Since last week’s post, I haven’t misplaced my keys once. I’ve accomplished some writing and sent out queries. The bills are paid, the garden is watered, and I’ve managed to meditate most days. Things are looking up. Already I feel calmer, happier and have improved my outlook on the future. Am I waking up?
I looked into the benefits of meditation and learned that it reduces stress, pain and stress related inflammation from conditions like arthritis and asthma as it lowers blood pressure and slows Alzheimer’s disease. Wow! Scientists say that mindfulness meditation might be as effective as antidepressants for treating anxiety. In The Art of Meditation by Janice Dunn published in TIME’s Special Edition: Mindfulness, The New Science of Health and Happiness, the author says doctors are recommending meditation for insomnia and irritable bowel syndrome. She says it take about eight week of practice to decrease stress, but I’m already feeling less hurried and ready to roll with the punches with the boost of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins my mindful brain is releasing.
So what is mindfulness meditation, or vipassana practice? It’s a way to “develop stillness in the midst of activity” according to Jack Kornfield. Vipassana means to “see things as they really are” and the practice emphasizes mindful attention and develops immediate awareness of our experience in our activities. It teaches us to be present and alive. As Alan Watts said, “. . .It consists in being completely sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”
The leader of my Spiritual Center, Edward Viljoen, writes in his book, The Power of Meditation, “Observing life through meditation with less ‘unnecessary added meaning’ to what was happening inside and outside allowed reality to come into clearer focus.” It “opened the door to an infinity of ideas and awarenesses,” which he wondered how he’s managed without. I’m wondering about those ideas too.
I started a new five-week meditation workshop today, Resiliency and Happiness. The series offers mindfulness based meditative techniques and Yoga Nidra for finding resiliency and happiness in the midst of challenges. It’s my second series with Petaluma’s Rhonda Gerhard, and this afternoon we explored intention in a guided meditation. Fixing on a couple of key words and keeping them in my mind throughout the meditation, I already feel like I’m on track to living in intention.
I’m also energized and alert. These are effects of Yoga Nidra, a state of deep relaxation combined with awareness. This practice calms the nervous system and allows practitioners to receive a subtle flow of energy throughout their bodies. There’s nothing like resting in a state of harmony. It’s better than sleep! Not only do your brain waves slow down, but you can neutralize body sensations , like pain, stress, negative emotions and feelings, and even neutralize beliefs—part of that intention development. At the end of the hour, I came away with a sense of calm and well-being. Just what I needed, especially after receiving unsettling news today.
In the past I might have eaten a bowl of ice cream and veged-out in front of mindless TV after bad news. I certainly wouldn’t have gotten supper on the table a half hour earlier than usual, enjoyed a lively conversation with my husband as we ate, cleaned up and come back to the office to write my post—and feel really great about it. I’m happy to be here and looking forward to my next task too. By bedtime, I’ll have ticked off everything on my TO DO list and read another chapter of The Power of Meditation.
Namaste!
Building a Better Story 