October 2011 Newsletter

Meditation

Meditation? Come off it, we don’t have time. Let’s face it, we do everything we can to avoid meditation when the positive benefits are enormous. Yet numerous psychological studies have shown that regular meditators:

•  Are happier and more contented
• Live longer and healthier lives
• Experience decreased anxiety, depression and irritability
• Have improved memory, reaction time and physical stamina
• Enjoy better and more fulfilling relationships
• Experience less stress and hypertension
• Have less chronic pain and cancer
• Have fewer substance addictions
• Have a better immune system

What is there not to love about this? And yet most of us will still find a way of not doing it. We’d far rather tumble out of bed, cram a piece of toast into our mouths and run out to the car.

And this is precisely the point. Our lifestyles are getting out of control. We are running everywhere so fast that we don’t have time for anything. Indeed, we are terrified of not being busy. If we are not doing anything then we might actually be forced to be. Yes, it’s true – we have officially stopped being human beings. We are now human doings.

(Give me a minute while I catch my breath…)

Does this mean, then, that we have found the secret of happiness? Sadly not. We are exhausted, burned out, unable to sleep, either overweight or underweight and definitely discontent.

So, just to debunk the “I don’t have time” excuse, just try this – sit straight in a chair, observe your breath and observe. Thoughts will drift in. The secret is not to judge them and to let them drift out again. And that’s all there is to it. Be gentle with yourself and never criticise. As soon as you find you’ve gone off with a thought, bring yourself gently back. And again. And again. And again.

All it takes is a minute. You can do it at the bus stop, in a shopping queue or before a meeting. You can even do it sitting in your car before you start the engine. Your journey will be calmer and a lot safer. Meditation gives you a home inside your body where you are safe, at peace and never criticised. You can retreat silently to that place whenever you need to and find what you need at that moment. As a result, your life becomes richer and more beautiful.

So try it. Practice lots of times and eventually you’ll get the hang of it. Then, you’ll never look back and, you never know, you might actually start enjoying your life again…