Meditation

 

Most of us have heard that meditation decreases stress and is good for our health. It can lower the heart rate, slow breathing, and normalize blood pressure. Studies from the National Institutes of Health have shown a direct correlation between increased stress and lowered immune function, resulting in prolonged healing time and increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. (Stress and Disease: New Perspectives, by Harrison Wein, PhD, of The National Institute of Health.)

 

As a practitioner of acupuncture and massage, I see how important decreasing stress is on one’s overall health. After a treatment, people ask what they can do for themselves to continue the feeling of well-being and calm. I often suggest meditation, or focusing on their breathing. "What is meditation, really?" clients often ask. "How do I do it?"

 

Meditation is made up of two basic parts: relaxing the body, and focusing the mind on one thing - whether it’s a sound, a word, an image, our body, our breathing – the point is to let the other thoughts go, creating a quieter, calmer mind. When we notice other thoughts coming up, we bring our attention back to our focus, and let the thoughts float away.

 

In fact, it is our thoughts which produce our stress. And not only our stress, but all our emotions, including loneliness, separation, depression, frustration, and anxiety. Byron Katie, in her book Loving What Is, explains that when she has a feeling that makes her uncomfortable she looks for the thought behind it. Eckart Tolle, in his book, The Power of Now, says that sadness and regret come when our thoughts are in the past (which doesn’t really exist), worry and anxiety come from our thoughts being in the future (which also doesn’t exist). When we return to the present (the only moment there is in reality), we find we are fine.

 

Meditation – relaxing the body and quieting the mind – brings us back into the present moment. Eastern traditions also believe that freedom from suffering comes by returning to the present moment. Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh writes in Touching Peace, "We believe that happiness is possible only in the future. That is why the practice, ‘I have arrived’ is very important. ... The conditions for our happiness are already sufficient. We only need to allow ourselves to be in the present moment...."

 

We don’t need a specific tradition or religion to benefit from meditation. We just need to sit, relax and focus. And when the thoughts come we don’t judge ourselves. We don’t tell the story that we’ve failed. We simply bring our mind back to our focus and let them go. In Loving What Is, Byron Katie says, "Thoughts just appear. They come out of nothing and go back to nothing, like clouds moving across the empty sky. They come to pass, not to stay. There is no harm in them until we attach to them as if they were true." It’s when we identify with our thoughts that they take hold of us and effect our physical and emotional health. The more we sit and watch them, the more we realize this, and are able to detach from them.

 

Not long ago I was sitting in meditation, and it occurred to me that I absolutely needed to get up and clean the dog’s bowl. It didn’t matter that I’d left it undone for weeks, I needed to do it now. I decided I would clean it in fifteen minutes, when my timer went off. When my timer did go off I suddenly didn’t feel like cleaning the bowl anymore. I was able to see my restless mind in action: wanting me to attach to it, rather than quieting and relaxing. Mary Lynch, MD, founder of Energy Mirrors calls this "unwinding." She likens it to a pot of water, just about to boil, and you take off the lid, keeping it from boiling. She feels that quieting the mind and focusing on the breath opens the heart and allows the field (spirit) to shift profoundly, and heal.

 

Here are a few techniques to get started:

 

1. Set a timer for 5, 10, or 15 minutes. That way you don’t have to keep opening your eyes to check the clock, and the amount of time is do-able.

 

2. Sit comfortably, and focus on your breath. Listen to it, feel it going in and out. Feel, without trying to change it, where it does and doesn’t go in your body (wordlessly, if possible).. As soon as you realize your mind is somewhere else - going over an event that happened, planning something - just bring it back to the breath.

 

3. Relaxation meditation: Sit comfortably. Focus your awareness on your feet and let go of any tension there. If you can’t tell if there is tension, tighten your feet and then relax them. Move your awareness to your calves, knees, and thighs letting go of any tension. Feel your pelvis and where it and your legs come in contact with the floor. Relax and feel the ground supporting you. Let your tension go and relax into the ground. Continue moving your awareness slowly to your belly, back, neck, shoulders, arms and hands. Make sure your arms aren’t pushing against your legs, just let all the tension go. Relax your lips, cheeks, eyes and forehead.

 

Sit and breathe. When you become attached to the thoughts in your mind go back to the contact you feel with the floor, feel the ground supporting you and relax into it again.

 

Once you get the hang of quieting your mind – and it doesn’t take long, just a bit of consistency – you’ll find it easier to notice your thoughts and the tension they cause you in everyday life. You can take a few minutes to focus on your breath anywhere, anytime.

 

There is more information about meditation and health at our website: www.BirchCenter.com. We also offer classes in meditation, and the first Monday of each month people are welcome to come to the Birch Center to sit in quiet meditation with us.

 

I hope you’ll join me at the Coop on June 18, for discussion and practice of different types of meditation. You will leave knowing how to incorporate meditation into your life at a pace that’s right for you.