I’m the wrong person to ask how to introduce others to meditation. I’ve successfully introduced a handful of people to Anapana and have yet to convince someone to sit a full 10-day course. Part of the reason is because in the past I would convince people to participate by getting them excited. If I could get their adrenaline pumping a little bit I could convince them to join in. This is a great strategy for parties, hiking adventures, going to the gym, and having dinner, but not for meditation.
It’s because meditation is such a long haul. There is no instant gratification. When you use excitement as a motivator people want to be rewarded. If they’re not rewarded before the adrenaline wears off they’ll give up. At least that’s my experience. So the question is, how do you inspire someone to participate?
Obviously, I don’t have the answer. It seems to me that a person just needs to be wired in a certain way to pursue this path. They already need to be searching for answers, hard workers, and a bit unsatisfied. They need to be in a position to take 10 days off and be willing to use those 10 days to do something really difficult. They need to be willing to work towards an impossible goal. They need to be down right different. The amazing thing is, these ”different” people can be found in every race, class, country, religion, and sex in the world. I don’t know how to inspire people to meditate. If you do, let me know. Time to meditate.