Page 114 - Guerin Media Ltd | Active Retirement Ireland Members Annual 2016
P. 114
MEDITATION HEALTH AND WELLNESS
let them go. And in doing that I slowly discovered unravel and release all the mental energy out into
that this emptiness beyond my thoughts was very the ether. The mind might be compared to a jar with
much an alive space, a space that is very present and sediment in the bottom when stirred by too much
aware but also extremely peaceful and at ease with activity becomes cloudy, and you can’t see anything.
everything that arises. But if the jar is allowed to settle, the water becomes
I was getting my first taste of ‘the peace that passes clear again as all the mud particles sink to the
all understanding’ which lies within all of us, all once bottom.
we learn to let our minds to come to rest.
AWARE OF BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT CLEAR YOUR MIND OF CAN’T - THE SIMPLE PRACTICE
Coming back to what I mentioned earlier about OF MEDITATION
‘being in the state of presence’, this is the state, One of the biggest hurdles in starting a practice is
where you find that you are completely at ease, at telling yourself that your too old, or its too late to
peace with yourself, in the moment, without any [or begin now, or that its ‘not for me, or that I can’t do
too many] thoughts but nonetheless fully conscious it’. Anyone can learn to meditate –it’s as natural as
and aware of what is arising and taking place around breathing. In fact the breath is one of the best ways
you. For example, like when you are out and sitting to begin and it helps to anchor our awareness in the
in nature, just observing, what is arising around you – body. So focus on the breath, become aware of how
seeing without naming anything, just being aware, of your chest moves with the in breath and with each
the smells, the sounds, the activity- finding yourself out breath allow yourself to drop more deeply into
happy and content just being there, without needing your body –imagine with each out breath moving
to think about it or justify it. down into the belly, into the base of your body. In
Inevitably we do start to think and move out of the doing that you are moving out of our mental space,
direct awareness into thinking again, thinking about out of the head , where because of all the stimulus
what we have been experiencing. But once we get a of our modern lives, we are become unconsciously
direct taste of this state of presence, once we know domiciled and tend to inhabit more than we realise.
that we can let our thoughts go and that the mind
will settle down, we can with a little practice always Learning to sit is an important part of any practice –
go there. . I think this ‘state of mind’ also comes to so pick a comfortable chair, sit in an upright position,
us with age, as we get more time, more [inner] space be aware of your body posture with your feet firmly
back into our lives – we learn to be in the moment at touching the ground. Close your eyes, if you like and
different times of the day. turn your attention inwards to what is taking place
WHY MEDITATION WORKS inside of you and then let the breath become the
Meditation helps you to be more aware of your mind anchor. When you drift away with your thoughts and
and its activities and to realise that its not all of become aware that you have, just come back to the
who you are - that when you are not thinking any breath. It’s as simple and as difficult as that. Oh and
thoughts, you are more likely to experience more don’t judge- don’t judge that all you are doing is just
of your true essential self and just be at peace with thinking, or wondering if you are doing it right, or
yourself. ‘why am I not experiencing peace and calm etc.’ –
A meditation practice facilitates becoming more that will come and even if for now all of your time
spacious and still inside and opens the door to our sitting is taken up by one thought after another. Don’t
becoming more and more present to life in all its worry. They will eventually slow down and peace will
forms. The science is there now that it also has come and it really will be worth it.
many health benefits both mental and physical –it is We are living a lot longer now and our ‘golden years’
clearly something that we should be taught at a very can be filled with activity which is good but it’s
early stage in our lives even before we learn to think! also good to know that without going anywhere or
Meditation is in my opinion, an essential mental doing anything that we can be perfectly at peace by
hygiene, a daily practice that we can do like brushing allowing ourselves to become still inside.
our teeth. When you sit and become aware and So give it a try, it’s much more common place
witness just the flow of thoughts, you let the mind today than it might have been a few years ago and
there are lots meditation practice groups around
the country. Needless to say that there is tons of
material, guided meditations, simple instructions
freely available on the internet –all you need to do is
Google –meditation.
114 Active Retirement Ireland www.activeirl.ie
let them go. And in doing that I slowly discovered unravel and release all the mental energy out into
that this emptiness beyond my thoughts was very the ether. The mind might be compared to a jar with
much an alive space, a space that is very present and sediment in the bottom when stirred by too much
aware but also extremely peaceful and at ease with activity becomes cloudy, and you can’t see anything.
everything that arises. But if the jar is allowed to settle, the water becomes
I was getting my first taste of ‘the peace that passes clear again as all the mud particles sink to the
all understanding’ which lies within all of us, all once bottom.
we learn to let our minds to come to rest.
AWARE OF BEING PRESENT IN THE MOMENT CLEAR YOUR MIND OF CAN’T - THE SIMPLE PRACTICE
Coming back to what I mentioned earlier about OF MEDITATION
‘being in the state of presence’, this is the state, One of the biggest hurdles in starting a practice is
where you find that you are completely at ease, at telling yourself that your too old, or its too late to
peace with yourself, in the moment, without any [or begin now, or that its ‘not for me, or that I can’t do
too many] thoughts but nonetheless fully conscious it’. Anyone can learn to meditate –it’s as natural as
and aware of what is arising and taking place around breathing. In fact the breath is one of the best ways
you. For example, like when you are out and sitting to begin and it helps to anchor our awareness in the
in nature, just observing, what is arising around you – body. So focus on the breath, become aware of how
seeing without naming anything, just being aware, of your chest moves with the in breath and with each
the smells, the sounds, the activity- finding yourself out breath allow yourself to drop more deeply into
happy and content just being there, without needing your body –imagine with each out breath moving
to think about it or justify it. down into the belly, into the base of your body. In
Inevitably we do start to think and move out of the doing that you are moving out of our mental space,
direct awareness into thinking again, thinking about out of the head , where because of all the stimulus
what we have been experiencing. But once we get a of our modern lives, we are become unconsciously
direct taste of this state of presence, once we know domiciled and tend to inhabit more than we realise.
that we can let our thoughts go and that the mind
will settle down, we can with a little practice always Learning to sit is an important part of any practice –
go there. . I think this ‘state of mind’ also comes to so pick a comfortable chair, sit in an upright position,
us with age, as we get more time, more [inner] space be aware of your body posture with your feet firmly
back into our lives – we learn to be in the moment at touching the ground. Close your eyes, if you like and
different times of the day. turn your attention inwards to what is taking place
WHY MEDITATION WORKS inside of you and then let the breath become the
Meditation helps you to be more aware of your mind anchor. When you drift away with your thoughts and
and its activities and to realise that its not all of become aware that you have, just come back to the
who you are - that when you are not thinking any breath. It’s as simple and as difficult as that. Oh and
thoughts, you are more likely to experience more don’t judge- don’t judge that all you are doing is just
of your true essential self and just be at peace with thinking, or wondering if you are doing it right, or
yourself. ‘why am I not experiencing peace and calm etc.’ –
A meditation practice facilitates becoming more that will come and even if for now all of your time
spacious and still inside and opens the door to our sitting is taken up by one thought after another. Don’t
becoming more and more present to life in all its worry. They will eventually slow down and peace will
forms. The science is there now that it also has come and it really will be worth it.
many health benefits both mental and physical –it is We are living a lot longer now and our ‘golden years’
clearly something that we should be taught at a very can be filled with activity which is good but it’s
early stage in our lives even before we learn to think! also good to know that without going anywhere or
Meditation is in my opinion, an essential mental doing anything that we can be perfectly at peace by
hygiene, a daily practice that we can do like brushing allowing ourselves to become still inside.
our teeth. When you sit and become aware and So give it a try, it’s much more common place
witness just the flow of thoughts, you let the mind today than it might have been a few years ago and
there are lots meditation practice groups around
the country. Needless to say that there is tons of
material, guided meditations, simple instructions
freely available on the internet –all you need to do is
Google –meditation.
114 Active Retirement Ireland www.activeirl.ie
