At the beginning of the January, my wife, Sarah, in her capacity as a Life Coach, wrote a Blog about taking time to enjoy life and as promised she has written a second post for you here. In this Blog Sarah talks about her experience of joining a meditation class………..
I know I should have given up making New Year’s resolutions by now as I’ve never got beyond February with them but January just doesn’t seem right without a fresh, bright, new start!
Out with the chocolate in with the yoga/healthy eating/gym/running/up at 6:00am/reading at least 12 books/study for a new career/firm up bum & banish cellulite regime and this year…. meditation.
So, all eager and keen I went to an introductory meditation course which was right up my street. I really got into the visualisation on being at the bottom of a beautiful lake, unchanging while the seasons came and went on the surface. I was also able to focus on my breathing intermittently before my thoughts turned to the nice simplicity of the white walls of the studio and the pros and cons of these verses wallpaper. Slightly more challenging for me, due to extreme salivation, was the raisin exercise where we focussed on a raisin, feeling it, gazing at it, smelling it before we were able to finally place it into our mouth, at which point I cheated and gobbled it down rather than exploring its texture! I left feeling fairly zen like for half an hour before snapping at my husband for some (very mild, I’m sure) misdemeanour.
Enthusiasm waned slightly for the follow-on eight week evening course where I would have to actually put in a bit of legwork, do (groan) homework and pay some money that I could instead fritter on fripperies but with a bit of bossy persuasion from my husband I signed up and went along for my first evening session.
My rather slack attitude changed when I entered the warm and cosy studio room on that snowy evening and I immediately felt empathy for the two other lovely participants as we spoke about why we had chosen to do the course. Simon, the course leader led us through a body scan meditation which was incredibly calming (so much so that I shamefully fell into a snorey sleep).
He talked to us about mindfulness and simply noticing, not judging or pushing away, our thoughts and feelings. I left, full of enthusiasm for doing the homework of eating one meal mindfully (a bit like the raisin exercise), listening to the body scan meditation CD we were given (I must try to do this at a time other than when I go to bed as I haven’t managed to hear it to the end without falling asleep yet) and doing one routine in a mindful way (cleansing my face – I thought it would give me an opportunity to try out all those sweeping/circling strokes I once read you should do).
Apart from one ridiculous freak out about a lost receipt, I have stopped simply to notice what’s going on, internally and externally and to simply accept, rather than try to control things. I’m feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed for session two!
Have you tried Meditation or any other form of relaxation that has been effective in helping you deal with the hustle and bustle of daily life? We would love to hear from you, what have you tried, what has worked for you?
Please do leave your comments below…………
I’m a changed person since learning Transcendental Medication and some Vedic practices about four years ago. Sometimes I stop meditating because I get “too busy” or it doesn’t fit in with my lifestyle; then I convince myself that this is fine. However every time I return to it I remember how amazing it is, and how literally life changing it is for me. It makes me stronger, happier, healthier, more awake, more productive, and much better company!
Listening to Aung San Suu Kyi on Desert Island discs the other Sunday I was inspired that under house arrest she meditated every day. Many others have spoken of the benefits and I admire anyone who actually can do it! I tried at home alone and while I liked the ritual bits of the process as soon as I began to empty my mind all kinds of stuff jumped in and I soon got fidgety. Perhaps I need a husband to help keep me focussed :) After reading your blog I am encouraged to read a book on Mindfulness at the very least! In the mean time I stick to my mantra “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”
Really good to read your comments about your experiences of meditation. I definitely agree Fran that doing it alone at the very beginning can be a little disheartening if you feel you aren’t getting anywhere with it! I’m now in week 3 of the course and loving it. Feeding back about how the week has gone each Monday has been very helpful as has having exercises to do in the week. At the moment I’m using CDs to guide my practice but I imagine that once the practices are more embedded I will do it without the CD’s. It’s great to hear how much meditation has helped you Jen.
All the best,
Sarah