Taming the tyrant of the mind

Just stop. Take yourself away from the busyness of life and stop for a while.
This is the delight that comes with entering into a meditation retreat. It just all falls away. The busyness dissolves, the mind settles, peace and clarity arise.

Just back myself from attend (yes, not leading – attending) a 10 day retreat mostly in silence, it strikes me yet again how reliable this process is. As the mind settles, thoughts come and go. Sure, some are turbulent, some peaceful; but with perseverance – the peace and clarity re-assert themselves. And so often, insights flow.

For me, this recent retreat provided another vivid reminder of how valuable it is to go on personal retreat. In fact, this one will inform, and transform how I present the next two retreats Ruth and I will lead, both of which have the intention of entering the deeper stillness of the essence of meditation.

Then too, a reminder of what can come from attending a retreat. So this week, a heartfelt sharing of a transformative experience involving releasing a tyrant within, sent from one who attended the last retreat we ran where the focus was on contemplation, but first



           Thought for the day

                A mind that is fast is sick

                A mind that is slow is sound 

                A mind that is still is divine

                             Meher Baba





Thank you very much for the great teachings and guidance you gave us all at the recent Meditation Under the Long White Cloud retreat where we focused on contemplation.

I would like to tell you that thanks to these teachings and quite a lot of dedicated meditation for many years, I have found a new level of satisfaction and peace with contemplation as a meditation technique. It has been truly wonderous in it’s capacity to transform my state of mind.

It had come to my awareness that recently I have had a “tyrant” taking charge of my active mind when I feel “too good”. This tyrant came in the form of my thoughts which became like the lashings of a whip constructed by my own mind to punish me for something like just not being worthy enough.

In the days before the retreat, actually for years now, this tyrant had been getting “stuck into me” pretty well as soon as I wake up. After the feelings of sleep had slipped away, it would start with all the “problems in the relationships in my family” and soon a deep, ancient sense of hopelessness and bewilderment pervaded.

This in turn created one thought after another that had the effect of disturbing me and giving me everything from mild longing, to severe felt-sense disturbance in the area of my stomach and solar plexus.

I am reminded that this is very similar to the dementia-ridden state of mind of my loving grandmother. Later in life, she could talk of nothing else, bar in a disjointed way, her sense of unhappy, fractured regrets about her long gone relationships. What tragedy.  At the end of her life she just wept all the time. She was totally in it all the time.

And there but for the grace of you, go I …

What has changed that is so significant? Since the retreat, I have started to use contemplation of the “thinking-mind” to manage these thoughts; and am very glad to say I am making some progress.

I want to tell you that it is really becoming a reliable technique for me to find inner peace and calm. I have been using the “thousand-petaled lotus” technique with alternating stillness periods, and consciously thinking through all these habitual things/patterns of my mind and taking breaks like you taught us to do.

And wow!

Now, after about 30 minutes of this conscious, deliberate, alternating of thinking and resting, a wonderful kind of stillness and peace emerges. All the solidity of the thoughts just kind-of “break up” and become dream-like. Yet, I feel grounded and as if “the tyrant” has been completely disarmed, even vanquished. Dissolving away like a morning mist. I can rest in what feels like natural Great Peace.

Where “refuge” was once “another place” I could go to get away from my agonising mind, somewhere I could escape to; it is different now. It is now like I can examine and explore this mind of mine and then I find it there…. the refuge is actually there in it; in my mind itself!

Thank you deeply from the depths of my heart for helping me to learn to take charge of my mind, and learn to contemplate my mind and find it’s true nature. I now understand why they say this is priceless.

With love and gratitude …

COMING MEDITATION RETREATS

The June retreat, Deepening Your Meditation is fully booked

October 2016 Coromandel Peninsula New Zealand

April 2017 Yarra Valley, Australia

Meditation Under the Long White Cloud - Deep Natural Peace – NZ, 22- 28 October

Keen to learn more and deepen your experience of relaxation, mindfulness and meditation?

Good instruction, a conducive environment and like-minded people help create the circumstances wherein this breakthrough can occur.

        Take time out from the busyness of everyday life
        Indulge in a meaningful holiday
        Slow down, reflect, contemplate
        Regain perspective, clarity, vitality, and balance

Our annual New Zealand meditation retreat is both practical and regenerative, with optional yoga and Chi Gong. The focus of the 2016 retreat will be the profound stillness of meditation.


Dates     Saturday 22ND to Friday 28th October 2016

Venue    Mana Retreat Centre, Coromandel, New Zealand

Register with Mana Retreat at the online secure http://www.manaretreat.com/users/register.php

More details, CLICK HERE


Meditation in the Forest 2017 – Meditation and Contemplation – Yarra Junction

In 2017, the focus of this annual, pre- Easter retreat will be on the practice of contemplation. Because contemplation is not so widely recognised or written about at the moment, and very few lead specific retreats on this theme, I love presenting this material.

Learning and practising contemplation is so profoundly helpful, in so many ways – from personal transformation, to business, to life direction and meaning, to extra-ordinary insights.

Ruth and I heartily recommend this retreat.

You will learn how to think things through, how to overcome confusion, how to develop clarity and certainty in decision-making, and more - how to access insight, intuition and inner wisdom in a predictable and reliable way.

Date          4 pm Friday 7th April until 2 pm Thursday 13th April 2017.
Venue      The Yarra Valley Living Centre, 55 Rayner Crt, Yarra Junction, Victoria, Australia  
Bookings    The Gawler Foundation: +61 (3) 59671730

More details, CLICK HERE

How cancer forms and 7 things your own body can do about it

It comes as no surprise to know many people are deeply scared by cancer. For many, just about everything about it is one big scary mystery.

Yet science can tell us a good deal about why and how cancer develops, and better still, tell us about the multiple defenses our own bodies have against it. Great information on which to base a personal prevention or treatment program.

So this week, how we can work with the body to prevent or recover from cancer. Great information – please share and in doing so, reduce the fears and help raise confidence in our own bodies, our own capacities to prevent and recover from cancer.

This blog comes amidst the series of posts related to my personal retreat these past 3 months; next week, the next exciting episode! But first

            Thought for the day

Basketball is an intricate, high-speed game 
filled with split-second, spontaneous decisions. 
But that spontaneity is possible 
only when everyone first engages in hours 
of highly repetitive and structured practice
- perfecting their shooting, dribbling, 
and passing and running plays 
over and over again
- and agrees to play a carefully defined role on the court.

            Spontaneity is not random. 

                                  Malcolm Gladwell


Cancer genesis
Cancer cells form in the body after normal cells undergo damage to specific genes called oncogenes. When a cell in the body reproduces itself, it is the oncogenes that determine whether the new cell will become a healthy one or a cancer cell.

All cell lines – such as skin cells, breast cells, prostate cells and so on, have their own specific oncogenes. There are usually 2 to 4 of them and it takes a series of damages to convert a healthy oncogene into one that will cause cancer.

The causes of cancer
Research tells us that most of what causes this genetic damage is related to our lifestyle – what we eat, whether we smoke or not and so on. More details are in You Can Conquer Cancer. Obviously, avoiding the causes is the key to cancer prevention.

Our body’s defenses
However, even when oncogenes are damaged and activated, clinical cancer is not always the result. Many scientists are of the view that this genetic damage is occurring on a daily basis in everyone's body and the most conservative view is that potential cancer cells form at least 40 times during our lifetime.

Clearly, not everyone develops cancer and this is because the body has its own series of defenses that are designed to recognize potential cancer cells and destroy them before they become a problem.

Genes that repair genes
One of the first ways the body does this is that it has genes that actually have the job of repairing damaged genes.

Front line defense
Next, the immune system is the body’s front line defense system. It has many responsibilities including recognizing unhealthy tissue within the body, destroying or removing unhealthy tissue and restoring health.

Camouflage
With cancer, this is much easier when potential cancer masses are quite small, as one thing cancer does as it grows is to coat itself with what is effectively a camouflage layer that makes it difficult or impossible for the immune system to recognize it as a problem. Anything that disrupts this “camouflage”, opens the cancer to direct attack from the immune system.

Angiogenesis
Another critical issue for cancer to grow and become larger is that it needs to develop its own blood supply. This process is called angiogenesis and anything that disrupts it weakens the cancer. If angiogenesis is halted, the cancer is starved of nutrients and dies.

Metabolic disruption
Once cancer has developed into a significant mass, it has its own metabolic needs. Anything that disrupts this metabolism can weaken the cancer and if the disruption is severe enough, it will kill it.

A useful metaphor here comes from the garden where plants have their own preferences. For example, camellias thrive in acid soil and are severely weakened or die when planted in alkaline soils.

In much the same way, changing the milieu in the body, manipulating the metabolic environment in the body through things like therapeutic nutrition can have a direct influence on cancer cells.

Many of the ways in which therapeutic lifestyle approaches influence cancer can be explained by how they influence the above factors.

New biologically elegant treatments target the above factors, for example:

1. A great deal of research is going into how to reverse oncogene damage and switch the oncogenes back to normal.

2. Treatments aimed at enhancing immune function have been around for many years and continue to be actively researched.

3. Promising research has found a major protein that builds the cancer’s camouflage and targeted immunology offers the possibility of removing it, laying the cancer open to be recognized and attacked by our immune system.

4. Anti-angiogenesis agents are called angiostatins and some of these are already being used clinically while further research continues.

5. Many new targeted therapies aim to disrupt cancer’s metabolism.

Application through 
guided imagery

An understanding of how cancer develops is also very helpful for people aiming to use guided imagery and this is a large and exciting topic in its own right.

But as just one example, we know that in hypnotherapy the mind can be trained to stop bleeding.

If that same principle were to be used to stop blood flow to a tumour (ie to have an angiostatic effect and reverse what is shown in the above diagram), that tumour would be destroyed very quickly.

Exciting possibilities…. That are at the heart of what we call "Accelerated Healing" - see the related blogs below.

RESOURCES
BOOKS
You Can Conquer Cancer , Ian Gawler - chapters on causes of cancer, therapeutic nutrition and lifestyle, and guided imagery.

The Mind that Changes Everything , Ian Gawler – details on guided imagery

CD or Download
The Gawler Cancer Program – has all the above information plus more that you can share or listen to over and over to help with understanding and confidence.

RELATED BLOGS
Accelerated Healing 101 - Part 1

Accelerated Healing 101 - Part 2

NOTICEBOARD

The last meditation retreat and more specific cancer residential program Ruth and I will present in 2015 are both rapidly approaching. Both are in fabulous New Zealand :) 

Details of all coming programs  are on our website: www.iangawler.com/events, and here are these next two:

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT
Meditation Under the Long White Cloud   24 - 30 October 2015

7 day retreat at Mana Retreat Centre, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

                 Take time out from the busyness of everyday life; spend time with your self
           Slow down, reflect, contemplate – regain perspective, vitality, balance and clarity
      Deepen your understanding and experience of mindfulness, contemplation and meditation

Full details, CLICK HERE


SPECIFIC CANCER RESIDENTIAL PROGRAM

MIND-BODY MEDICINE and CANCER    November  2015    Tuesday 10th to Saturday 14th

Five day Residential program in the beautiful surrounds of Wanaka, New Zealand
- an easy drive from Queenstown airport and very accessible for Australians

This program is open to anyone affected by cancer. Health professionals interested to learn more of this work are also welcome to attend.

While the focus of this program is on therapeutic meditation and nutrition, the power of the mind and emotional health, ample time will be given to answering any questions you may have relating to the Gawler program - exercise, positive thinking, healing, balancing medical options, successful ways of dealing with setbacks, sustaining your good intentions and the relevance of finding meaning in life to healing and recovery.

FULL DETAILS Click here

Cancer self-help residential program – a photographic essay

What happens when a major dairy farmer begins to grapple with the connection between their cancer and consuming dairy products?

What happens when a senior surgeon is exposed to Mind-Body Medicine?

How about when a palliative care nurse begins to consider that cancer may not be as “terminal” as first thought?

There is a joy in realising that cancer is a potentially reversible, degenerative disease that is fuelled by inflammation.

There is an even greater joy in realising that Lifestyle Medicine potentially offers everyone the personal means to reverse any chronic, inflammatory, degenerative disease with a highly anti-inflammatory, highly regenerative process.

But then there is a challenge that comes with Lifestyle Medicine when one realises that to change a chronic, inflammatory, degenerative disease process into a highly anti-inflammatory, highly regenerative process, one needs to change one's lifestyle; one's habits.

And so this week we ask for your help. Your help to help more people with cancer know what is possible. It is remarkable how many people newly diagnosed with cancer still do not know how much they can do to help themselves, and how much they are missing out on if they do not.

It seems there are two big barriers that stop people from helping themselves. Firstly knowing what is possible; secondly getting over the awkwardness, the uncertainties, the hesitancy, to actually begin, to join in with a self-help, educational program.

You can help by informing people and inspiring them to make a start. 

One of the reasons Ruth and I love presenting these types of programs is that we get to travel along with a group of people with cancer as they go through a residential program designed to help them to learn in detail how lifestyle impacts on cancer, and how by changing their habits, they can change the momentum of the disease.

And what stands out? People of all ages, from all walks of life say “why didn’t I do this earlier? Why didn’t I know about this earlier? Why didn’t someone tell me about this? Why isn’t everyone doing a program like this?”

So this week, a photographic essay of the cancer self-help residential programs, compiled from our recent 8 day program Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing presented in  Wanaka, New Zealand, with a few shots from follow-up programs presented in the Yarra Valley and New Zealand.

The request is that you share this post with anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer and may be thinking of coming to one of our programs, or one presented at the Gawler Foundation itself, or one of the affiliated “Gawler” programs. Hopefully it will help them to get a better idea of what they might come to, and help them to feel more comfortable coming for the first time.

So a big thank you to all who gave approval to appear below, but first

        
Thought for the day

The patterns of our lives reveal us.
Our habits measure us.
In the shapeliness of a life, habit plays its sovereign role...

Most people take action by habit in small things
More often than in important things,
For it’s the simple matters that get done readily,
While the more somber and interesting,
Taking more effort and being more complex,
Often must wait for another day.

Thus, we could improve ourselves quite well by habit,
By its judicious assistance,
But it’s more likely that habits rule us.

                   Mary Oliver

    A new group gathers 

Excitement. Anticipation.

A little trepidation – what are we in for?                
So many possibilities.





     There are presentations

New things to learn.
Notes to take.

Learning of a Lifestyle
That is highly anti-inflammatory,
Highly regenerative.

What we as individuals
And we as a collective of family and friends can do
To bring about healing.
Radical healing.
And long-lasting inner peace.

        So lots of practise


        We meditate together.










       
                    We share the food.


                    Lots of great food.












Mostly organic. Always fresh.

Always consistent with the theory.

A chance to experience it all.







                            





   

                                     Prepared with love.

         Maddy, herself with a story of recovery
               - a fabulous, gourmet, natural food chef.















      People loosen up

- and speak more directly.

The women meet together

- and the men, and the partners.

And speak amongst like-minded people
going through similar situations.












Then the occasion treat thrown in by the locals.


This time courtesy of Lake Wanaka Cruises.

Where amazing scenery

And the clarity that comes with stillness

Lends itself to informal,
but meaningful conversation.











Here, we do not show the full range of emotion so directly.
And yes there are some tears
And an amazing amount of laughter.
Lots of laughter.
Amidst a gentle intensity.

For this is the work of transformation.
Learning and transformation.

Maybe one day someone will make a documentary
And more will become apparent.

But for now, another group goes home
Filled with hope.
Aware of their choices.
Experiencing a new level of inner peace that often surprises them.

Going home to begin the next phase of their lives.

A life renewed.



Finally then, two big thank yous

Firstly to the team in New Zealand.
Special mention to Stew Burt who came to the Gawler Foundation with his first wife,
gained so much and was driven to start the charity Canlive that has brought the programs to New Zealand.
What commitment. What an organiser!

And Liz Maluschnig, one time an oncology nurse, motivated to help in a fresh way.
Now with years of training and experience
as a counselor and group facilitator.


Secondly to all the staff and volunteers at the Gawler Foundation.
Especially Siegfried Gutbrod who has my old job of Therapeutic Director - and does it so well.
And Julia Broome, a physiotherapist who extended her training to become a Feldenkrais authority.

What incredible, wonderful, authentic people we get to work with – and for!!!

And well you might wonder what happened to the initial trio???

The dairy couple have currently taken up on a 10 day mono-diet while they plan for becoming vegans.

The surgeon is one of the more committed adherents to the Lifestyle program.

And the palliative care nurse knows that people survive against the odds and is working out how understanding death in a new light brings new meaning and relevance to palliative care.

So please spread the word. 

I dream of the day when everyone diagnosed with cancer is told by their doctor right at first diagnosis to start their plan for recovery by learning and implementing what they can do for themselves.

I dream of the day when everyone has access to these programs and is keen to benefit.

Many people will benefit from surgery, many from chemotherapy, radiotherapy and complimentary therapies. But everyone will benefit from applying themselves and gaining the therapeutic benefits of Lifestyle Medicine.

People need help to fully realize what is possible, and to implement it.
Maybe you can help someone else to help themselves.

Please share…..



And with the program ended,
Ruth gets to hang out for a while
With her favourite mutt
- Dougall, Stew Burt’s Brittany Spaniel





RELATED BLOG
Radical Remission – The 9 key factors that long-term cancer survivors have in common.

RESOURCES
Programs that Ian and Ruth present personally

Ian and Ruth’s books, CDs. DVDs

The Gawler Foundation’s Programs

Canlive’s programs

NOTICEBOARD

MEDITATION RETREAT – VERY CLOSE NOW

Meditation and the Inner Journey        8th  – 12th  June     Yarra Valley
This retreat brings together 2 powerful experiences - the deep natural peace of meditation, and a gentle process of introspection that will help you reconnect with your own inner wisdom.

FULL DETAILS  -  Click here

MEDITATION POSSIBILITIES IN QUEENSLAND 
– Coming soon
Brisbane day workshop - Sunday, June 14th, 2015

A Relaxing, Regenerative Meditation Intensive

Designed for experienced meditators, but definitely open to those newer to meditation 

Date        Sunday, June 14th, 2015 from 10am (arrive 9.30) to 5pm
Venue     The Relaxation Centre, 15 South Pine Rd, Alderley, Brisbane
Enquiries and Bookings    The Relaxation Centre        Telephone: 07 3856 3733
                                                                                         www.relaxationcentreqld.com.au

Cairns weekend meditation intensive 

June 20 and 21 – Non-residential

Meditation is the greatest gift you can give to yourself, or someone you care for

Date              Saturday, Sunday 20th and 21st June. Starts 10am (arrive 9.30) to 5pm
Venue           Khacho Yulo Ling Buddhist Centre, 348 Severin Street, Cairns
Enquiries      Call  07 4041 5556    or email   info@yuloling.com
Bookings      Online, go to :  www.yuloling.com     or call Rinchen    07 4041 5556


Medicine of the Mind – Cairns Evening Public Lecture 

Tuesday June 23  7pm

For everyone interested in the power within 

Date                Tuesday 23rd June, 2015      Starts 7pm (arrive 6.30) to 10pm
Venue             Khacho Yulo Ling Buddhist Centre, 348 Severin St
Enquiries        Call  07 4041 5556    or email   info@yuloling.com
Bookings        Online, go to :  www.yuloling.com     or call Rinchen    07 4041 5556

Has Ian Gawler retired?

This is going to be a somewhat personal blog. Fairly regularly I’m being asked - “Are you retired?” The short answer is no, but maybe the question is coming as I recently passed 65 ? Maybe some people know it is now over 5 years since I did retire from my full-time job at the Gawler Foundation.

And yes, I did stand back for a year after leaving the Foundation and did very little but speak with people who had good ideas, reflected, contemplated, meditated and worked in the garden.

Now, with some new clarity and vigor, I am back doing many things, several of which are pretty extra-ordinary (as in : out of the ordinary). Definitely not retired but doing some different things to years ago, so thought it time for an update.

Also, following on from Paul Kraus’ story last week of surviving mesothelioma comes more good news with a great article in the Melbourne Age recounting Scott Stephens’ recovery from melanoma. Check it out below.

I first met Scott at a Foundation cancer residential program 8 years ago. Now, after a couple of early relapses and perseverance and sustained meditation, good food and smart thinking, Scott has been cancer-free for 6 years and he regularly meets with and inspires cancer groups at the Foundation and elsewhere.  Did you see him on that excellent Mind-Body Medicine documentary called The Connection???

Good news to share, but first




            Thought for the day

              I slept and dreamt that life was joy.

              I awoke and saw that life was service.

              I acted and behold, service was joy.


                                Rabindranath Tagore









In stepping down from the Foundation I had worked in for nearly 30 years, the intention was to make way so that the Foundation could establish itself in its own right, free of this founder; and to give me space to re-think what I had been doing for so long and to consider whether there were other ways to be more helpful.

Retiring from the Foundation when all was going well was a huge personal step, but being very conscious of the limitations of habitual thinking, the retirement was actually more an act of principle than of any necessity.

It would have been easy, comfortable and hopefully worthwhile for me to continue working for the Foundation. But when you have worked in one area of expertise, with one group in a similar way for nearly 30 years, there is a danger of a rut developing.

Personally, I like the idea of keeping the “beginners mind” active, stepping back from the norm regularly and considering what can be done to be most effective, most useful.

Also, sooner or later I was bound to leave the Foundation; either because I was too old, or the proverbial bus came to visit. So there seemed real value in having a new association with it in a well-planned, measured way.

So what is the current state of play?


Speaking personally
Ruth and I have been married 15 years now. Wow! What a treat that is being. Just held my fifth
grandchild, Tucker, son of Peter and Kerrielee. The garden is thriving and abundant and we are currently resurrecting the cottage on our property - countering old termite and water damage.

I am planning to go to France for a secluded 12 week meditation based retreat in July this year. It feels like the right time to do something more personal and intense.





1. The  Gawler Foundation
Ruth and I have a great relationship with all at the Foundation and we are really impressed with the services they provide and the manner in which they provide them.

Actually, I rather do hope they will change the name of the organisation to better represent the actual work they do, rather than their origins, but I am no longer involved with their management, so that stuff is all up to them.

Ruth and I presently lead the residential cancer follow-up programs at the Yarra Valley centre. Targeted for people who have done an initial “Gawler” program, either at the Foundation or elsewhere, and it is good for us to be doing a few less retreats each year so we can prepare extra thoroughly for these programs.

2. Working with Ruth – the retreats we present together
It is such good fortune to be able to work creatively and closely with your partner. Ruth being a doctor, with her special interests in Integrative Medicine, psychotherapy, meditation and yoga is such an asset to our groups. And there is always the feminine perspective……. We balance each other well. What a delight!

We do 2 types of retreats

a) Meditation retreats
For those becoming more serious about their meditation, or for those who already are, there is
nothing that deepens the experience of meditation more than going on retreat. So it is a pleasure to lead retreats regularly!

Our retreats are very much styled along the lines of what we would ideally like to attend ourselves. Middle intensity – enough meditation to have real effect, but not too much that you need a holiday when you get home. Enough stimulation via teachings to satisfy the intellect, but the emphasis is on the experience of meditation itself.

Then plenty of free space to contemplate, reflect, do some yoga or Chi Gong, go for a walk, rest and regenerate. Add in good company, great locations and excellent food. Bloody good combination really!!!

Each retreat has the recurring elements of  lots of practise and time for discussing personal meditation experiences/questions; but then each retreat also focuses on a particular theme.

For example Meditation in the Forest is the annual Pre-Easter meditation retreat we hold at the Foundation, and this year the focus is on understanding just what the stillness of meditation really is and how to experience it more directly and more reliably.

Later, in November, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in New Zealand will focus on contemplation where we learn how to think things through more completely, to overcome confusion, develop clarity and certainty in decision making; and more – how to access insight, intuition and inner wisdom.

I must say contemplation is probably the most important “add-on” to basic meditation and we particularly love doing this presentation! Actually, we really love doing all the retreats.

b) Specific cancer programs

There are 2 types of these
i) The complete, integrated program for anyone affected by cancer and their partners. We call this Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing. Here we give good attention to living well with cancer, but there is a big focus on Accelerated Healing and what helps recovery – along with minimizing treatment side-effects and getting the best results from any medical or other treatments.

We will only lead one of these programs in 2015 and it is in New Zealand in May, organised and supported by Stew Burt and Canlive.

ii) The cancer follow-up programs. As explained, these are for those who are further down the track and we present them either at the Gawler Foundation Yarra Valley centre, or in Wanaka in New Zealand for Canlive. These too have their own specific themes and are designed so that people can attend them regularly and maintain their momentum.

3. Seminars, workshops, conferences
We have presented many of these in the last couple of years, but just for 2015, we decided to limit them. Aimed for zero, but saying no to some people is not easy, so the day or evening seminars we are presenting this year are for an inspiring and diverse bunch of people.

It occurred to me that if we could get our hosts together for a meal, it would lead to quite some conversations. There is Lionel Fifield - founder of the Relaxation Centre of Queensland and while well into his 70s, still totally dedicated to providing access to, and support for personal growth. Then Ani Rinchen Wangmo - a Tibetan nun working for a Buddhist centre in Cairns; Greg and Dawn Fitzgerald – passionate South Sydney naturopaths intent on curing all people of all things; and Rabbi Laibl Wolf – who supports Spiritgrow a Jewish community centre in Caufield that has a major charter to foster good physical and mental health and wellbeing. Would be some dinner!

4. The net and IT
Some know when I left the Foundation that my computer skills made IT troglodytes seem nerdy. So learning about all this stuff has been the big personal step forward. Blog. Facebook. Webstore. I even own and can use (to some degree) a computer. Still keep the old mobile phone – no Smart phone distracts me as yet!

But also there has been development of the high tech online meditation program, Mindbody Mastery that goes way beyond simply providing meditation instruction online; it provides on-going support via daily emails, weekly SMS and comes with a whole range of other fancy features.

Putting that together with my business partner in the IT adventures, Saurabh Mishra, has been such fun. So much to learn. So much benefit from the “beginner’s mind”. I ask all the dumb questions, and if it can be explained to me and if it works for me, then anyone can do it!

Now Saurabh and I are near to completing the development of a meditation app that will do way more than “just” run Mindbody Mastery (MBM), as many people these days tell us they want all the MBM features via app.

Also we recognized that students at many meditation schools would benefit from having direct access via an app to the specific teaching, practices and support of their own group. Problem is that developing an app that can do all that is a big deal. That we do know!

So, we have developed an app that makes it easy for individual meditation schools to upload their own material and provide their students with all the benefits of a very high tech app for little cost. No doubt there will be more on this soon as it comes to complete fruition – not far away.





And of course there has been development of the Pearl range that provides meditation for stress relief, better sleep and pain control via a mini MP3 player - ideal for personal use or a meaningful gift.







5. Corporate mindfulness and meditation
Recently there has been the opportunity to get to know Rasmus Horgaard from Denmark who runs the Potential Project. In my view this is by far the best corporate program of its type and yes, sharing more on that too soon; also having a small role around the edges of some corporate mindfulness projects has been very rewarding. The response has been very gratifying.

6. Writing
To be direct, with all else going on I have been doing my best to resist committing to another book, but I suspect this will not last much longer. There is one very exciting idea that has been brewing for some time and maybe more on this soon.

So if anyone is still reading after this particular diatribe, it has at least helped to sort out what is going on in my own mind, and no, I am not retired.




RELATED ARTICLE


Scott Stephens story of overcoming melanoma in the Melbourne Age, written back in November 2012 by Sarah Berry, LINK HERE





2015 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Full details are on the website, click here

NEXT MEDITATION RETREAT
Meditation in the Forest        March 27th to April 2nd  2015

During this meditation retreat, we will be focusing upon the deeper stillness of meditation. We will explore the theory, but moreso, the actual practices that help us to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind into a more direct and profound experience of the still mind.

Deep, natural peace. A calm and clear mind. So many possibilities follow…..

FULL DETAILS Click here

NEXT SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS
CANCER and BEYOND  May 2015   Monday 4th at 11am to Friday 8th at 2pm

Five Day Residential Follow-up Program at the Gawler Foundation in the Yarra Valley

This program is specifically designed for those with cancer along with their support people who have attended a previous Gawler Foundation program or equivalent such as with Sabina Rabold, CSWA, Cancer Care SA, CanLive NZ, or with the Gawlers

A unique opportunity to meet with like-minded people once again, to consolidate what you already know, to learn more from the combined knowledge, experience and wisdom of Ian and Ruth, to reaffirm your good intentions, and to go home refreshed and revitalised.

FULL DETAILS Click here 

CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING
Eight day residential program in New Zealand   May 15th  –  22nd , 2015

All welcome; attendance with a partner/ support person is ideal but not essential.

This program will lead you through all the self-healing options:
. Therapeutic nutrition
. Practical positive thinking
. Therapeutic meditation, plus the healing power of imagery and contemplation
. Accelerated healing
. Healthy, healing emotions
. How to get the most out of mainstream treatments and minimize side-effects
. How to be most effective as a support person/carer, and to look after yourself in the process.

I actually lead most of the main sessions, with support from Ruth and 2 exceptional New Zealanders. We live in for the full program so there is plenty of time for questions and personal interaction.

This program is organized and supported by Canlive New Zealand.

FULL DETAILS Click here

What are you part of ???

A couple of big milestones. This blog has been running for just on 4 years and has had over half a million pageviews. Ever wonder who else is reading it? This week, interesting details and feedback, one great personal story and then news of the upcoming retreats in New Zealand, Meditation Under the Long White Cloud and Mind, Meditation and Healing, but first



Thought for the day

Helping, fixing, and serving 
Represent three different ways of seeing life. 

When you help, you see life as weak. 
When you fix, you see life as broken. 

When you serve, you see life as whole. 

Fixing and helping may be the work of the ego, 
And service the work of the soul. 

Rachel Naomi Remen


The older I become, the more service seems to be what gives life meaning. How fortunate am I then to be able to work in a field of service.

It has often seemed to me that some people have really tough jobs where it is almost as if they need to compromise their ethics and life values at the door on their way in to work; and pick up what is left on the way out.

My work has always demanded the best of me. It is a blessing.

So writing the blog is a regular delight – even when the need to write the one for next Monday comes late on Sunday night. Also, it is a discipline – a writing discipline that has me writing regularly and exercising one of the arts I am passionate about – writing!

Anyway, much gratitude to all of you who made the time and effort to reply to the recent survey. Hundreds of people provided feedback and the general comments were very gratifying. It seems worth persisting to pen something regularly :)

It also seems that of those who responded, over 70% have been reading the blog for more than 6 mths, over half read it weekly, over half would like to receive it weekly in future, but 40% would be happy with fortnightly – so when I am on a personal retreat I may spread it out a little!

Guest bloggers are welcome equally monthly and occasionally, 20% of you share posts regularly, but over 50% have only shared once or twice.

All the current topics on the blog record a good level of interest, with meditation, nutrition, healing and mind training scoring highest. As for age – the older we get the more people who are reading – the 50+ group being the largest, while most have good health and a significant number face major health challenges. Well over half are in full or part time work and about a third are retired – quite a diverse bunch really, but all interested in their own health and wellbeing, and what they can do for others.

The range of suggestions for new blogs was very interesting and great food for thought. Finding peace amidst diversity, simplifying life, why some recover, others not, dealing with legal addictions, mind training, remission as a limiting word, how do you know when your meditation is “working” … and on …

A few of the nice comments
I love the quotes. Sometimes it's great when you are busy to glance at something that can help keep you anchored, it can be like a herb that adds a lot to the soup.

Your Monday blog is always very welcome - solid ground to start the week off and it re-connects me with the world within.

I really appreciate the fact that you take the time to write a weekly blog which is interesting and informative. You bring things to the fore which I otherwise might not notice and you are not afraid to address tricky issues. I also enjoy reading people's comments. There is a community of people who support these ideas and it's good to be able to share that.

It is always a pleasure to open up your blog and have a quick look at the topics. Then I can decide do I have time now to read it all or allow time in the near future to study the information in more detail.

Always of interest and pertinent but the best thing is - it is my reminder.
I am a 6 year cancer survivor with still a primary brain. Your weekly blog is a great source of inspiration and informative material.

They have often prompted me to research a topic in greater depth and this can lead to knowledge which may be helpful to others - as well as to me.

I never feel isolated when I read your blog and see so many of the worthwhile events you hold.

It has taken cancer to teach me to live the life I have always wanted to live. xx

I don't get on my computer very often so I save them for reading later if can't at time. I find them very grounding and refreshes my priority needs in amongst the pressure and bustle of todays life.

Feels like an old friend coming to visit - really nice.

And finally, one very inspiring story from my old profession
Your work Ian remains of immense significance. I have had the very good fortune to attend 4 of the old Inward Bound retreats years ago, and to be taught meditation by you. This came after a nervous breakdown at age 38, while running a vet practice. 

My life has progressively become rather more delightful since then. I remain in fulltime vet practice at age 62, and thanks in part to the broad range of topics which you present, I am able to retain a very wide range of interests, including that of brain plasticity. I am starting to do some mentoring of final year Sydney Vet students, and we take 10-12 students for a month each in the practice. 

I bought Craig Hassed's new book "Mindful Learning" yesterday. One of the benefits of your blog is that it draws my attention to a topic, and I can say to my children .. "I read something interesting the other day ...".

Hell, this has taken longer than doing the survey!

Seriously though, I hope that you retain the energy to keep up your output for a long time yet. Stay well yourself!! 

Very sincerely,

John Dooley BVSc, Wingham NSW

NOTICEBOARD

1. Meditation Under the Long White Cloud  -  SOON  -  October 25 - 31
Last meditation retreat Ruth and I will present in 2014 - the first in 2015 is Meditation in the Forest in the Yarra Valley Pre-Easter.

This one is on the glorious Coromandel Peninsula in New Zealand and the special focus will be on deepening the experience of meditation and guided imagery.

VENUE: Mana Retreat Centre

BOOKINGS and ENQUIRIES:  Tel +64 7 866 8972

Register with Mana Retreat at the online secure manaretreat.com/users/register.php

2. Mind, Meditation and Healing

Five days for people affected by cancer led by Drs Ian and Ruth Gawler and where the focus will be on accelerated healing

DATES: Arrive 12noon, program commences with lunch together at 1pm Monday 10th Nov.; until 2pm Friday 14th (after lunch) Nov. 2014

VENUE: The Snow Farm Lodge, Cardrona Valley Rd, Wanaka.

BOOKINGS and ENQUIRIES: canlive.org or call Stew Burt 03 443 4168 OR +64 3 443 6234 New Zealand

Ian Gawler Blog: Enough with gratitude

Gratitude may well be one of the most positive forces for good in our lives. New research is even showing it has potentially major benefits. Yet let’s be practical, how much gratitude is enough? How to develop gratitude as a regular state of mind? How to be grateful when life is not so easy?

This week I am on retreat once more and so I have called for a guest blog. Roxy Lebsanft was motivated by her personal and clinical experience that many women these days are feeling over whelmed, exhausted and isolated as they struggle to cope effectively with stress, relationships, work and family.

Roxy responded by helping to set up Bare Hands with the aim of assisting women to build sustainable relationships through practical education, see her website below.

Here is what she has to offer us, but first




Thought for the day

The mind is its own place,
And in itself can make a heaven of hell,
A hell of heaven

                John Milton, Paradise Lost

Gratitude - it is more than an attitude.

Ian suggested I write on something dear to my heart and as our passion with the Bare Hands Project is to build sustainable relationships through practical strategies, I thought I would discuss one strategy that I believe is fundamental to finding balance, wellbeing and contentment - gratitude.

This week, one of our lovely workshop participants, Katrina, heard a quote that struck a deep chord with her and she shared it with our group. It made all of us stop, take a breath and become present.

Gratitude is what makes what you have, enough! (Source unknown)

In our current culture, gratitude comes naturally when things are going in a seemingly positive direction - success, recognition, reward, ease, abundance, health, happiness, joy, excitement, etc.

When relationships are ‘up’ – it is relatively easy to feel confident, connected, accepted, loved and loving. This is the perfect time to practice gratitude as a strategy, so that when the going gets tough, you have built a habit of mind that can rapidly get you ‘unstuck’ from feeling overwhelmed, depressed or anxious. This is the preventative side of this phenomenal tool.

Strengthening the ‘gratitude strategy muscle’ requires amplifying the positives. Too often we forget to express gratitude and appreciation when life is busy and full of distractions. However, these are the times when you have golden opportunities to be present, to appreciate, connect and build resilience in your relationships, the glue that will hold things together during ‘stormy seasons’.

Develop a habit of noticing and sharing, (internally about yourself and externally to others) things that are working and going right. Express your appreciation. In can be the simple, small things - a smile, someone offering to do a chore first, silence, whatever tickles your fancy. Let people know that you notice.

But what if things seem bleak? Some days may not be a bed of roses and for as many ups as there may be, there will be an equal number of challenges. Such is the natural balance and order of life.

It can be really difficult to be grateful when you are unwell, unhappy, stressed and doing it tough. The mind can get stuck in a rut of looking at how bad things are and focusing on everything that seems to be going wrong.

Michael Yapko, PhD, who specialises in treating depression, suggests that simply going through a gratitude list of three things, once a day for a week (either on waking or before going to bed), can dramatically improve depression, (even if it is severe) and even more remarkably, if the exercise is discontinued after only a week. (Depression is Contagious, 2009) The results last for months and there are no side effects! This is the curative side of gratitude.

How does it work? It is our natural instinct to resist challenge, discomfort and displeasure and yet, “What we resist, persists”. For any situation there are equal positives and negatives. All we have to do is lean into what is happening, get really curious rather than defensive or resistant.

The mind is a master at finding balance if we allow it to observe wholeheartedly. If you can trust that in the most dire of circumstances, the most challenging situations, there are an equal number of opportunities and positives to be found, engage your curiosity to find them, very quickly, meaning and purpose will appear along with a solution.

In this space, exactly what you have, where you are and what is happening, is enough. From here, you are empowered to either accept things as they are and find true contentment or you have the freedom to change and make different choices.

Thank you for listening and warm wishes,

Roxy Lebsanft  GDipCouns, BHSc. Co-founder Bare Hands www.barehands.com.au

Reference: Yapko, M. (2009), Depression is Contagious, Free Press, USA.

RELATED BLOG
Curiosity, humour and exercise

RESOURCES
CD (or MP3 download)  Emotional Health – where I speak on a 2 CD set about how to develop manage and transform destructive emotional states, and how to maintain healthy emotions, healthy relationships.http://www.iangawlerwebstore.com/cds-dvd

NOTICE BOARD
Meditation in the Forest - Yarra Junction - April 11 - 17, 2014
There are only a couple of places left on this pre-Easter retreat so call soon if you wish to attend - The Gawler foundation 03- 59671730 or click on the link above.


Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing - Auckland - May 16th - 23rd , 2014

Ruth and I are very pleased to have been invited to New Zealand (Aussies welcome!) to present an 8

day cancer recovery program residential program in May. This program, while being evidence based, will be highly experiential.

We will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, with the emphasis on what people can do for themselves – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

For details on this and the other cancer related residential programs for 2014 CLICK HERE

Understanding Death, Care for the Dying
A residential retreat building resources for Spiritual and Emotional support


I had the good fortune to meet Christine Longacre (CV: Click here) many years ago and know her well enough to highly recommend a rare opportunity to attend a seminar with her in Australia that focuses on caring for the dying – as individual carers or health professionals.



Maybe it seems a little strange to include details of a seminar on Understanding Death, Care for the Dying along with a post on gratitude, but awareness of death serves to heighten our gratitude for how precious life is, and how fragile it can be.

The basic premise of this training is that when others are suffering, what helps them the most, more than anything we say or do, is how we are. Thus the training introduces contemplative methods and practical skills that enable participants to develop qualities of compassionate caregiving: presence, authenticity, and confidence.

Methods of mindful listening and communication are practiced throughout, so integration of these skills into work and daily life becomes possible.

Dates: Friday 20th June 2014  at 9am to Tuesday 24th June at 5 pm
Group leaders: Christine Longaker, supported by Alexandra Yuille and Wendy Wright
Where: Foothills Conference Centre, Mooroolbark, Melbourne, Australia
Fee: Includes accommodation and all meals
Early bird: $1300 twin-share or $1500 single
From 1 April: $1450 twin-share or $1650 single

Certifcate of Completion, Continuing Professional Development by request.
Bookings: Click here https://registration.rigpa.org.au/index.php?option=com_users&view=login
Note: Registration is managed by Rigpa - you will be prompted to create a login before you can sign up to the course
.
Enquiries: SCP Australia via australia@spcare.org