MenoSundays; Life Lived Lovingly

During May, I am sharing some musings on meditation. A glance at last week's responses to the initial post will demonstrate how each has their own concept and approach to stilling the mind. The majority of readers have clearly made attempts... but a couple seemed adrift on the purpose of such a practice. Let us explore that today.

Why would one bother with meditation? That might depend on which meditational approach one takes (more on that next week). For any of them to be beneficial, though, there needs to be a clear will to make gains in life from those benefits. Thus the logical next question is - what benefits?

It must be acknowledged that meditation comes out of the spiritual practice of 'sitting with self/god/spirit'. However, empirical (observational) evidence has demonstrated that those who meditate regularly appear to have more positive health outcomes, even when carrying a significant illness. Of interest to the majority of western practitioners is the stress management aspect. The anecdotal evidence became so strong that randomised trials have taken place in several places. There is moderate evidence of actual improvements in anxiety and depression levels and some evidence of pain management, sleep improvements, and other lifestyle benefits. (Example of collated papers.) Medical practitioners in the UK are now being directed to include the suggestion of meditative practice, along with a combination of other possible therapies, for anyone presenting with minor mental health disturbances. The NHS recognises the Buddhistic Mindfulness practice as a key component of stress management.

Some consider meditative practice as 'naval-gazing' and meaning that pejoratively. Learning to be congruent as a human being, balancing the inside with the outside is anathema - indeed threatening - to some. Many who attempt it cannot come to terms with any level of inner stillness. There can be complex reasons for this which cannot be addressed simply in a tiny post, but consider the possibility of;

• fear - sitting with oneself can bring up all sorts of 'horrors', not least that we don't know who we are
• control - there is the mistaken belief that the mind is the control mechanism when in fact, it is the intellect
• surrender - an unwillingness to allow the process to draw one along (see 'fear')
• ego - so much "I"identification and  belief there is no need (see 'surrender')

Taking time out to simply sit and 'be' has been considered useless in western society. Still, gradually that view is changing as more and more people find peacefulness and integration in their lives as they adopt and maintain a meditative practice. If nothing else, think of it as a way to chillax!