Meditation Benefit

“There is a fountain of youth; it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” — Sophia Loren 

It always amazes me when I get my invitation to the Oprah – Deepak 21 Day Meditation that the theme is so timely for my circumstances. The one we are currently doing is Youthful Energy and the emphasis is on the body-mind interconnection and how that energy can be youthful. We have the resilience and mental dynamism to bounce back from setbacks. As with all meditation it is necessary to eliminate stress and negative influences whether they be emotions, work or people.

Today we learned that those who age well have 7 things in common:

·         Regular meditation

·         A wide support system

·         Close familial relationships

·         Daily multi-vitamin

·         Good sleep combined with daily activity

·         Lifelong curiosity

·         A willingness to take on new challenges

He said to note that only one thing on the list was food related (the multi vitamin) while the rest of the things on the list are physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. The daily activity goes back to what he suggested yesterday; he advised that once per hour one should walk around for about 5 minutes, throughout the day.

I know it is extremely difficult for most people to sit still to meditate for even 5 minutes and his practice is closer to 15 while the recommended meditation time can be up to 30 minutes. I am happy to report that I am able to do the full 15 minutes but I confess as well that my mind frequently goes elsewhere and I have to repeat the mantra to get myself back on track. Meditation is a lifelong practice and when we sleep we just have to remind ourselves to get back to mental stillness. Don’t be discouraged or feel that you have failed because while you were “meditating” you were thinking about painting the kitchen!

The reason why I am writing this today is to encourage everyone to take a little time to be still and just let your mind rest. In today’s toxic world it is very important to give our minds a proper rest from everything that is negative (and there is so much today). I recall that after being retired for about 6 months I suggested to Mom that we should eschew watching the news one day of the work week (we never did watch the news on the weekend). I think it is time to bring that practice back into being!

It is not wrong to “be in the know” with respect to news but at the same time we ought not to feed on it. It is more important for our personal wellbeing to work towards the positive in ourselves; we cannot control the outside world but we can control our own emotions and thoughts with purpose.

Namaste.