Meditation and the art of sitting

In traditional meditation circles it is said “if the posture is correct, meditation occurs spontaneously”. Really? Many of us may well be experiencing difficulty in the sitting. We go to meditate, sit - and encounter restlessness, discomfort, maybe even pain.

How then to simply sit and find the posture we take up for our meditation truly helpful?

Enter an old friend and colleague, David McRae. David and I worked together for many years back in the eighties, leading cancer groups and meditation programs.

So this week, in a guest blog with some great photos, David addresses “Meditation and the art of sitting”, but first



      Thought for the week


All of humanity's problems 
Stem from man's inability 
To sit quietly in a room alone

         Blaise Pascal 
         – 17th century French Philosopher



"Do you know what you are doing?" It's a common enough question in just about all fields of endeavour. While sometimes it can be an insulting question, and others it can be very helpful.

So lets be bold. When it comes to embarking upon meditation practice do we know what we are doing? Through some decades of teaching and personal practice I have found that it greatly helps learners if I discuss with them "what are we doing?", or in other words, what is meditation?

Here I am not talking about definitions of meditation; they can be unwieldy and dry. Let us be more practical and without any academic psychological or philosophical terms, examine what is meditation?

A starting point in some traditions is that the heart of meditation is SITTING. Zen teaching emphasizes that meditation is really just sitting, and then sitting some more.


By sitting we do not necessarily mean a special way of sitting, though a fairly straight upright spine is helpful, as is a posture that is quite balanced so that a good degree of relaxation is possible.


Otherwise, kneeling, being on a chair or special stool, or even lying down if your physical condition demands it are all okay. They can all qualify as 'sitting' for the purpose of meditation.


Why is an emphasis on 'just SITTING', or 'simply SITTING' so useful? Look at it this way. Often when something is tiring or stressing us we decide we need a break (providing we are self-aware enough to feel that).

So we take a break; a 'smoko' or a coffee break. Quite literally we go outside and have a cigarette, or we make a cup of tea or coffee. We might be sitting, but we are also sipping coffee or tea. Or we pick up a magazine, a bill or piece of mail or whatever might be on the table. Perhaps we have the radio on, or the TV; or we may be chatting to whoever else is in the room. There is nothing wrong with any of this and it may be somewhat restful.

But are we also capable of just SITTING without any of these preoccupations? Many people seem to find it pretty hard to “just sit” after thirty seconds or so.

Meditation is the art of having a 'smoko' break without the smoke, tea, coffee, magazine or anything else. It is the bare bones of having a break; it is simply SITTING.

The second element of the zen-like description 'simply SITTING' is that we find a way to stay with the sitting for a period of time. There are various suggested techniques, but in the end it is YOU finding a way that YOU can employ. And the simpler the technique the better.

Finding a way to do what, exactly? A way to stay physically and mentally with 'simply SITTING' beyond the first, second and third impulses to have a coffee, browse a magazine, turn on the radio or go to the fridge. And that means a way through the distractedness or restlessness that underlies all those impulses.


And there you have it - that's meditation.



Whether you are attending to your breath, to your body relaxing, to repetition of a mantra or something else it is in the service of encountering the mental impulses that would move you out of 'simply SITTING'.

Encountering your impulses and mental distractedness also has to be YOUR own way.



It may be a head on confrontation like an arm wrestle, but generally confrontation is not sustainable. More likely it will develop characteristics of witnessing your mental activity and busyness, flowing with it and allowing it to settle naturally. Something like surfing the waves, or a more subtle and responsive martial art like judo or aikido. It is your discovery and it will be your way.

So where have we come to with this enquiry into "what are we doing"? It seems we are sitting and surfing the waves of all that would pull us away from 'simply SITTING'. Hopefully this involves relaxing, and just possibly some moments of freedom from the tyranny of excessive thinking. Until of course we do choose to move out of sitting and into the rest of our day's activities. Having a coffee perhaps. Where's that bill I have to pay?

Guest blog by David McRae. Want to visit David's website? These days David lives and works in Coff's Harbour where he runs meditation groups and provides counselling. CLICK HERE


NOTICEBOARD

Winter Solstice Chanting and Meditation with Jarek Czechowicz

Saturday, June 20th, 8-11pm, Augustine Centre, Hawthorn

Another highly recommended opportunity to sing universal chants that facilitate natural meditation:



The light reveals our blessed way. 

The night is longing for the day. 
Awakening we pray: 
May these days be filled with love.  


Come for a comfortable and heart-warming celebration.



Buy tickets at: http://www.trybooking.com/hmon

Get more information at: http://www.jarekc.com/winter-solstice/

Join the event and Share it on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/events/466410683510863/

COMING EVENTS with RUTH and MYSELF

MEDITATION RETREAT

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.

For thousands of years, people have removed themselves from the busyness of daily life and entered into a retreat situation to meditate. Come, join like-minded people, be inspired, be renewed. Immerse yourself in meditation. Be guided, be nurtured. Take the opportunity to reconnect with your own inner wisdom and the essence of who you really are.

FULL DETAILS  -  Click here

SPECIFIC CANCER PROGRAMS for 2015

Ruth and I have committed to presenting a series of ongoing, regular 5 day follow-up residential cancer programs for the Gawler Foundation. The first of these begins in the Yarra Valley this week, the next will be from 12th - 16th October. We will also present a similar 5 day follow up cancer program in New Zealand for Canlive - 9th - 13th November.

We will also present one comprehensive 8 day program (also in New Zealand for Canlive) CANCER, HEALING and WELLBEING, that will be well suited to anyone who has not done a program with us before. This program is on in mid May - see below.

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

The stillness of meditation – the key to stress-free stress management

Some people suggest meditation needs to be free of effort; that if we make an “effort” to meditate, then the meditation can become just another source of stress. Yet many people seem to work very hard at meditation.

So this week, let us examine how to make sense of effort when it comes to meditation; and the 3 main benefits that flow from stilling the mind, but first



     Thought for the day

To be nobody but your self

In a world which is doing its best, 
Night and day, 
To make you everybody else,

Means to fight the hardest battle 
Which any human being can fight;

And never stop fighting.


           e e cummings 





Some people would tell you that meditation is all about letting go and going with the flow. Some give the impression there is nothing to do; again, just let go and allow yourself to be.

My sense is that this is a bit like saying to a young athlete – basketballer, footballer, runner, whatever – just wish to be a great athlete, no need to work at it, just go with the flow. Look at the great athletes; they make it look so easy!

When I was a teenager, my chosen field was athletics and I marvelled at the natural talent of many of my fellows. While not greatly talented myself, I worked hard. Trained hard. Studied. Listened to my coaches. Did all they told me to do and more.

As the years went on, many of the "naturals", relying on their natural talents, felt little inclination to train hard. So in fact, as we became older, the hard work overcame the natural talent and I began to shine. However, I never became a great athlete. To be that you really need both great natural talent and the hard work.

My experience with my own meditation and with observing thousands of others meditate is just the same as this. Some do have a natural talent for meditation. It just seems to come easily for them. But maybe even more so than with athletes, with meditation, beginners generally benefit greatly from making concerted, intelligent, well-guided effort.

Now, to be clear, when speaking of meditation, I speak of learning to relax deeply in a physical sense and keep still, and then to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind into a deeper stillness. These skills  can be learnt. Reliably. When we work at it.

So why bother? Well one thing that meditation helps to make abundantly clear is that the mind has two aspects - the active thinking mind and the still mind.

The thinking mind is the domain of many skills, including stress. Most reading this post will identify with Shakespeare’s quote


There is nothing either good or bad
But thinking makes it so.

The thinking mind regulates how we perceive things, how we interpret things. It analyses, visualises, discriminates, categorises, conceptualises....etc. In doing so, the thinking mind determines the stress we may or may not experience.

The still mind is beyond all this. The still mind is calm and clear. The still mind is the domain of deep, natural peace.

How then to help the thinking mind let go of stress, to become clear and calm, to become stress free? Meditation! For meditation provides a reliable way to go beyond the activity of the thinking mind and to directly experience the stillness of our mind. And in doing so, meditation offers 3 major benefits: Profound Peace, Natural Balance, and the View.

Profound Peace speaks for itself. There is a natural ease, an inner clarity and confidence that comes with meditation that provides a profoundly effective antidote to stress.

Natural Balance is the inevitable product of this profound peace being combined with deep physical relaxation. This is how meditation diffuses stress and anxiety – with a return to a natural, healthy balance.

Physically our body chemistry and physiology regains its natural balance. But there is more! This natural balance flows on to be experienced as emotional balance as well as mental balance; there is even a deep sense of connectedness, knowing what is right for us, and a natural inclination to be more loving, compassionate and altruistic – a spiritual balance.

And perhaps even more profoundly, meditation offers a new perspective. We begin to see the world, and our life, not just from the perspective of the ever-changing “thinking mind” and it's emotional patterns, but also from a more profound vantage point –the calm, clear still mind.

The View describes our perspective in a very full sense of that word. The View is how we view the world, how we interpret what is happening in our life. What meaning and purpose we experience in this life. Our View is tied up with our values, our ethics, our habits, and our beliefs. How we live our life.

Often times it seems as if we can get stuck with a somewhat rigid view of ourselves, our world, and our place in it. However, when our View changes, there is the potential for everything to change.

If we have a problem, as we see it, and we fixate on it, it is like holding an egg to our eye. With an egg that is very close to our eye, we can see nothing. We cannot even recognise that it actually is an egg and it is obscuring our capacity to see everything.

However, if we change our View, it can be like taking the egg away from our eye and holding it at arms-length. Now there is the possibility that we may recognise the thing for what it is. It is an egg! And as we know, an egg has loads of possibilities, loads of potential.

So meditation offers three great gifts: profound peace, natural balance and the view.

Truly meditation offers a unique pathway to being stress-free.

NOTICEBOARD

Pre- EASTER MEDITATION RETREAT with Ruth and Ian Gawler

Meditation in the Forest   March 27th to April 2nd  2015   Yarra Valley

During this meditation retreat, we will be focusing upon the deeper stillness of meditation. We will explore the understanding, but moreso, the actual practices and techniques. A time to rest and rejuvenate.

All amidst the magnificent big trees of the Upper Yarra Valley.

Accompanied by high-quality organic meals and juices, optional Yoga or Feldenkrais.

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

FULL DETAILS Click here 



A REMINDER

The Pearls are back 

Just the thing for that special, meaningful present, or for your own convenient, take them anywhere use.

Beautifully presented in a raw silk lined box, easily rechargeable, elegant mini MP3 players complete with their own earphones and specific meditations.





       Calm Pearl for stress management



       Sleep Pearl to assist with natural sleep


       Pain Relief Pearl for pain management.


                TO ORDER   CLICK HERE

Meditation, Images and Health

Deep natural peace. Profound insight. With over 50 years of leading meditation retreats and a wide variety of groups between us, Ruth and I invite you to join us for a 5 day residential program in the Yarra Valley this October that brings together the best techniques for personal transformation we know.

Meditation. Contemplation. Imagery. All well known. All speak for themselves.

But then there is the wonderful, gentle but incredibly insightful process that centres around the interpretation of drawings that is not so well known. So this week, more on understanding the workings of our mind, plus a journey into the metaphorical world of drawings, their symbols and their interpretation, but first





Thought for the Day

Psychology has traditionally supported people 
To move from minus ten to zero. 
What I love about positive psychology 
Is that it supports people to move from zero to plus ten.

               John Higgins, philanthropist





Our active, thinking mind is comprised of the conscious and the unconscious. Some liken the relationship of the two to that of an iceberg, with just the tip of the conscious in our ordinary awareness and all the activity of the unconscious going on underneath with major consequence.

Clearly our lives are dramatically affected by the unconscious. The unconscious stores our memories then brings them together to formulate our beliefs and hold our habits.

How often do we feel constrained from doing what we consciously might choose to, or consider to be in our own best interests, when we know what is really holding us back is the underlying force of our own unconscious mind?

How often are our relationships affected by these same unconscious forces, held as hurts or fears; emerging as needs or avoidance?

Clearly there is the potential for great personal liberation in coming to know our own unconscious more directly. With such knowledge comes the prospect of freedom from the past and the freedom of a more open future.

So how to gain insight into the unconscious? This is where it helps to understand that the unconscious has its own language – that of imagery. The unconscious converts our day-to-day experiences into images and stores them as such. We remember the past by drawing on these images, we think using images, we plan for the future using images. Our habits and our beliefs are all made up of images.

Imagery is the language of the unconscious. That is what makes the unconscious so accessible. Drawing is a process of recording images. Through a simple technique using 3 specific drawings, we can gain an incredibly clear window into the workings of our own unconscious.

Excited? This is a fascinating process that stands alone for being gentle yet powerful. There is no need to be an artist. In fact, often the simpler the drawing style the more useful these types of drawings can be.

This is a process I have led several thousands of people through over the years. We used to include it unheralded in many programs and curiously it was not uncommon for some people to be reluctant to enter into the activity. However, with gentle persuasion, it is true to say that almost everyone who did it found major benefit and very often people felt their lives transformed for the better through what they learnt and what the exercise led on to.

So these days as Ruth and I present more regular meditation retreats, each with their own particular theme (like Imagery for Meditation Under the Long White Cloud in NZ), we are offering this program for those interested in their own psychology, the influences of the unconscious and how we can be free to live more in the moment.

Meditation, Images and Health is a program of direct relevance to health professionals. It could be useful in gaining more understanding of your own processes; and the interpretation of drawings is a technique that I learnt initially from a senior Jungian analyst, then adapted somewhat to the group situation. It is a technique that can be used in individual sessions or in groups and this program could well meet the needs of professional development.

Meditation, Images and Health will have plenty of meditation – a little instruction and good time to sit together - along with the usual basic hatha yoga, walking meditation, free time, great food and meaningful conversation. But then we will add this extra dimension of the drawings and all that they offer.

More details and a flier to download can be accessed by CLICKING HERE; bookings are through the Foundation – call +61 3 59671730.

RELATED BLOG
Retreat and go forward

NEWS 
This blog comes to you from Fraser Island. The world’s biggest island of pure sand. Blue sky. Almost warm. Very bumpy tracks that give our car the chance to know it actually is a 4WD, and a place that brings to mind that great quote :





To see a world in a grain of sand

 And a heaven in a wild flower,


Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.


              William Blake






Tuesday July 29th : a free evening public talk in Bundaberg
Wednesday July 30th : a talk for dementia carers again in Bundaberg
then Mackay on Friday 1st August and on we go to Cairns, Mt Isa and eventually Adelaide. 

Also, there are still 2 places left for anyone adventurous enough to join Meditation in the Desert at what is getting to be short notice :)

Ian Gawler Blog:The 3 most powerful tools for personal transformation

Announcing an exciting training for health professionals and keen individuals that focuses on the clinical application of therapeutic language, imagery and meditation.

It is with real enthusiasm that I write to tell you that Dr. Nimrod Sheinman is coming again to Australia in October, to join Ruth and myself in a 5-Day residential training that will focus on the use of imagery, meditation and language for inner transformation, personal and professional development.

In this special guest blog, Nimrod describes how he became involved in this aspect of his work, what is on offer (a huge potential for major insights, personal breakthroughs and transformation!), and a little of the program we have put together.

It has been my good fortune to get to know Nimrod well over the last 25 years, and to host several of his previous trainings. He is an excellent teacher, great communicator, highly experienced, compassionate and passionate!

Who will attend?
This training is primarily intended for clinicians, but individuals keen to learn and apply these principles and techniques in their own lives, and who have a good grounding in meditation and imagery already, are encouraged to attend.

It is a special feature of the style of this training that we encourage clinicians and clients to interact and learn with each other as well as from each other.

NOTE: 30 Category 2 CPD Points applied for from the RACGP, and this training/program would qualify as training hours for those applying for registration with ATMA.

To download the flier, CLICK HERE                               For further enquiries call 03 59666130


But first
Thought for the day
Light will someday split you open

Even if your life is now a cage.

For a divine seed,

the crown of destiny,

Is hidden and sown on 
an ancient, fertile plain

You hold the title to.
                           Hafiz

Dr Nimrod Sheinman on Images, Words and Silence




It was 1986. I was an Israeli naturopathic physician who had trained for four years in the US, and now I was visiting Melbourne to meet my brother, who later became the founder of the wonderful organic Himalaya Bakery and Café in Daylesford.









As I was standing in front of my brother's library, a blue book caught my eyes. I pulled it out. The photo on the front cover reminded me of a Rene Magritte painting (the famous European surrealist painter), showing a man in black suit with blue sea and blue sky in the background.










The book's photo showed a tall man standing in front of a blue fence, beyond which is a blue sea and blue sky. The man wears a long blue robe, from which only one leg is seen underneath. The cover extolls "You Can Conquer Cancer". As I opened and began to read the book I became excited. "I have to meet this man", I said to myself.







Back then in the summer or ’86, I was on my way back to the US for a one year Mind-Body Residency at Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington. My area of expertise was mainly Mind-Body Medicine. Although I was well trained in clinical nutrition, manipulation therapy, nutritional supplements, herbal medicine and homeopathic prescribing, "Healing, Consciousness and Transformation" (the name of a course I was co-teaching) was "my thing".

I was very inspired by the then new Mind-Body Medicine findings. I had been lucky to be in the US during the '80s, the years during which psycho-neuro-immunology was discovered, Mind-Body Medicine evolved and holistic medicine organized. I met leading mind-body innovators and thinkers, heard the best holistic experts and learned first-hand from great mind-body pioneers.

I was most interested in the practical application of these exciting new developments, and from amongst the various mind-body tools, Interactive Guided Imagery stood out. I went on to learn skills in this area from Martin Rossman MD and David Bresler PhD, experts, pioneers, authors and later the founders of the American Academy for Guided (Interactive) Imagery.

The forte of Interactive Guided Imagery is the unique guided dialogue between the patient and his or her images or inner metaphors, and the skills needed by the clinician to direct this communication process. Interactive imagery beautifully integrates Mind-Body Medicine principles, along with the Jungian perspective, Mindfulness-based approaches, Empathic Dialogue and lots of "trust the process".

It was my last day in Australia, so all I could accomplish at the time was to find Ian's phone number and call him. We spoke and agreed to meet next year. This became the first time I visited one of Ian's support groups, participated and taught in a 10 day cancer retreat and gave a seminar to his staff.





In 1990, we presented Medicine of the Mind, a two day conference, which as our brochure said, was devoted to presenting "up-to-date information on the theoretical research and clinical data that could well change the face of health, healing and medicine".


My connection and friendship with Ian is now over 25 years old!





In these 25 years, much has been discovered on the mind-body connection, the complementary aspects of imagery and meditation, the power of the mind to heal and the roles of the patient and clinician. A huge body of research is now available to us, as well as experience gained in numerous mind-body and integrative medicine institutes.

Interactive Imagery combined with mind-body and mindfulness-based approaches is a "must have" for clinicians. As a technique, it is a great ally to meditation, because it enables people (with the therapist as a guide) to contact inner feelings, processes, struggles and moods; to look at them differently, to explore them as possible positive guides, to learn from them and reduce their hold.

During the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to teach Interactive Imagery training seminars in Europe, USA, Australia and Israel, and to explore its unique value with physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses and complementary medicine practitioners.

We have witnessed its usefulness in diverse situations, such as in extreme life events, chronic stress disorders, oncology care, trauma work, pain control, and more. Here is what some practitioners have had to say:

"The Interactive Imagery training helped me to connect with my patient's woundedness and their strength, and to empower clients in their healing process", said one psychotherapist.

"Interactive Imagery is a wonderful technique", said one physician, "because it enables me to guide my patients towards their deeper Self, and to harness its healing potential".

Or a social worker’s statement: "Integrating Interactive Imagery with mindfulness enables me to reach the patient's unconscious mind, in order to identify its hidden messages".

All of which will be translated into our coming training in October where those who join us will be experiencing and learning how to:

• Integrate the latest research findings and insights of Mind-Body Medicine with Imagery-based Therapy and Mindfulness-based Meditation  

• Use language, imagery and silence therapeutically, and how best to combine them synergistically to generate healing and wellbeing

• Guide Dialogue between the Person and the Image– the step-by-step approach of communicating with symbols and metaphors 

• Use Interactive Imagery and meditation to transform troublesome "symptom makers" into unique and interesting allies  

• Bring imagery exploration into loaded clinical situations, mobilize personal resources and fortify resilience

This will be a highly experiential, interactive and practical training, uniquely suited to practitioners and informed people keen to work on their own health, healing and wellbeing.


To download the flier, CLICK HERE

For further enquiries call 03 59666130

HOW TO REGISTER

NOTE: 30 Category 2 CPD Points applied for from the RACGP, and this training/program would qualify as training hours for those applying for registration with ATMA.


RELATED BLOG
The Mind that Changes everything

RESOURCES

BOOK: The Mind that Changes Everything

CDs: Mind Training

Mind-Body Medicine

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Bowel cancer? Get off your backside!!!

Associations of recreational physical activity and leisure time spent sitting with colorectal cancer survival.               Campbell PT et al, J Clin Oncol.  2013; 31(7):876-85 

Little is known about the association of recreational physical activity or leisure time spent sitting with survival after colorectal cancer diagnosis. This study examined the associations of prediagnosis and postdiagnosis recreational physical activity and leisure time spent sitting with mortality among patients with colorectal cancer.

CONCLUSION of the Study?: More recreational physical activity before and after colorectal cancer diagnosis was associated with lower mortality, whereas longer leisure time spent sitting was associated with higher risk of death.