I’ve been trying to meditate on and off for over a decade. I’ve tried a bunch of things; I’ve put them all here. After a blood panel in early 2025, I was investigating ways to reduce my LDL cholesterol. To my surprise, meditation seems to have as strong of an effect as medication, which prompted me to review my notes and write this.

But first, why would meditation lower LDL cholesterol?

The primary mechanism of action appears to be a reduction in stress. When your body is stressed (increased adrenaline and cortisol levels), your liver increases production of LDL cholesterol as part of the body’s “fight or flight” response. LDL cholesterol is not “bad” per se - it’s a by product of your body thinking that you are about to require more energy to use or store; that’s why cholesterol levels are usually linked to overall metabolic fitness.

Here’s a history of things I’ve tried to “gain the benefits” of meditation:

Waking Up

An app by Sam Harris, it’s a “operation system for your mind.” The app contains a bunch of guided meditations, a timer, and is generally well built.

What I liked:

• The guided meditations and intro course were really helpful in reframing how I thought about meditation.
• After the “initial course,” there were lots of branches and speakers I could listen to. Novelty works!

Why it didn’t stick:

• I was preparing for a big move after a few months and fell out of the schedule.
• I did not resume when my life stabilized again because Sam Harris talks a lot about political viewpoints that I no longer agree with and therefore don’t want to support him or his company.

The Way

What I liked:

• I was intrigued by the idea of “a single, long-term pathway,” as it’s touted as the unique selling point.

Why it didn’t stick:

• Ultimately I couldn’t “stick” to the schedule and the “single, long-term pathway” was too rigid - turns out I like being able to pick and choose “what I want to hear” on a given day. The novelty helps with the habit.

NSDR

Despite how much Andrew Huberman talks about, it’s basically a guided meditation combined with some breathwork.

What I liked:

• There are lots of NSDR guided videos on YT so you can keep trying out different ones.
• There are a few “meditative” techniques that are applied such as becoming aware of what you are hearing, body scanning, and body tightening and relaxing. These techniques I will sometimes independently use when I want to “build my own guided session.”

Why it didn’t stick:

• I don’t have a regular practice but will often “apply a dose” of NSDR under certain conditions, such as when I’m trying to sleep.

Breathwork

Although not meditation, the two are linked and the benefits are similar.

Breathwork:

• Involves active control of breathing patterns
• Produces immediate effects on physical and emotional states
• More accessible for beginners

Whereas meditation:

• Emphasizes mental stillness and observation
• Requires longer-term practice to see results
• Focuses on cultivating mindfulness and presence
• Can be challenging for beginners due to its passive nature

I’ve written much more about breathwork in another post, but if you’re in a rush and just want the best guided breathwork video I’ve found, it’s Wim Hoff’s.

Tony Robbins’ “Priming” Meditation

Tony Robbins’ loves to talk about how he doesn’t meditate because he doesn’t believe it’s possible to shut off your mind (despite that not being the definition of meditation at all). Instead, he does a process of “priming” which is essentially a guided form of gratitude meditation combined with breathwork.